Austin Smotherman pulled ahead at the Utah Championship with a closing birdie on the 18th hole Saturday, carding a 6-under 65 to take a one-shot lead over Doug Ghim. Smotherman’s total of 23-under 190 matches the 72-hole scoring record at Black Desert Resort, where the tournament is in its third year.
Smotherman’s round was a mix of resilience and precision. After a rare three-putt bogey on the par-4 10th, which allowed Kevin Streelman to catch up, Smotherman responded with birdies on three of the next four holes. The lead sees him poised for his first PGA Tour victory in his 100th career start.
Ghim, who has made 191 previous PGA Tour starts without a win, pushed back hard. He holed an 8-foot birdie on the par-3 17th and followed that with a birdie on the par-5 18th, hitting a delicate pitch to 3 feet. Each time Ghim drew level, Smotherman matched him with a birdie of his own, the last coming from 12 feet.
Smotherman said of the position he finds himself in, “I think it’s good pressure. That’s what we work for. That’s the spot you want to be. Coming down, you kind of hold all the cards. I’m sure there’s going to be some energy.”
The battle for the title also features Kevin Streelman, who is fighting to regain his PGA Tour card after a major medical exemption expired. Streelman was tied for the lead with Smotherman early in the round but fell back sharply after a triple bogey on the 13th. He drove into the water off the tee, then found a bunker with his approach and failed to save par. Streelman birdied two of his last three holes to finish five shots behind, alongside Trace Crowe and Ben James, both of whom shot 64.
Doug Ghim encountered trouble on the ninth hole, where his drive left him 279 yards from the green. His attempt to reach the green resulted in the ball sailing into a lava rock area. After taking a stroke-and-distance penalty and laying up, Ghim holed a 13-foot putt to limit the damage to a bogey. “My first bogey of the week, but it didn’t feel like one,” Ghim said. He then rallied with six birdies on the back nine.
Ghim acknowledged the significance of the chance to win, saying, “It’s what we come here to do — 191 times before I wanted to win, and I get another opportunity to do it tomorrow. It would be a dream come true. But at the same time, there’s a lot of really good players with a lot to play for. Just going to go out there and try to execute the best that I can and hopefully see where that puts me.”
Johnny Keefer shot a 62, a third consecutive round in which a player posted that score, but his round was marred by a drive into the lava area on the par-5 ninth that forced him to pitch out sideways and settle for par.
The stakes at the Utah Championship extend beyond the immediate title. The tournament is part of the FedEx Cup Fall Series, where winners of the eight events earn a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and qualify for the 2028 Championship Series. That makes the victory especially important for players like Smotherman and Ghim, who have yet to claim a PGA Tour title.
Streelman remains the only player in the top five on the leaderboard with a PGA Tour win, underscoring the pressure on the others to secure their breakthrough.
The final round at Black Desert Resort promises high drama as Smotherman holds a slender lead going into Sunday’s play.
According to Yahoo Sports.