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The 2026 Bank of Utah Championship has reached the final round, with Black Desert Resort producing the birdie fest we anticipated we would see judging from its first two years on the PGA Tour schedule. Austin Smotherman will look to convert the first win of his PGA Tour career on Sunday. He’ll head into the final round 23-under-par, with a one-stroke lead over Doug Ghim, and five strokes clear of Ben James, Kevin Streelman, and Trace Crowe.
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Looking ahead, we have new data at our disposal to adjust our approach in DFS formats before Round 4 gets underway on Sunday. Conditions were completely calm on Saturday, 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 4 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 4 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 4 Showdown lineups for these reasons.
Ben James ($10,700)
James is far from an unproven talent and has quickly cemented himself as a force to be reconned with in this field. James has had many close calls already in his first nine professional starts, finishing 2nd and 3rd in his last two starts, and picking up two additional top-15s over his last six. He’s shown no signs of stopping this week, as he’s put himself within arm’s length of the leaders heading into Sunday; at 18-under-par, he is T3, trailing only Austin Smotherman and Doug Ghim.
Hardly the most daunting players ahead of him, I except James to play aggressive and free in the role of chaser on Sunday. He came up short at the Biltmore Championship Asheville, despite playing flawless golf with a final round 61. Motivated to convert his first career win while in red-hot form, I expect James to rise to the occasion on Sunday with a win in reach.
Neal Shipley ($8,300)
Speaking of hot Fall Series form, Shipley looks like a new man at this stage of the season. Fresh off an impressive T3 finish at the Biltmore Championship Asheville, he’s kept the hot hand in Utah, currently T7 at 16-under-par. Poor short game has held back Shipley for the majority of this season, but it’s looked more passable at Black Desert Resort, where he ranked 28th in SG: Putting in round 3.
Shipley is undoubtedly one of the best players off the tee on the PGA Tour, a premium skill set to bring to this venue, which has a history of rewarding elite total drivers. Shipley ranks 1st in SG: Ball Striking, 3rd in SG: APP, and 4th in SG: OTT, setting an extremely high baseline as we head into the final round. If he can build on the momentum on the greens that he established in round 3, Shipley is a prime target to go low on Sunday.
Rico Hoey ($7,800)
Total driving is premium skill set at Black Desert Resort, so it’s hardly a surprise to see one of the best in that category towards the top of the Bank of Utah Championship leaderboard. Hoey is currently T13 heading into the final round, and ranks top-15 across the key categories of SG: T2G, SG: Ball Striking, SG: OTT, and Driving Distance.
Hoey knows his way around this course well, and is familiar with the high stakes of a Sunday at Black Desert Resort. He finished T21 in his 2024 debut, and followed that up with a runner up finish this time last year. It’s clear Hoey feels comfortable around this course, and if he’s able to get anything going on the greens, he’s in a great position to add another top-10 to his resumé at this event.
Live Bets To Consider Entering Round 4
Group E Winner: Rico Hoey
Best Available odds: +186
In this five-way group market featuring Chris Kirk, Rico Hoey, Ben Kohles, Jordan Smith, and Nick Taylor, Hoey will go into the final round just one stroke behind Chris Kirk. It is effectively a three-man fight at this point though, with Smith and Taylor more than four strokes off Kirk’s lead.
Ben Kohles has not given us any reason to feel confident in his play on Sundays, and while I’ve optimistically backed Kirk throughout this week, I still have some concerns around how his putting will hold up under pressure. Hoey will be comfortable teeing it up here on Sunday, having finished 2nd and T21 in his first two appearances, and his ball-striking has proven to be the best in this group over the first three rounds.
Top-20 Finisher: Michael Brennan
Best Available odds: +154
Stuck in neutral all day Saturday, moving day unfortunately moved on past Brennan, who could do no better than even-par for the day. That won’t cut it on a birdie-fest like this, but while his hopes to repeat as champion are now dashed, he’s in perfectly fine position to bounce-back for a top-20 finish, currently T26 for the tournament.
Brennan possesses all the skills needed to score at Black Desert Resort, and despite a sluggish Saturday, he still ranks 11th in SG: OTT and 16th in SG: Putting. Those are the two most important categories at this event, so I expect a strong finale from the defending champ.
Best of luck with your Bank of Utah Championship DFS lineups and bets!
Photo Credit: REUTERS
