IVINS, Utah – Austin Cook had a successful start to his week by avoiding the qualifier, capitalizing on it with six birdies on Thursday. This performance allowed him to share the lead before darkness suspended a slow round at the Black Desert course during the Bank of Utah Championship.
Thorbjorn Olesen, Jesper Svensson, and David Lipsky each posted a 6-under 65 on the unique course, characterized by its red soil and black lava rocks.
Cook was also at 6-under par, facing a 20-foot birdie putt on the reachable par-4 14th hole when it became too dark to continue. Afternoon tee times had been delayed by 15 minutes. The 38 players who couldn`t complete their rounds were scheduled to resume at 8 a.m.
Cook expressed few complaints. A one-time PGA Tour winner, this marks only his eighth start of the year. He was far down the alternate list, enjoying a beach vacation with his family and planning to participate in Monday`s qualifier.
“On Saturday, I moved all the way down to first alternate. I felt like I was going to get in, so I helped drive everyone home on Sunday, flew out Monday, and received a text on the plane,” he recounted. Cook replaced Erik van Rooyen, who had withdrawn.
Olesen was also surprisingly pleased with his initial performance. He had been in Mississippi for the Sanderson Farms Championship, then the Dane returned to Europe for the Spanish Open, went home to Dubai, and finally arrived in Utah. This involved a significant amount of travel.
“I would say my expectations were quite low this morning,” Olesen admitted. “But I did some recovery work over the past few days and just tried to get my body ready for today.”
Olesen currently sits at No. 116 in the FedEx Cup, sharing the “bubble” with others. Svensson is at No. 115, and Lipsky is at No. 99.
After this week, only three tournaments remain in the season for players to secure a top-100 finish in the FedEx Cup, which is necessary to retain full cards for the 2026 season. The number of players keeping their cards has been reduced to 100, down from 125 last year.
The group trailing by one stroke with a 66 included Paul Peterson, who was 2-over par through eight holes but then finished his round with six birdies and an eagle.
The Black Desert course offers numerous birdie opportunities, but also many hazards. Billy Horschel, who missed five months this year due to hip surgery, was 1-under par until he began the back nine with a bogey, followed by a quadruple-bogey 8 on the 11th hole.
He attempted to play out of the desert but ended up in black lava. Horschel took a penalty drop, still playing from the red dirt while trying to balance on some rocks. That shot went left of the green. He chipped onto the green and then three-putted from just under 20 feet.
Horschel, however, managed to recover by driving the 14th green within 20 feet and sinking an eagle putt, then adding a 12-foot birdie on the par-3 15th. He salvaged a round of 72.
Max Homa aimed to close in on the leaders and reached 3-under par until driving his ball into the water on the 13th, resulting in a double bogey. He also bounced back by driving the 14th green (making a birdie), but lost more ground with a soft bogey on the 16th and failed to save par from a bunker on the par-3 17th. He was even par and had a 27-foot birdie attempt on the 18th hole, which will kick off his Friday.
Alex Noren completed his round at 4-under 67. A leg injury kept the Swede out until early May, and he is working to regain a spot in the FedEx Cup top 100. Noren previously won the BMW PGA Championship in England – the European Tour`s flagship event – and served as a vice-captain for Europe`s victorious Ryder Cup team.
