Recently, the PGA Tour returned to Utah after an absence of 61 years and held the Black Desert Championship. A total of 132 players teed off here, including Procore Championship champion Patton Kizzire, PGA Tour college ranking leader Michael Thorbjornsen, as well as Eric Van Rhyner, Keith Mitchell, Yuan Yichun, etc. Favorite players. Eric Van Rhyner won the trophy of the Global Technology Championship at El Cardona last fall, and he tied for 12th in the Irish Open that just ended this year. It can be said that he is in hot form and is a favorite to win the championship. Lucas Glover ranked first in the "tee-off fairway rate" and ninth in the "standard green rate" in the previous competition. All putts within 6 feet were successfully holed out, and he made 52 of 52 putts. With such excellent performance, he has become a favorite to win the championship. Jacob Bridgeman, the rookie, has scored 49 under par this year, which is a continuation of his scoring strength in the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour. However, his strength has only recently emerged, as he has finished in the top 20 in three of the four tournaments since late July.

Black Desert Championship Introduction

The Black Desert Championship is the third stop of the PGA Tour's Fall Series and is held for the first time this year. The event is held at the Black Desert Resort Course in Utah, marking the first time the PGA Tour has returned to Utah since 1963. The Black Desert Resort Course is located on lava ground and was designed by Tom Weiskopf and Phil Smith. It is also Tom Weiskopf's last work. The course has wide fairways and two water hazards. The first nine holes of the course will open in November 2022, and the back nine holes will open to the public in May 2023. It is worth mentioning that the Black Desert Resort Course is also the first course in the history of the PGA Tour to use a robot mower to trim the fairways. The holding of the Black Desert Championship is of great significance to the development of local golf. The champion of the event will receive 500 FedEx Cup points and a prize of US$1.35 million, which greatly increases the attractiveness and competitiveness of the competition. In terms of qualification, the participants of the event include players promoted through the PGA Tour University Rankings and the Korn Ferry Tour, as well as some players participating through wild cards. In terms of points and prize money, the top 125 players on the final standings of the FedEx Cup Fall Tournament can retain their cards, while players ranked 126-150 will receive a half-card for the 2024 PGA Tour season. The champion will receive 500 FedEx Cup points and a prize of $1.35 million. In terms of course rules, if a stationary ball is moved by external influences, there will be no penalty and the ball must be replaced in place. In terms of competition format, four rounds of 72-hole stroke play are usually used, and the winner is determined by the player's total score. In terms of event structure, the competition may include multiple rounds of competition, and players need to score as low a score as possible in each round to get a better ranking.

Round 1

In the first round, Adam Svensson shot a career-best 60 (-11) to take the clubhouse lead. Henrik Norlander and Matt McCarty were both in T2 with scores of -9. A total of 14 players on the leaderboard were within five strokes of Adam Svensson, including Ben Kohles (-6, T6) who had a hole-in-one. Canadian player Adam Svensson got off to a good start in the first Black Desert Championship. Starting from the back nine, he made a 35-foot eagle on his third-to-last hole. He thought he had missed the putt, but then he made a birdie on the 9th hole, setting his PGA Tour career-best score of 60 (-11). Adam Svensson, who had shot 61 twice before, handed in his ninth "60 or better" scorecard on the PGA Tour this season. With 1 eagle and 9 birdies, he improved his FedEx Cup standings from 76th before the game to 52nd in the real-time estimated ranking, entering the "top 10" range. Swedish player Henrik Norlander also delivered his best round in his career. In excellent form, he scored 100% of both fairway hits (14/14) and green hits (18/18), and finished T2 after making nine birdies. American player Matt McCarty won three titles on the Korn Ferry Tour this season and got a chance to be promoted to the PGA Tour. In the first round of this game, Matt McCarty scored 1 eagle and 7 birdies, his best performance after the "upgrade", and ranked T2 with Henrik Norlander. Kevin Streelman and Sam Ryder scored -7, both ranked T4. Including Ben Kohles who scored 130 yards in this round, a total of 10 players ranked T6 with a score of -6. Several players nearly holed out when attacking the front flag position on the 17th hole, but only Coles got an ace with the blessing of perfect backspin and good luck. Yuan Yechun finished -3 with 6 birdies and 3 bogeys in the 16 holes completed, and made three consecutive birdies on holes 5-7, ranking T42 temporarily.

Round 2

In the second round, Stephan Jaeger chipped in two consecutive holes to birdie, creating his best 36-hole score in history. He is currently at the top of the leaderboard with a score of 63 (-8) in this round and 128 (-14) in 36 holes. Adam Svensson, the leader in the first round, and Ben Kohles are in T2. ​​Six players are two strokes behind Jaeger on the leaderboard. German player Stephan Jaeger continued to exert his strength in the second round and started with three consecutive birdies. He had a chance to get another birdie on the 7th hole, but his 10-foot putt went through the hole and he missed the putt back for par. However, he caught up and made a birdie putt from 30 feet on the 12th hole. Then, he chipped in two consecutive holes to birdie, making up for his three-putt mistake on the 7th hole with a score of 63 under par (8 under par) and taking the lead. "I was in great form today, and two successful chip shots on the back nine took my performance from 'good' to 'excellent' in this round," said Stephan Jaeger, who just won his first PGA Tour title at the Houston Open this year. Jaeger's total score is now 128 (14 under par), his best score in 36 holes. Six players are two strokes behind him. Adam Svensson, the first-round leader, finished with 69 in the second round after setting a career-low score of 60, and is in the same T2 position with Ben Coles, who shot 64. Matt McCarty, who shot 1 eagle and 7 birdies in the first round and ranked T2, still had three holes to complete in this round due to sunset. Before the suspension of the game, his total score was -12 and ranked T4. Standing side by side with Matt McCarty are Harris English (64), Henrik Norlander (68) and Sam Ryder (66).

Round 3

On the moving day, Matt McCarty shot -7 and moved up to the top of the list with a total score of -19. Joe Highsmith, Kevin Streelman, and Harris English moved up to T2; Stephan Jaeger slipped one place and was also in T2 with a total score of -17. Harry Hall ranked sixth with a total score of -15. Yuan Yechun shot -5 in a single round and moved up to T10 with a total score of -13. After the second round of supplementary matches, a total of 69 players crossed the qualifying line. Rookie Matt McCarty was in hot form on the moving day. He played bird-bird-bird-eagle-bird (-6) on holes 4-8. After a single round of -7, Matt McCarty, who was in hot form, moved up to the top of the list with a total score of -19. Joe Highsmith shot the best single round of 10 birdies and 1 bogey, which was also the best single round of his PGA Tour, 62 strokes (-9), and once came to the leading position in the clubhouse. His ranking thus climbed 16 places to T2. It is worth mentioning that the last time the champion and runner-up of the PGA Tour were both left-handed players was in the 2018 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (Ted Porter Jr., Phil Mickelson). Joe Highsmith and Matt McCarty are expected to reproduce the glory of left-handed players in this game. Kevin Streelman (-8 this round), Harris English (-5 this round), and 36-hole leader Stephan Jaeger (-3 this round) are also in the T2 range. They are only two strokes behind the leader and have a chance to win the championship. After Harry Hall caught seven birdies in this round, he rose to the sixth place with a total score of -15 and has a chance to compete for his second personal championship. Behind Harry Hall are Kurt Kitayama (-7 this round), Chad Ramey (-7 this round), and Beau Hossler (-5 this round) in T7, and their total score is -14. Yuan Yichun finished -5 with 1 eagle, 4 birdies and 1 bogey on the moving day, moving up 8 places and finishing T10 with a total score of -13.

Finals

In the final round, Matt McCarty, who played in only his third PGA Tour, shot -4 and won his first championship trophy with a three-stroke advantage (total score -23). ​​Stephan Jaeger ranked second with a total score of -20. Kevin Streelman and Lucas Glover were tied for T3 with a total score of -19. Yuan Yichun played steadily, and after shooting -2 in the final round, he finished T11 with a total score of -15. Matt McCarty's strong eagle on the 14th hole in the final round was a microcosm of his excellent performance in this round. He started the game with a two-stroke advantage, and after shooting -4 with 1 eagle, 4 birdies and 2 bogeys, he fixed his total score at -23 and won his first PGA Tour championship trophy in one fell swoop. The 26-year-old Matt McCarty is the first player since Jason Gore in 2005 to directly enter the PGA Tour as a "Korn Ferry Tour Triple Crown" and then win the PGA Tour that season. This is his fourth championship trophy in the last 10 tournaments. Winning the PGA Tour three times also puts Matt McCarty's name on the historical list of "the fewest matches required to win a championship", ranking behind Jim Benepe (one, winning the 1988 BMW Championship) and Garrick Higgo (two, winning the 2021 Congaree Palms Championship), and tied for third place with Spanish legend Seve Ballesteros (three, 1978 Wyndham Championship). "These past few months have been crazy for me," Matt McCarty exclaimed. After a not-so-smooth college career and a blockbuster Lights Tour career, he finally broke out on the PGA Tour, securing two years of membership in one game and confirming that he will be shortlisted for next year's three majors (excluding the British Open). It is worth mentioning that Matt McCarty is the fourth rookie to win the trophy in the 2024 season when new stars shine, and the third left-handed player to win. Stephan Jaeger, the leader at 36 holes, failed to go further. He finished -3 with 4 birdies and 1 bogey in the final round and finished second with a total score of -20. The biggest threat to Matt McCarty in this round was veteran Lucas Glover. He started nine strokes behind and made nine birdies. He had a chance to stage a stunning comeback, but Matt McCarty's steady performance in the final stage cut off this possibility. Kevin Streelman, who had been at the top of the leaderboard in this game, finally finished -2 ​​in the final round and finished T3 with Lucas Glover with a total score of -19. Yuan Yichun started the final round with a birdie. Even though he suffered a double bogey on the next hole No. 2, he still kept the rhythm. After the transition, he made another bogey on the 13th hole, but rebounded strongly in the last five holes and made three birdies. Among them, the two consecutive birdies on the closing holes of 17 and 18 not only won him applause from the audience, but also helped him rank T11 (total score -15). This was his fourth top 25 finish this season and a timely relief after he failed to qualify for six consecutive games.

Conclusion

As the last ball fell into the hole, the Black Desert Championship came to a successful conclusion. In this wonderful event, we witnessed the competition of skills and perseverance and experienced the infinite charm of golf. The players showed their outstanding talents and competitive spirit on this course where challenges and opportunities coexist. For all golf enthusiasts, the Black Desert Championship is not only a visual feast, but also an inspiration. In golf, the golf net plays a vital role. It not only blocks the ball from flying out of the field, avoids or reduces the damage caused by falling and hitting objects, but also provides a safe and efficient practice environment. Therefore, we encourage golf enthusiasts to consider adding or purchasing new golf net equipment while enjoying the fun of golf. Such an investment can not only improve your practice efficiency, but also ensure the safety of you and others. So, whether you are a beginner or an experienced player, please continue to practice, continue to explore, make golf a part of your life, and make every swing more confident and enjoyable. Let us look forward to the next Black Desert Championship. At the same time, let us meet on the course and experience the endless fun that golf brings.