In 1963, Tommy Jacobs won the PGA Tour’s 1963 Utah Open Invitational at the Salt Lake Country Club. It wasn’t pretty. Despite a stellar round, Jacobs stumbled on the final stretch putting up a double bogey on the 17th and shot another double bogey on 18. Fortunately, Don January, the guy chasing him on the leaderboard, couldn’t pounce and Jacobs held on with one stroke.
That was the last time a PGA Tour Event was held in Utah. Of course, the Utah Open has continued as a PGA-sanctioned event, but last spring the PGA declared the Black Desert Championship, in Ivins, will be part of the FedEx Cup fall series. This means the best golfers in the world could chase Cup points on the par-72 course.
This doesn’t mean Scotti Scheffler will be playing (which is what you were wondering), but it could happen!
The 7,400-yard Black Desert Course. Renderings courtesy of Black Desert Resort.
The PGA Tour first appeared in Utah in 1930 when World Golf Hall of Fame member Harry “Lighthorse” Cooper won the Salt Lake Open. Seven years later, the tour returned to Salt Lake City in 1937, when Al Zimmerman won the first of back-to-back Utah Open titles.
The historic Western Open, now known as the BMW Championship, stopped in the Beehive State a decade later, when seven-time PGA Tour winner Johnny Palmer captured the 1947 tournament in Salt Lake City.
In 1948, Salt Lake City hosted the Utah Open Invitational, where Lloyd Mangrum edged George Fazio in a playoff. The event was played three more times (1958, 1960, 1963) with the 1963 edition featuring Tommy Jacobs’ dubious win.
Black Desert, a new luxury resort in Ivins, is huge. Sitting on 600 acres of land, the resort has 800 hotel rooms and luxury residences. The 19-hole course is a favorite for pro golfers who have come during the off-season to practice.
The Black Desert course was designed by Phil Smith and, World Golf Hall of Fame inductee, the late Tom Weiskopf, becoming his final design (see sidebar).
“We are honored to host the world’s most prestigious professional golf Tours at Black Desert Resort,” says Black Desert’s managing partner Patrick Manning.
“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 priority number one.”
The Black Desert Championship is one of two professional golf events coming to Black Desert Resort, which will also host an LPGA Tour event in 2025.
Grandstands are being built along the course to accommodate the crowds. Renderings courtesy of Black Desert Resort.
Play the Course
Black Desert’s 19-hole, 7,400-yard course was designed by hall of famer Tom Weiskopf, who won 16 PGA Tour titles between 1968 and 1982, including the 1973 Open Championship. Weiskopf was the runner-up at The Masters four times. After winding down his career playing golf, Weiskopf became a noted golf course architect. Weiskopf passed away in 2022 and the Black Desert Course was the final course designed by this golf legend. He was voted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2023 and will be inducted this year.
The pro-level course is unique in that much of it was built around volcanic formations that are prevalent outside of St. George. The lava rock adds scenery as well as more than a little drama for players. Find out more and book a tee time at blackdesertresort.com/golf
If You Go:
- What: The PGA Tour’s Black Desert Championship
- When: Oct. 9-13, 2024
- Where: Black Desert Resort, 1500 E. Black Desert Dr., Ivins, blackdesertresort.com
- Tickets: VIP experiences and grounds passes are currently on sale at blackdesertchampionshipmens.com. On-sale dates for individual rounds have not been announced.
- Note: Organizers caution that these tickets will be only available through the PGA’s official ticket provider, Ticketmaster, and not to fall for scams.
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