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The 2026 Bank of Utah Championship is officially underway, with Black Desert Resort producing the birdie fest we anticipated we would see judging from its first two years on the PGA Tour schedule.
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It is a tale of two leaderboards as we head into the weekend. Austin Smotherman leads the way at 17-under-par after an impressive Friday 62, and he’s trailed closely by Kevin Roy (-16) and Kevin Streelman (-15). While far too early to call this a three-man race, there is a sizable gap between the top of the board and the rest of the field, so it will take two very low rounds on the weekend for anyone to catch the leaders.
Looking ahead, we have new data at our disposal to adjust our approach in DFS formats before Round 3 gets underway on Saturday. Conditions were completely calm on Friday, and the course will continue to play receptive throughout the week, with dome golf conditions the norm in the Utah desert. Ahead, we’ll look to identify the players who have shown they are most due for a Round 3 breakout.
Take a look at some of the best pillar players for the 2026 Bank of Utah Championship DFS contests and live betting opportunities.
DraftKings Showdown Golf Strategy
DraftKings Golf Showdown Golf is a one-round Daily Fantasy format in which players aim to construct the best-scoring one-round lineup while staying within the allotted salary cap. To identify value in Golf Showdown, it’s typically best to focus on buy-low opportunities on players who’ve shown uncharacteristically poor putting in the prior round. There is also an opportunity to find leverage by identifying favorable weather splits and players who are more likely to card birdies-or-better.
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Round 3 Bank of Utah Championship Showdown Pillar Plays
As expected, ball-striking form and putting skill have prevailed through the opening round at Black Desert Resort. In true desert course fashion, this is a venue that can be attacked from the fairway by trending wedge players, but it requires a good degree of driving skill to avoid the many lateral natural hazards that neighbor the fairway. That places a heightened importance on Total Driving, SG: Approach, and SG: Putting, as the leaders have displayed in the opening round. Looking ahead, it is going to take a consistent driver and streaky putter to go low at Black Desert Resort.
Identifying value players who check each of these boxes can provide valuable bonus points in the DraftKings Showdown format. The three players below will be foundational plays in my Round 3 Showdown lineups for these reasons.
Max Homa ($8,700)
It was a mystery to project how Homa’s form would hold up this week, making his first start since the FedEx St Jude Championship, but there does not appear to be any lingering rust. Homa is currently T14 on the leaderboard at 9-under-par through the halfway point, and has looked very strong from a ball-striking standpoint, ranking top-30 in terms of both SG: OTT and SG: APP.
Homa does not have to play in the Fall Series, ranking inside the top-60 of the FedEx Cup Standings already, so it’s encouraging to see him actively opt in to playing this week. He must have liked what he saw last year, as he finished T9 at the 2025 Bank of Utah Championship while battling through a foot injury. Considering how little he has gotten out of his short game thus far, I expect an even higher level of play from Homa over the weekend.
Nick Taylor ($8,300)
One player in this field who does not have to worry about rust is Nick Taylor, who arrived in Utah straight from the Presidents Cup in Medinah. Taylor exceeded expectations alongside his partner Corey Conners last week, and seems to be playing with increased confidence now too. He is currently T9 on the leaderboard at 10-under-par, and has done so in spite of some uncharacteristically poor iron play.
Taylor ranks top-20 in Driving Accuracy, SG: ARG, and SG: Putting, all ideal baselines to score in these birdie-fest conditions. Considering Taylor’s long-term prowess with his irons, I believe he has room to climb even further up the leaderboard assuming his approach play shows some improvement on moving day.
Chris Kirk ($7,800)
The veteran plodder has gone overlooked in this weaker Fall Series field. A six-time PGA Tour winner with two top-10s over his last three starts, Kirk’s combination of form, fit, and experience is hard to pass up at this price after bolting out to T6, 11-under-par through the first two rounds. Never the longest hitter on Tour, Kirk has always managed to separate on positional courses like this, which place a premium on accurate ball striking.
While a poor putter has held him back this season, the rest of Kirk’s game looks as sharp as ever. He ranks top-10 in SG: T2G, SG: APP, and SG: Ball Striking over the last 36 rounds. That tee-to-green form did not skip a beat to start his fall campaign, as he finished T10 in his latest start at the Biltmore Championship Asheville, where he ranked 3rd in the field in SG: T2G and 6th in SG: APP. A competent putter will be required for Kirk to seriously contend over the weekend at Black Desert Resort, but it is nonetheless encouraging that he still possesses legitimate top-10 upside with an ice-cold putter.
Live Bets To Consider Entering Round 3
Top South African: Erik van Rooyen
Best Available odds: +136
This will be a two-man race between Erik van Rooyen and Christiaan Bezuidenhout over the final two rounds of the Bank of Utah Championship, with both players deadlocked at 9-under-par. While it was Bezuidenhout who was just recently tapped to represent the International Team at the Presidents Cup, I believe van Rooyen is the better heads up option when it comes to Black Desert Resort.
Through the first two rounds, it’s become clear there is no line of defense at Black Desert Resort from fairway to green. Players who can consistently avoid the fairway hazards are best positioned to attack here, and van Rooyen holds a clear advantage in that department. He ranks 27th in SG: OTT through the first two rounds, compared to Bezuidenhout who ranks 113th in this field of 118. With that in mind, I’m siding with the more dependable driver in van Rooyen over the next two days.
Top-20 Finisher: Gordon Sargent
Best Available odds: +122
I was high on the volatile young talent from Vanderbilt leading into this week, and it appears he’s brought his A-game to Utah. Drafting off of a very encouraging performance at the Biltmore Championship where he ranked top-5 in SG: T2G, Sargent continues to look in great form this week. He is T9 at 10-under-par at the halfway point, and has looked much improved with his putting thus far, ranking 21st in the category.
Much like 2025 Bank of Utah Champion Michale Brennan, Sargent’s driver is a weapon, as he ranks 13th in Driving Distance for the week. If he continues to drive confidently and set up the same volume of wedge approaches into these receptive greens, I believe Sargent is fully capable of maintaining his current position inside the top-20.
Best of luck with your Bank of Utah Championship DFS lineups and bets!
Photo Credit: REUTERS
