Bank of Utah Championship picks 2025: It's time for Thor to bring the hammer down

After a mini offseason within the offseason, the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Fall returns this week with the Bank of Utah Championship, where there is plenty on the line for a number of players.

With his star clearly on the rise, Michael Thorbjornsen isn’t quite in life and death mode like some other folks in this field, but that has not made him any less popular of a play in the gambling community. It feels like his maiden win is coming sooner rather than later.

The Golf Digest betting panel is comprised of a tour coach reporting anonymously from the grounds of Black Desert Resort, Pat Mayo of Underdog/Mayo Media Network, Brandon Gdula of numberFire/FanDuel, Andy Lack of the Inside Sports Network, your two authors and Keith Stewart, the CEO of Read The Line. Stewart, our newest member of the panel, is our new betting content partner as well.

Scroll down for our complete betting analysis of the 2025 Bank of Utah Championship:

Bank of Utah Championship picks 2025: Our Experts’ Outright Predictions

Anonymous Swing Coach of the Week: Michael Thorbjornsen (16-1, DraftKings) — It feels like a win is inevitable for Thorbjornsen. That’s not always how winning on the PGA Tour works, but when you have someone as talented as this 24-year-old, who has proven his game is ready for stardom, it’s tough not to bet him at any decent odds.

Pat Mayo, Underdog/Fantasy National, Mayo Media Network analyst: Alex Noren (18-1, BetMGM) — Although it would seem like bombers should dominate with girthy landing areas with the ball carrying farther at elevation, it didn’t play out that way last season when the PGA Tour returned to Utah for the first time since 1963. Now, that’s only one year of data, so we can’t really make definitive claims. However, it was surprising to see just a few bombers spiked at the top of the leaderboard. That’s exactly how I’d describe Alex Noren. Though he faltered down the stretch after entering the weekend T-2 in Japan, Noren still has two wins and four top 10s in his six starts over the past two months. And maybe it’s finally his time to win in the U.S. after Fleetwood showed it could be done. If you have access to Coolbet in Canada (anywhere outside Ontario is good), you can get the PME Noren BOOST up to 20-1.

Brandon Gdula, FanDuel/numberFire managing editor: Maverick McNealy (16-1, FanDuel) — McNealy is the best player in the field this week across a lot of sample sizes of data, and he also makes sense as a course fit given his plus length off the tee and strong game all around. McNealy’s ceiling has been top two among this field in recent rounds, as well, so the upside is there.

Keith Stewart, PGA, Read The Line: Michael Thorbjornsen (16-1, DraftKings) — Venue revenge is an incredible motivator. Michael Thorbjornsen was forced to withdraw from the Bank of Utah Championship one year ago. Entering the week, he was one of the young favorites in an average fall field. Fast forward to 2025, and Thor is coming off a third-place finish in Japan, where he gained 12-plus strokes on the field. The ball-striking is a weapon right now—one I plan to unleash in the Black Desert.

Stephen Hennessey, Golf Digest managing editor: Patrick Fishburn (66-1, Bet365) — The Utah native has the best combination of Good Drives Gained (second), SG/approach and SG/putting (11th) out of anyone else in this field over the past 30 rounds. He’s been on a tear over the past month, and I won’t be deterred by a bad weekend in Japan.

Christopher Powers, Golf Digest senior writer: Jason Day (28-1, BetMGM) — On name brand alone, Day should probably be the favorite in this field. He has eight more PGA Tour victories than all of the names ahead of him on the odds board combined. And yet he’s 28-1. Any time you can get a class player like Day at a discounted price in a weak field it’s impossible not to entertain it. He should be extremely well rested, having not played since the BMW, meaning he should be extremely healthy, too. He didn’t play a ton last year but when he did he finished in the top top in nearly half of his starts and had four finishes in the top eight.

Andy Lack, Inside Sports Network: Rico Hoey (25-1, BetMGM) — Rico Hoey continues to trend towards a breakthrough victory on the PGA Tour, and he is coming off a fourth-place finish at the Baycurrent Classic where he gained significantly on approach. Hoey also finished 21st at this event last year, with incredibly strong driving statistics.

Past results: We now have 12 individual victories in 2025 after our tour coach’s fifth outright winner this season (Scottie Scheffler).

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Bank of Utah Championship picks 2025: Sleepers/Dark Horses Who Could Win

Tour coach: Stephan Jaeger (70-1, FanDuel) — Much has been made about his gains in distance, but I’ve seen the work he and Scott Hamilton are putting in, and I love where his swing is at. He’s a true class above a lot of these players around him on the odds board.

Mayo: Mac Meissner (60-1, BetRivers) — There’s always the worry his putter, but his form is great. Meissner’s averaging over 6.0 SG/tee-to-green in his five starts since the 3M, and at a course with difficult putting, maybe it’s the equalizer he needs to cool off some of the better flat stick mavens.

Gdula: Mac Meissner (40-1, FanDuel) — Meissner is in pretty good form of late, and he’s had four top 30s in his last five starts. He also finished T-25 here last year while sitting top three in approach play. He has a breakout profile.

Stewart: Taylor Montgomery (66-1, BetRivers) — Taylor Montgomery’s home course is Shadow Creek in Las Vegas. If Montgomery can handle the greens at Fazio’s desert design, he can putt anywhere. Taylor’s terrific flatstick alongside an above-average approach acumen sets him apart in my mind. The driver can be troublesome at times, but the Black Desert Resort Course has 50-plus acres of fairway. A perfect recipe for Monty’s success, keep it in play off the tee and then make a million birdies.

Hennessey, Golf Digest: Nick Hardy (150-1, Caesars Sportsbook) — You might not see Hardy tipped by other content providers, but I’m here to say he should be on your radar. He’s top 25 for SG/approach and driving distance over the past 30 rounds, and he’s top 30 for Good Drives Gained, so he will give himself plenty of chances for birdies this week. He had a top 10 here at Black Desert last year, gaining over three strokes on the greens, so if he gives us a similar performance on the green, he will be in the mix.

Powers, Golf Digest: Isaiah Salinda (125-1, BetRivers) — I’m as pot-committed as it gets on Salinda, who lost strokes off the tee at the Baycurrent for just the third time in his last 15 starts. I don’t envision that happening again at a course where Salinda will let the big dog eat and hopefully bring his hot irons with him from Japan.

Lack: Carson Young (100-1, BetRivers) — Carson Young is one of my favorite sleeper options in this field given his 11th-place finish at this event last year and his sterling resume on wide open, driver heavy resort courses. Young is also coming off a performance at the Sanderson Farms where he gained over six strokes on approach.

Bank of Utah Championship picks 2025: Players We’re Fading

Tour coach: Jason Day (22-1, Caesars Sportsbook) — It’s tough to get too excited about Jason Day at these odds. It’s also tough to believe Jason, with how competitive he is about the majors, will be too excited about playing in the fall, which is a tough mental hurdle to overcome.

Mayo: Michael Thorbjornsen (16-1, FanDuel) — It’ll be disappointing to miss his first win (because it’s coming), but backing him at these odds would make me disappointed in myself.

Gdula: Davis Thompson (19-1, FanDuel) — Thompson has been more of a high-floor, low-ceiling golfer than other favorites this week and is a weak putter from within 15 feet over a long sample.

Stewart: Rico Hoey (25-1, BetMGM) — I love fading a favorite who A. is not a favorite and B. cannot putt. Rico Hoey is an incredible ball-striker. Over his last five starts, Hoey has gained 6.5 strokes tee-to-green (on average) against the field. In that same run, Rico is losing over four strokes on the greens per event. Less than suave on the putting surfaces, we cannot take him in an absolute birdie-fest where rolling the rock is the number one strokes-gained stat on the leaderboard.

Hennessey, Golf Digest: Matt McCarty (25-1, Caesars Sportsbook) — This will be McCarty’s first time being the defending champion at an event, which brings some distractions and obligations. McCarty’s middle of the road in all the important stats this week, and all the other favorites rate out much better for me.

Powers, Golf Digest: Maverick McNealy (16-1, FanDuel) — Too steep of a price for Mav.

Lack: Maverick McNealy (16-1, FanDuel) — I simply cannot justify this price on Maverick McNealy. I know someone needs to be a favorite in a field like this, but McNealy would not be my choice. He did not play the Black Desert last year, and I do not trust him to gain enough strokes on approach.

Bank of Utah Championship picks 2025: Matchups

Tour coach: Stephan Jaeger (+120) Mac Meissner (BetMGM) — I talked above why I love Jaeger as a sleeper this week. He’s a class above many of the players in that range, certainly including Meissner, who has had some nice recent finishes but isn’t in Jaeger’s league.

Mayo: Max Homa (-120) over Sahith Theegala (Coolbet) — The battle of bad form! It seems like Homa is closer to digging himself out of the pit of despair currently.

Stewart: Mac Meissner (-110) over Pierceson Coody (Bet365) — Three top 15s in his last five starts, Mac Meissner is golfing his ball. Meissner has gained an average of six strokes on the field over his last five starts. Mac’s well-rounded skill set has produced gains in all four major categories. Pierceson Coody is ranked 102nd in SG/approach and 122nd in SG/putting in this field. That combination gives me a big pause heading into the Bank of Utah Championship. Korn Ferry success doesn’t always correlate to tour triumph. Take advantage of Mac’s hot play and cash this head-to-head on Friday.

Hennessey, Golf Digest: Alex Noren (-120) over Maverick McNealy (Bet365) — Noren’s arguably the best player in the field, and McNealy’s driver and approach play have been very mediocre over the past 30 rounds.

Powers, Golf Digest: Alex Smalley (+100) over Thorbjorn Olesen (DraftKings) — Smalley is coming off a top five at the Baycurrent and his game should fit perfectly at Black Desert, where he finished in the top 25 a year ago. Olesen has been sharp of late, too, but I like the course better for Smalley.

Lack: Alex Smalley (-130) over Pierceson Coody (DraftKings) — This is an easy one, as Alex Smalley is one of my picks to win and I still have concerns about Pierceson Coody’s adjustment to the PGA Tour. Coody has shown some exciting flashes, but he is consistently being priced on his potential, while Smalley is far more of a proven commodity with a tremendous track record on resort courses.

Matchup Results from the Baycurrent Classic: Powers: 1 for 1 (Hoey (-125) over Im); Stewart: 1 for 1 (Homa (-105) over Clark); Tour coach: 0 for 1; Lack: 0 for 1; Hennessey: 0 for 1; Mayo: 0 for 1; Gdula: 0 for 1

Matchup Results from this season (Wins-Losses-Pushes): Tour coach: 16-15-3 (up 1.21 units); Powers: 18-17-2 (up 0.09 units); Lack: 17-17-1 (down 1.34 units); Hennessey: 18-18-1 (down 1.81 units); Mayo: 15-19-2 (down 3.42 units); Stewart: 16-20-1 (down 4.77 units); Gdula: 13-21-3 (down 9.57 units)

Bank of Utah Championship picks 2025: Top 10s

Tour coach: Alex Noren (+210, Bet365) — The Swede is on an absolute tear right now, and in a weak field when birdies are at a premium, we can trust who might be the best player in this field.

Mayo: Max Homa (+410, FanDuel) — Of course we’re going to worry about his driver at a course where you land in lava if you miss the fairway. I think that’s warranted. But outside of the Baycurrent, the driver has been OK(ish) since Detroit while the irons are starting to fire at an elite level again.

Gdula: Matt Wallace (+410, FanDuel) — Wallace’s off-the-tee game isn’t perfect, but the rest of the game is quite strong of late. He is top 35 in approach and putting over the last six months, and his approach play is trending.

Stewart: Davis Thompson (+260, BetRivers) — After three consecutive top-21 finishes, Davis Thompson has regained the form that helped him win the 2024 John Deere Classic. The first sign that Thompson is back: his driver has become a serious weapon again. Davis uses his off-the-tee power and accuracy to play aggressively, and that approach will lead to success in Zion country. He ranks inside the top five in the field for par-4 scoring, birdie or better percentage, and opportunities-gained. A championship complement, I love him this week with 10 places.

Hennessey, Golf Digest: Rico Hoey (+240, Bet365) — While Hoey’s putter might hold him back from a win, I love his recent form and the ball-striking prowess, which should be enough to give him another top 10 this fall.

Powers, Golf Digest: Ryan Gerard (+490, FanDuel) — Gerard is by no means the longest hitter on tour but he can bomb it with the best of ‘em. If not for a balky putter in Japan he might have top 10’d there, having gained over seven strokes tee-to-green. I like him to pick up his first top 10 finish since the PGA Championship in Utah this week.

Lack: Doug Ghim (+500, FanDuel) — While I’m not sure that I trust the putter enough yet to win a tournament, Doug Ghim continues to be one of the most reliable ball-strikers in this field, ranking seventh in recent approach play and 19th in recent off the tee play. Ghim also finished 25th at the Black Desert last year, gaining significantly on approach.

Top-10 results from the Baycurrent Classic: Lack: 1 for 1 (Michael Thorbjornsen +350); Everybody else: 0 for 1

Top-10 results from this season: Gdula: 11 for 37 (up 16.3 units); Tour coach: 9 for 34 (up 15.8 units); Mayo: 9 for 37 (up 13.17 units); Stewart: 13 for 37 (up 12.65 units); Lack: 11 for 36 (up 14.6 units); Hennessey: 7 for 36 (up 3.5 units); Powers: 1 for 37 (down 29.5 units)

About our experts

Pat Mayo is an award-winning video host and producer of long and short-form content, and the host of The Pat Mayo Experience daily talk show. Mayo helped create the golf stats and research website Fantasy National along with the Race for the Mayo Cup One and Done contest. Mayo won the 2022 Fantasy Sports Writing Association Daily Fantasy Writer of the Year and is a finalist for three FSWA Awards in 2023 (Best Podcast, Daily Fantasy Writer of the Year, Golf Writer of the Year). His 27 FSWA nominations lead all writers this decade and are second-most all-time. Follow him on Twitter: @ThePME.

Brandon Gdula, managing editor and analyst for numberFire, a FanDuel daily-fantasy analysis company, recently won the 2018 FSWA Golf Writer of the Year. Gdula also co-hosts the DFS Heat Check podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @gdula13.

Keith Stewart is a five-time award-winning PGA professional, a betting contributor for Golf Digest and founder of Read The Line, the premier on-site live golf betting insights service covering the LPGA and PGA TOUR. Subscribe to Read The Line’s weekly newsletter here and raise your golf betting acumen. Keith’s winning content can also be found on Sports Grid, Bleacher Report and The Sporting News. Follow him on Twitter @readtheline_.

Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from New York City who now resides in Los Angeles. Andy is the founder and CEO of Inside Sports Network, a website devoted to the predictive quality of advanced analytics and golf course architecture. He came to Golf Digest’s betting panel after previously writing for Run Pure Sports, RickRunGood.com, the Score and GolfWRX. In his free time, Andy can likely be found on a golf course. Follow him on Twitter: @adplacksports.