Ivins, Utah — Michael Brennan was simply as dominant at Black Desert as he was on the PGA Tour Americas. He completed with a 5-under 66 to assert a four-shot victory on the Financial institution of Utah Championship on Sunday and turn into the PGA Tour winner from the sponsor exemption.
In his first PGA Tour look as knowledgeable, Brennan grew to become the primary participant to win with a sponsor exemption since Nick Dunlap performed as an newbie on the American Categorical in January 2024.
The win means Brennan, 23, who starred at Wake Forest, will skip subsequent yr’s Korn Ferry tour and go straight to the main leagues. He earned a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour, a spot within the PGA Championship and the $20 million RBC Heritage.
Brennan was ranked 451st on this planet after the South American portion of the PGA Tour Americas. However he was dominant in Canada (one win in Minnesota), profitable three in 4 consecutive tournaments and ending within the high 10 eight occasions in 10 video games.
Profitable the Fortinet Cup Season Factors Race earned him a completely waived Korn Ferry Tour Card. Now he is heading straight to the PGA Tour to compete in opposition to Scottie Scheffler and different high golfers.
“It feels nice,” Brennan mentioned. “Profitable a golf match is without doubt one of the greatest emotions on this planet. It takes loads to play skilled golf, however I’ve an awesome staff behind me.”
It wasn’t the right finish to an excellent week. He put his second shot right into a deep pit of lava rock, took a wise penalty shot on an unplayable lie, and closed it out with a bogey. He completed with 22 underneath par, 262, 4 strokes behind Rico Hoey (67).
Brennan mixed power and calm at Black Desert Resort, a scenic Tom Weiskopf design surrounded by crimson rock cliffs and black lava.
Brennan, who began the ultimate spherical with a three-shot lead, had three birdies in his first 5 holes to increase his result in 5 pictures, however was by no means severely challenged.
After a two-stroke swing at No. 10, Hoey closed to inside three strokes after Brennan hit a uncommon bogey and Hoey made birdie. However then Brennan hit a 411-yard drive on the twelfth gap by the inexperienced, pitching and placing for birdie. Then he drove a 3-wood across the par-4 14th inexperienced for a two-putt birdie and stored everybody at bay.
Profitable the FedEx Cup fall schedule not earns an invite to the Masters, however Brennan is now inside placing distance. That unbelievable summer time in Canada and Sunday’s win put him simply inside the highest 50 on this planet.
He can play within the three PGA Tour occasions remaining on the schedule. On the finish of the yr, the highest 50 athletes on this planet will compete at Augusta Nationwide.
Hoey’s probabilities have been all however over when he missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the thirteenth to get inside two strokes, after which a 10-foot birdie likelihood on the 14th to get inside 4 strokes. Nonetheless, he rose from 91st to 61st within the FedEx Cup and earned his 2026 card.
Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen, 68, and defending champion Matt McCarty, 70, have been in a big group tied for third at 16-under 268. Olesen has now moved up 19 locations to 97th place and goals to take care of full standing subsequent yr.
Brennan mentioned that in a scorching summer time run, his caddy, Jeff Kirkpatrick, instructed him he was going to bypass the Korn Ferry Tour and go straight to the PGA Tour.
“I can not imagine what he is saying,” Brennan mentioned with fun.
