Black Desert Resort Bringing PGA TOUR And LPGA Tour Back To Utah

After a 60 year absence, Black Desert Resort is bringing both PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour golf tournaments back to Utah. The Black Desert Championship will be part of the PGA TOUR’s 2024 FedExCup Fall as a full-field event, while the LPGA Tour will visit Black Desert in the spring of 2025. For the St. George and Greater Zion Community, the economic impact of hosting multiple professional events is expected to top $60 million per year.

The 1963 Utah Open Invitational, won by Tommy Jacobs, was the last time the PGA TOUR played a full-field event in Utah, while the 1964 Riverside Ladies Open at Riverside Country Club in Provo, won by Clifford Ann Creed, was the last LPGA Tour event played in the state.

As part of the four-year agreement with the PGA TOUR, Black Desert Resort will begin hosting the Black Desert Championship in fall 2024. The 2024 PGA TOUR Season will begin in January with the FedExCup Regular Season, followed by three FedExCup Playoffs events in August, and the FedExCup Fall starting in September. Black Desert Resort’s agreement with the LPGA Tour is for five years, beginning in the spring of 2025. Tournament dates for both events will be announced by the respective tours in the coming months.

“We are thrilled to be bringing the world’s best golfers to Black Desert Resort and Southern Utah,” said Black Desert Managing Partner Patrick Manning. “Our new Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course will be a fair, yet challenging test for the professionals, while fans on site and watching on television will be treated to the splendor and beauty of the region.”

With its emerald fairways carved amid ancient black lava fields and surrounded by Southern Utah’s red rock mountains, Black Desert Resort’s 18-hole golf course opened for daily-fee play on May 27, 2023. It is the last golf course the great Tom Weiskopf designed prior to passing away from pancreatic cancer in August of 2022. The course is characterized by the presence of ancient basalt rock formations seamlessly integrated into the landscape, creating a visually stunning contrast against the lush fairways. Weiskopf's visionary design captures the spirit of the surrounding natural wonders, offering a captivating golf experience that goes beyond tradition. Weiskopf and his design partner, architect Phil Smith, designed the par-72 course with playability in mind, with most fairways 70 to 100 yards wide. The course features two drivable par 4s – the 5^th hole and 14^th hole – a Weiskopf hallmark, bringing both strategy and risk/reward elements into play. 

As a Troon Golf-managed facility, the daily fee golf experience and service at Black Desert Resort are on par with the awe-inspiring natural surroundings and incredible Weiskopf design. Amenities include a creative snack bar specializing in unconventional finger foods that cure mid-round cravings, a text service for on-course, on-demand food and drink delivery, as well as high-tech carts with GPS and well-stocked coolers.

For more information on Black Desert Resort or to make a tee time, visit https://www.blackdesertresort.com/black-desert-experience.