Austin Smotherman wins in Utah for
first PGA Tour title
[October 05, 2026]
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.
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. He now has a two-year exemption, which includes the
lucrative “Championship Series” when the new competitive model
starts in 2028.
“We won on the PGA Tour. That's insane,” he said.
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.
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.
His approach to the par-4 13th came up short and plugged near the
lip of a 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.
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.
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. He missed the eagle putt, but restored his lead to two
shots. On the next hole, his approach got a good kick and rolled out
to 6 feet again.
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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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. “I got some nice
bounces. Made some poor swings, but this game doesn’t have to be
perfect.”
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.
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. 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.
“Today was Austin’s day,” Ghim said. “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. But always grateful.”
Crowe (66) and David Ford (64) tied for third.
Of the top 12 finishers, Kevin Streelman and Steven Fist were the
only players who had won on the PGA 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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