PGA DFS: Top Cash Game Picks for the Bank of Utah Championship

We head to the Black Desert Resort (par 71, 7,421 yards, bentgrass greens) in Ivins, Utah, for the Bank of Utah Championship. This event made its PGA TOUR debut in 2024, and the first two editions were both played at the Black Desert Resort. Michael Brennan (-22) is the defending champion of the Bank of Utah Championship, after winning by four shots a year ago. This week’s field features 120 golfers, and there will be a top-65 and ties cut after the first two rounds.

The PGA DFS Breakdown offers data-driven analysis for each week’s slate, using the FantasyLabs Tools and metrics to highlight notable golfers.

I’ll be highlighting the best cash game/single-entry plays on the DraftKings main slate, but these players are often great options in any contest.

---

My analysis will frequently reference Strokes Gained, a set of proprietary metrics generated by the PGA TOUR using millions of data points to calculate how many shots, on average, it takes a player to get the ball in the hole from every distance and situation.

Strokes Gained is now available in the FantasyLabs PGA Models.

There are a variety of Strokes Gained-related metrics, but the six main categories you need to know include:

• Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (SG: Off-the-Tee)
• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: Approach)
• Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green (SG: Around-the-Green)
• Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: Putting)
• Strokes Gained: Ball-Striking (SG: Ball-Striking), which is SG: Off-the-Tee + SG: Approach
• Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (SG: Tee-to-Green), which is SG: Ball-Striking + SG: Around-the-Green

Don’t forget to check out two key metrics in our models — Perfect% and SimLeverage. You can find an explainer on those metrics here.

The Cliffs Notes version is that you can use SimLeverage to quickly find leverage plays in tournaments, while Perfect% is great for finding the best price-considered plays for cash games.

And don’t forget to utilize our various PGA DFS tools like our Lineup Optimizer, Lineup Builder, PGA Correlation Dashboard, and our Trends tool.

Also available: our PGA DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.

The following players listed are based on DraftKings scoring and pricing.

PGA DFS Cash Game Thoughts

DraftKings $10,000 Range

Jackson Koivun ($10,800)

Koivun has never played Black Desert Resort, but he is easily the most talented player in this field, and this is a perfect track for him to notch his second PGA TOUR win. Following one of the greatest collegiate careers of all time, Koivun turned professional in June, and the 22-year-old won the 3M Open by three shots just a month later.

Koivun finished T5 at the Biltmore Championship two weeks ago – gaining strokes across the board – and impressed in his Presidents Cup debut this past week. He went 2-0-1 in his matches, including a clutch singles win over Si Woo Kim on Sunday. Koivun was the only player at the Presidents Cup who did not lose a match, and he ranks first in Total Strokes Gained when comparing this field over the last 24 rounds.

Also, Koivun’s win at the 3M Open in July came at TPC Twin Cities, which, like Black Desert Resort, is an easy course featuring bentgrass greens. Rightfully, Koivun carries the shortest odds to win the Bank of Utah Championship, and building around him is a smart move for cash games.

DraftKings $9,000 Range

Benjamin James ($9,900)

Like Koivun, James is quickly making a name for himself. The 23-year-old just turned professional in June, and he has been in the mix for wins in his last two starts, finishing solo third at the Wyndham Championship and runner-up at the Biltmore Championship Asheville two weeks ago. At both of those events, James went nuts in the final round, carding a 61 each time.

The Virginia product brings a deadly combination of strong iron play and putting. Just as they did at the Biltmore Championship, both James and Koivun should contend in their Bank of Utah Championship debuts this week.

Doug Ghim ($9,500)

Ghim has been awesome, making 10 of his last 12 cuts and finishing inside the top 20 seven times during this stretch. Most recently, he finished T17 at the Biltmore Championship Asheville and posted a 9-under 62 in the final round. Ghim has gained strokes on approach and with his putter at back-to-back events, and he has finished T25 and T63 in his two starts at Black Desert Resort. Ghim is playing much better golf this time around, and he should have a career-best finish at the par-71 course.

DraftKings $8,000 Range

Max Homa ($8,800)

Homa has made 10 of his last 12 cuts, with five top-20 finishes over that span. As recently as July, Homa nearly picked up his seventh PGA TOUR win, finishing runner-up at the John Deere Classic, which was played on bentgrass greens at TPC Deere Run. Three of Homa’s six wins have come at courses with bentgrass putting surfaces, and he fared well on the bentgrass greens at Black Desert Resort last year, finishing T9 in his debut at the track. This course suits Homa’s game, and he should have been priced higher in this weak field.

Rico Hoey ($8,200)

After a T21 at Black Desert Resort in 2024, Hoey finished runner-up at the track last season, highlighted by a 7-under 63 in the third round that was one stroke shy of his career low. Hoey ranks seventh in this field in Strokes Gained per round at Black Desert Resort and fourth in Strokes Gained per round at courses on the West Coast.

Hoey arrives this week riding a streak of six straight made cuts and has finished inside the top 25 in two of his last three starts. He should add another strong finish to his resume at Black Desert Resort and is a terrific value at this price tag.

DraftKings $7,000 Range

Ben Kohles ($7,800)

DraftKings continues to price Kohles way too low, and he is an obvious play at this salary. Between the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR, Kohles has made 15 straight cuts and produced eight top-25 finishes during this run. The 36-year-old began this stretch with a win at the BMW Charity Pro-Am on the Korn Ferry Tour in June, and he nearly secured his first PGA TOUR win with a solo third-place finish at the John Deere Classic in July.

Kohles also finished T15 at the Biltmore Championship two weeks ago while gaining strokes in every major category at the Cliffs. He ranks second only to Koivun in Total Strokes Gained when comparing this field over the last 24 rounds, and he should keep it rolling at Black Desert Resort. At this par-71 course, Kohles has finished T46 and T20.

Nick Taylor ($7,800)

Taylor stepped up for the International Team at the Presidents Cup this past week, going 2-1-1 in his matches. The Canadian now heads to Black Desert Resort, where he finished T25 in his first attempt at the course last year. This season, Taylor has missed only two cuts in 24 starts, and he has finished inside the top 30 seven times.

The five-time PGA TOUR champion is simply underpriced for his talent. Taylor carries +4500 odds to win the Bank of Utah Championship on DraftKings Sportsbook, shorter than the odds for Matt McCarty, who is priced at $9,000 and won this event by three strokes two years ago.

Kevin Roy ($7,600)

Roy finished T60 in his Bank of Utah Championship debut last year, but he returns to Black Desert Resort this week, ranked 19 spots higher in the world golf rankings, and playing far better golf. Roy has made six consecutive cuts, with five resulting in finishes of T31 or better.

Roy has gained strokes on approach at every tournament during this cut streak, and he finished T24 at the Biltmore Championship in his last start. He closed that event with a 7-under 64 at the Cliffs, and he ranks seventh in Total Strokes Gained when comparing this field over the last 24 rounds.

DraftKings $6,000 Range

Chad Ramey ($6,900)

Ramey finished T38 at the Wyndham Championship and T33 at the Biltmore Championship Asheville in his last two starts. At those events, Ramey gained strokes on approach and with his putter, and he shot under par in all but one of his eight rounds. Ramey’s game is trending up, and he should carry this momentum over to Black Desert Resort, where he has finished T21 and T33 in two starts. At this par-71 course two years ago, Ramey posted a 7-under 64 in the third round.

Davis Chatfield ($6,800)

Chatfield should have a successful debut at Black Desert Resort. The Notre Dame product has been steady recently, missing only one cut in his last seven starts. Chatfield finished T5 at the ISCO Championship and T16 at the 3M Open in July. Additionally, he finished T25 at the Wyndham Championship last month.

Chatfield ranks in the top 20 in both Strokes Gained: Approach and Strokes Gained: Putting when comparing this field over the last 24 rounds. He has also shot under par in 11 of his last 14 rounds. Most notably, he posted a career-low 7-under 64 at TPC Twin Cities, which features bentgrass greens, just like Black Desert Resort.

Pictured: Jackson Koivun
Photo credit: Imagn