The PGA Tour has returned to Utah for the first time in over 60 years as players prepare for the Black Desert Championship.
Hosted by the Black Desert Resort in Ivins, which is set in a lava field, the Black Desert Championship represents the third event of the FedExCup Fall.
The inaugural tournament is another key event in helping players improve their ranking in the PGA Tour FedExCup standings ahead of the new season.
It comes after the Sanderson Farms Championship, which saw the return of Rickie Fowler after a three-month break.
Fowler admitted to being ‘rusty’ ahead of the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi, where he finished T16.
Black Desert Championship already faces criticism from golf fans
Kevin Yu won the competition last week, beating Beau Hossler in a playoff for the first PGA Tour title of his career.
He has withdrawn from the Black Desert Championship, but one player in the field is Jay Don Blake, who is making his 500th PGA Tour start.
His sponsor exemption has been met with mixed reaction by golf fans, with performance coach Lou Stagner venting his anger on X: “As a fan, I do not want sponsor invites to PGA tour events wasted on a 65-year-old so they can reach an arbitrarily *important* number of starts.
“Give that invite to a young player trying to make it. That invite could actually be life-changing. This invite changes nothing. Yeah, yeah I understand a tournament can use their invites however they want. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
A second fan concurred with that view, commenting: “I agree he can qualify like the others if he’s good enough.”
Further frustration arrived from another fan: “It’s weird when a tour that says it built something forgets to keep building it and instead just tries to keep renovating the old product to make it look new and exciting.
“In this case, gifting a ‘record’ that is meaningless when compared to others who actually earned it. Weird.”
There are, however, other fans who have welcomed the decision to hand Blake a place on the field, with one simply writing: “Fantastic.”
Others strongly disagreed with Stagner, with one fan replying: “I mean it’s literally the first PGA tour event in Utah in forever and it’s in St George, Jay Don’s hometown.
“He had a long respectable career on the tour and he provides a rooting interest for many fans who will attend in person. Hard disagree here.”
Another agreed with that statement: “There should always be room for a limited amount of sentiment in sport. This invite seems highly appropriate. Young golfers have plenty of opportunities to play their way up the ladder.”
And further support for Blake arrived, with another fan commenting: “More fans going to the tournament will be more interested in watching that 65-year-old that they know about than some kid that they never heard of.”
Jay Don Blake joined by Presidents Cup captain Mike Weir in Utah
Born in St. George, Utah, Blake is certain to receive plenty of fan support at the Black Desert Championship.
There will also be respect from plenty of supporters and indeed his fellow players over his PGA Tour milestone.
The 65-year-old received the news of his sponsor exemption back in May, having last played on the PGA Tour in 2018.
Blake has one PGA Tour title to his name from his 499 starts, having won the Shearson Lehman Brothers Open in 1991.
The veteran is joined on the sponsor exemptions list by Mike Weir, the long-time Utah resident who recently captained the International Team at the Presidents Cup.
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