IVINS, Utah, June 30, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — The PGA Tour is returning to Utah for the first time in more than 60 years.
PGA Tour officials and southern Utah’s Black Desert Resort on Friday announced a four-year agreement for a new tournament set to debut during the FedExCup in fall 2024.
The Black Desert Championship will become the first PGA Tour event in Utah since 1963, when Tommy Jacobs won the Utah Open.
Black Desert Resort previously was announced as the future host of an LPGA Tour event in 2025.
“We are thrilled to partner with Black Desert Resort in bringing PGA Tour golf to the state of Utah,” PGA Tour President Tyler Dennis said in a news release.
“In introducing the PGA Tour — and the LPGA the following year — to a new market, we look forward to collaborating with the Black Desert Resort team in their vision for professional golf in the Greater Zion community. Competitively, our members will enjoy the challenges and incredible views that define the Black Desert Golf Course,” Dennis said.
The PGA Tour first visited Utah in 1930 when Harry “Lighthorse” Cooper won the Salt Lake Open.
Surrounded by red rock mountains near St. George, Black Desert is a championship 18-hole, par-72 golf course designed by Tom Weiskopf in collaboration with architect Phil Smith.
The 7,200-yard course prioritizes playability, featuring wide fairways ranging from 70 to 100 yards.
“We are honored to host the world’s most prestigious professional golf tours at Black Desert Resort,” said Patrick Manning, managing partner at the Ivins resort. “Bringing the best from the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour to Black Desert and them having the best experience imaginable, along with their fans, is a priority number one.”
The golf course is part the Black Desert Resort, a planned luxury destination that will feature 150 hotel rooms, 1,050 residences, on-property trails, a wellness spa, and 80,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.
