Austin Smotherman won the Bank of Utah Championship in Ivins, Utah, securing his first PGA Tour victory after 100 career starts. He completed the tournament with a score of 3-under 68 for the final round and a total of 258 over four rounds, breaking the 72-hole record. Despite facing challenges on the 13th hole where he made a double bogey, Smotherman rebounded strongly to maintain his lead and secure the victory, moving up to No. 51 in the FedEx Cup rankings.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Austin Smotherman won the Bank of Utah Championship on Sunday, securing his first PGA Tour victory in his 100th career start. He finished at 26-under 258, breaking the tournament's 72-hole record by two shots and winning by two over Doug Ghim. Smotherman, who entered the week ranked No. 79 in the FedEx Cup, now has a two-year exemption including entry into the prestigious "Championship Series" starting in 2028. His victory came after overcoming a double bogey on the par-4 13th hole with strong recoveries and solid play thereafter, particularly highlighted by his final round score of 3-under 68 at Black Desert Resort in IVINS, Utah.
Written for “Smotherman Wins In Utah” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.
IVINS, Utah (AP) — Austin Smotherman recovered from his lone blunder with two great shots and was able to cruise home to a 3-under 68 on Sunday to win the Bank of Utah Championship, his first PGA Tour victory in his 100th career start.
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Smotherman → recover → start
Smotherman came into the week at No. 79 in the FedEx Cup — the top 100 keep full PGA Tour cards for 2027 — and picked up some immediate rewards.
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100 → come → rewards
He now has a two-year exemption, which includes the lucrative “Championship Series” when the new competitive model starts in 2028.
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model → have → 2028
“We won on the PGA Tour.
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We → win → Tour
That’s insane,” he said.
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he → ’ → ?
Smotherman never trailed at the Black Desert Resort, and he quickly built a three-shot cushion with a pair of tap-in birdies and a 35-foot birdie on the par-4 fifth.
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he → trail → par-4
But right when it looked as though the 32-year-old Smotherman would eliminate all drama on a beautiful afternoon in southern Utah, it changed quickly.
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it → look → Utah
His approach to the par-4 13th came up short and plugged near the lip of a bunker.
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approach → come → bunker
The best Smotherman could manage was to advance it to a flatter lie in the sand, he blasted out to 10 feet from there and missed the putt to make double bogey.
uncertain
he → manage → bogey
Suddenly, his lead was down to one shot over Trace Crowe, who in the group ahead made a 40-foot eagle putt on the reachable par-4 14th.
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who → make → 14th
Smotherman responded with a tee shot with the perfect line and distance on the 14th, landing short of the green and rolling out to 6 feet.
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Smotherman → respond → feet
He missed the eagle putt, but restored his lead to two shots.
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He → miss → shots
On the next hole, his approach got a good kick and rolled out to 6 feet again.
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approach → get → feet
He missed another short birdie putt, but converted from just inside 12 feet on the 16th, giving him a comfortable lead with two holes to play.
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He → miss → holes
A bogey-birdie finish put him at 26-under 258, easily breaking the 72-hole record at the tournament only in its third year.
“It didn’t have to be pretty,” Smotherman said.
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Smotherman → put → year
“I got some nice bounces.
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I → get → bounces
Made some poor swings, but this game doesn’t have to be perfect.”
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game → make → swings
Along with the two-year exemption, Smotherman moves to No. 51 in the FedEx Fall and is likely to stay among the top 60 to get into a pair of $20 million signature events at Pebble Beach and Riviera next year.
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Smotherman → move → Beach
Doug Ghim, also seeking his first PGA Tour victory, three-putted from 30 feet on the 13th and missed a 6-foot par putt on the 15th, which hurt his chances.
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which → seek → chances
He birdied the final hole for a 69 that allowed him to finish alone in second, moving him from 89th to 58th in the FedEx Cup.
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him → birdie → Cup
“Today was Austin’s day,” Ghim said.
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Ghim → say → ?
“I did everything that I could, and hopefully I’ll learn from some of the mistakes and be a little bit more comfortable next time.
uncertain
I → do → mistakes
Crowe (66) and David Ford (64) tied for third.
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Crowe → tie → third
Of the top 12 finishers, Kevin Streelman and Steven Fist were the only players who had won on the PGA Tour.
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who → win → Tour
Streelman closed with a 67 and tied for fifth with Ben James (67), the top PGA Tour University player who turned pro in June.
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who → close → June
A.J. Ewart of Coquitlam, B.C., finished as the leading Canadian with a 69 on the day to be eight shots back of Smotherman.
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Ewart → finish → Smotherman
Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont., had a 72 and was six shots back of Ewart.
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Yellamaraju → have → Ewart
Nick Taylor (70) of Abbotsford, B.C., and Adam Svensson (68) of Surrey, B.C., finished seven and eight shots behind Ewart, respectively.
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Taylor → finish → Ewart
The Aporia
