We’ve reached the middle event of the FedExCup Playoffs and surely the most scenic!

Black Desert Resort Golf Club was cut through a lava field and is framed by dramatic red mountains.

It looks AI generated but this venue is definitely for real as we saw in the inaugural edition last year when left-hander Matt McCarty won with 23-under.

A good weather forecast suggests another birdie-fest will break out on the 7,421-yard par 71 which plays shorter due to being at altitude.

Designed by Tom Weiskopf/Phil Smith, it has super-wide fairways, vast greens and one of the former’s signature features: drivable par 4s (5th and 14th).

For those new to the FanTeam game, the captain scores x1.25pts, as does the UD (Underdog), the cheapest player in your six-man squad.

Getting both right is key to profits.

Before looking through the Bank of Utah Championship field, let’s start with a SPECIAL OFFER below!

Get £42 in entries for simply depositing £10 and playing any cash game.

Okay, let’s start building…

Top Tier Picks (18M and over)

Alex Noren (20.4M): Imagine being Alex Noren right now. You’ve won two prestigious DP World Tour events – British Masters and BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth – in the last couple of months and also been vice-captain for a triumphant European Ryder Cup team on American soil. As well as those two victories, the Swede has a third (Wyndham) and a seventh (3M Open) in his last six events and his putter is red-hot – ideal for a course where the flatstick was important last year. Noren is definite captain material here.

Kurt Kitayama (19.2M) also boasts some of the best form in this field. He won July’s 3M Open after shooting 60-65 on the weekend and over his last seven events he can add to that victory a fifth, a ninth and two other top 20s. The big-hitting American played here 12 months ago and posted 25th, his round scores including a Saturday 64 and a Thursday 65.

Others to consider: Michael Thorbjornsen (20M) is one of the Tour’s rising stars and showed it again with third at the Baycurrent Classic in Japan. He withdrew last year after an opening 67 and perhaps I’ve not put him in the top two due to his modest putting. That same comment applies to Rico Hoey (18.6M) but, like Thorbjornsen, his elite ball-striking will set up a bunch of chances. Hoey has a fourth and a ninth in his last three starts and was 21st here last year. Defending champ Matt McCarty (18.M) has to be worth a mention given that he fired a remarkable 60 (could have been a 58) in round four of the Baycurrent Classic a fortnight ago (finished 14th).

Mid-Range Value Selections ($14.2m up to 18m)

Christiaan Bezuidenhout (17.8M) looks a strong option for several reasons. The South African has a 10th (Baycurrent) and a sixth (Sanderson Farms) in his last two starts and a bunch of good desert form on both DP and PGA Tours. That’s relevant given the visuals and style of golf required here while he’s also used to playing at altitude. Bezuidenhout ranks 11th for SG: Putting this season.

Taylor Montgomery (14.8M) offers great value at the bottom end of this price range. The Tour’s No.1 putter last season (he’s 2nd for SGP this year) was runner-up (for the second time) in the Utah Championship in August, just as McCarty was before winning here in 2024. Montgomery is a Vegas resident so the desert conditions and altitude will be very familiar while he was sixth at the Sanderson Farms last time out.

Others to consider: Alex Smalley (17.4M) shot 67-69-66-69 to record 21st place here in 2024 and returned to form with a fourth place at the Baycurrent. Sahith Theegala (15.6M) continued his return to form at the Baycurrent (eighth after R3 before finishing 27th) and has shown his liking for desert-style golf with a third and a fifth in two of his four starts at TPC Scottsdale. New Dad William Mouw (16.2M) is one for #Teamcurrentform given a run of 1-7-38-18. The win came at the ISCO where the rookie closed out the win with a sparkling 61 while he was fourth in last year’s Utah Championship. Antoine Rozner (14.4M) is a desert specialist on the DP World Tour and has been a regular cut-maker on the PGA Tour this season. Finally (I like a lot of players in this mid-priced section so am probably leaning towards a balanced line-up) Aldrich Potgieter (14.6M) could just have another big week in him. The monster-hitting South African won late June’s Rocket Classic and in the Baycurrent he carded 65-68-68 over his final 54 holes after opening with a 77.

Underdog Options (14m and Under)

Adam Schenk (13.6M) is finding some mojo in the Fall Series via 30th at the Procure Championship followed by 21st at the Sanderson Farms. He’s also made the top 25 in each of his last four starts on other Weiskopf designs. The latest was a fifth at this year’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

David Lipsky (13.6M) has made seven of his last eight cuts on the PGA Tour and that run includes third places at the 3M Open and John Deere.

Others to consider: Gordon Sargent (12.8M) has bags of potential and the big-hitting 22-year-old looks a good course fit. He was 38th at the Sanderson Farms and has made four of his last seven cuts. Frankie Capan (12.8M) has registered some low rounds in the Utah Championship and once shot a 58 on the Korn Ferry Tour. He flashed some potential with sixth at the Sanderson Farms where he ranked 1st for SG: Putting.

That’s this week in the books from a fantasy perspective.

But while I’m here, I’ll point you towards the revamped and much-boosted FanTeam Sportsbook.

Let’s have a couple of bets too.

Alex Noren is 4.00 to be Top Continental European and should really have the beating of his rivals. According to the market, his biggest challengers are Thorbjorn Olesen, Jesper Svensson, Stephan Jaeger and Victor Perez.

For a 72-hole match bet double, I’ll back Kurt Kitayama to beat Jason Day and Christiaan Bezuidenhout to get the better of Emiliano Grillo. The case for the two picks is made above. As for their opponents, Day is rusty and Grillo can’t match Bezuidenhout’s recent form.

A £10 double returns a fraction under £33.

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