Austin Smotherman has won his first PGA Tour title in his 100th start, closing with a 3-under 68 to take the Bank of Utah Championship at 26-under 258. The 32-year-old held off Doug Ghim by two shots at Black Desert Resort in Ivins, Utah, on Sunday (US time), despite a double bogey on the back nine.
How Smotherman got it done
Smotherman led after the second and third rounds and birdied three of his first five holes on Sunday to stretch his advantage, Golf Channel reported. His lead was cut when he failed to escape a bunker with his third shot at the par-4 13th and made a double bogey.
He responded straight away with a birdie at the drivable 14th, then went birdie-bogey at the 16th and 17th. He reached the par-5 18th two shots clear and lagged a 70-foot eagle putt to tap-in range for a closing birdie, while Ghim’s chip for eagle narrowly missed, according to WSKO.
“Just hit it good enough today, hit some close early that took some pressure off in the middle of the round,” Smotherman said.
What the win is worth
The 26-under total is a new scoring record for the three-year-old tournament. Smotherman earns a two-year PGA Tour exemption plus starts in the Masters, the PGA Championship and The Players Championship, and he takes home US$1.08 million from the US$6 million purse, per Golf Digest.
He is also projected to rise to No.51 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings. Players who finish 51st to 60th receive invitations to the first two signature events of 2027. Golf Channel said he is the ninth first-time winner on the PGA Tour this season, following the likes of Jacob Bridgeman.
Leaderboard
- 1st: Austin Smotherman, -26
- 2nd: Doug Ghim, -24
- T3: David Ford, Trace Crowe, -23
- T5: Kevin Streelman, Ben James, -22
- T7: Luke Clanton, Steven Fisk, -21
- 9th: Kihei Akina (amateur), -20
Ghim (65-62-64-69) posted his best career finish but is still chasing a first win. Luke Clanton shot the low round of the day, a 9-under 62, and BYU amateur Kihei Akina earned a start at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship from 22 to 25 October with his solo ninth. Australian Cam Davis missed the cut at 5 under, according to the PGA Tour leaderboard. Our Bank of Utah Championship preview has more on the field and the course.
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