Kurt Kitayama lines up a putt during the BMW Championship golf tournament Owings Mills, Maryland.

The PGA Tour heads west for the 2025 Bank of Utah Championship, which was known as the Black Desert Championship for the inaugural event last season. It is part of the 2025 FedEx Cup Fall Series. The first round tees off Thursday at the Black Desert Resort in Ivins, Utah. Below, we look at Bank of Utah Championship from BetMGM Sportsbook's odds and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions.

The defending champ is Matt McCarty (+2800), who won the inaugural event last season at 23-under 261. However, he isn't the favorite. That honor belongs to Maverick McNealy (+1400), followed by Michael Thorbjornsen (+1600), Alex Noren (+1800) and Kurt Kitayama (+2000). Among the other notables are Jason Day (+2800), Thornbjorn Olesen (+3000), Emiliano Grillo (+4000) and Max Homa (+4000). McNealy, ranked No. 17, and Noren, at No. 19, are the only 2 golfers ranked inside the Top 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR).

Black Desert Resort is 7,421 yards long and plays as a par 71, featuring 3 long par 5s on the course. The front 9 features a pair of par 5s, as No. 7 measures at 589 yards, and No. 9 checks in at 587 yards. No. 18 wraps up at 595 yards. The course, established in 2023, features creeping bentgrass fairways and greens, with Kentucky bluegrass rough, designed by the late Tom Weiskopf.

Watch the PGA Tour on Fubo!

Bank of Utah Championship – Expert picks

Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 9:39 a.m. ET.

Kurt Kitayama (+2000)

Kitayama, who finished ranked 71st in OWGR at the end of 2024, has risen to a current rank of 34. He ranks 20th on Tour in Putting Average at 1.726, and does a good job in Par 4 Scoring Average, ranking 17th with a mark of 3.98. That will serve him well, as there are 11 par 4s on the course. He tied for 25th here last season, including a 6-under 65 in Round 1. He'll try to replicate that early-round success.

Rico Hoey (+2500)

One of the key stats for success at Bank of Utah Championship is success in the Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green category. Hoey ranked No. 2 on the PGA Tour in the category, and he is the top golfer in the field in that metric. The Filipino-born golfer also ranks 11th in SG: Approach to Green, another stat for success. However, before you get too excited, Hoey really struggles on the greens, and that's where things can fall apart, so proceed with caution. He finished T-21 last season in the inaugural event.

Matt Wallace (+3500)

Wallace didn't appear in this event last season. His best attributes are his work in the SG: Around-the-Green, ranking No. 2 on Tour at 0.564 in 50 measured rounds. He also ranks 28th in Total Driving Efficiency, which will help him on the long par 5s, and he ranks 32nd in Par 4 Scoring Average (3.99). One of the craziest stats is that he ranked 109th or higher in Putts per Round in Rounds 1, 2 and 4, yet he somehow ranked 18th in Round 3 putts per round. Wallace loves Saturday.

Bank of Utah Champions picks – Contenders

Beau Hossler (+5500)

Hossler is a solid putter, and that will be a reason why he has success in the Beehive State. He ranks 22nd on the PGA Tour in Putting Average (1.728), while checking in 43rd in Total Putting and 30th in SG: Putting. His best work was in the SG: Around-the-Green category in 75 measured rounds, posting a value of 0.446, which is seventh on Tour, and that ranked 10 spots ahead of superstar Scottie Scheffler. Hossler was T-11 at this event last season.

Doug Ghim (+6000)

In 67 measured rounds, Ghim ranked 10th in SG: Tee-to-Green and 17th SG: Approach to Green, posting a 0.969 mark. He is just so-so in Par 4 Scoring Average, ranking 67th on the PGA Tour in 746 total holes with a mark of 4.01. Like Hoey, above, the drawback with the former University of Texas golfer is his work with the steel on the green. He was just 170th in SG: Putting during the 2025 season. Ghim tied Kitayama and 8 others golfers to finish T-25 at this event.

Bank of Utah Championship pick – Long shot

Kevin Streelman (+20000)

If you're looking for a long shot pick, Streelman is your man. He posted a 19-under 265, including a 7-under 64, and 8-under 63 in last season's event. The 46-year-old ranks 396th in OWGR, so temper expectations. You'd be better off playing Streelman as a Make/Miss Cut prop, or Top 40 finisher. But, man, why not risk $2 for a potential $400 payout?

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Golfweek:

  • Field for PGA Tour's Bank of Utah Championship
  • 2025 Bank of Utah Championship payout, purse

Follow @danieledobish on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Sportsbook Wire: Kurt Kitayama leads our 2025 Bank of Utah Championship picks and PGA Tour predictions

Reporting by Daniel Dobish, Sportsbook Wire / Sportsbook Wire

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect