Black Desert Championship DFS picks 2024: Our expert loves this hometown native with a big edge

The PGA Tour returns to Utah for the first time since 1963 as the state’s brand-new Black Desert Resort hosts the Black Desert Championship, a brand-new addition to the PGA Tour schedule. Black Desert is a brand-new Tom Weiskopf design, which only just opened for resort play in 2023. This was also Weiskopf’s final design before his passing, and amongst the best pieces of land he’s been given to work with. Ivins, Utah sits 3,000 feet above sea level, and the 7,371-yard golf course will certainly play shorter than the scorecard suggests. While Black Desert features some dramatic land movement amongst a lava field, we should still expect resort-style scoring conditions.

While many of the PGA Tour’s biggest names will continue to rest up during the offseason, Keith Mitchell and Beau Hossler will both look to rebound after near misses last week at the Sanderson Farms, while Chris Kirk, Kurt Kitayama and Erik Van Rooyen will all be making their Fall Swing debut. Let’s dive into the pricing.

$10,000 range

Play: Seamus Power, $10,300:

Seamus Power is coming off an 11th-place finish at the Sanderson Farms Championship, where he gained over a stroke in all four major categories. This well-balanced attack should play well at Black Desert, and Power always seems to raise his baseline on easier, resort-style courses. The Irishman ranks in the top five in strokes gained total in easy scoring conditions and resort courses.

Fade: Beau Hossler, $10,000:

While we were happy to be on Beau Hossler last week for DFS, I’ll be hopping off given this price increase. Hossler’s issues with driving accuracy came to fruition down the stretch at the Country Club of Jackson, and I worry that Black Desert’s higher missed fairway penalty will further stifle his chances.

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Watch the below video for our favorite bets and players we're fading for the 2024 Black Desert Championship:

$9,000 range

Play: Patrick Fishburn, $9,600:

Patrick Fishburn, a BYU graduate and Utah native, should be right at home this week at the Black Desert. Outside of the hometown ties, Fishburn is an excellent driver of the ball who should be able overpower this golf course with his power.

Fade: Chris Kirk, $9,800:

This will be Chris Kirk’s first start since the Tour Championship, where he finished at the bottom of the field. Kirk is still an above-average driver of the ball, but his irons have been largely inconsistent, and I would rather rely on players who have had the opportunity to get some reps in this Fall Swing.

$8,000 range

Play: Andrew Novak, $8,100:

Andrew Novak is coming off a 23rd at the Sanderson Farms, where he gained strokes in all four major categories, including 3.1 on approach. Novak has emerged as one of the best middle-iron players in this field, and he has experienced prior success both on Tom Weiskopf courses and resort-style conditions.

Fade: Harris English, $8,300:

Harris English has been a fade the first two weeks of the Fall Swing, and I will continue to fade him until proven otherwise. English continues to struggle with his ball-striking, and it appears to be getting worse before it gets better. The 35-year-old lost over four strokes on approach at the Sanderson Farms, missing his second cut in a row.

$7,000 range

Play: Justin Lower, $7,900:

Justin Lower continues to play some solid golf this Fall Swing, now backing up his seventh-place finish at the Fortinet with a 28th at the Sanderson Farms. Lower gained over 3.3 strokes on approach last week in Jackson, and he remains one of the best overall bentgrass putters in this entire field.

Fade: Jacob Bridgeman, $7,600:

Jacob Bridgeman is accumulating some solid results, but he’s not exactly getting it done in the most sustainable way. Bridgeman finished 11th last week at the Sanderson Farms, but he did so losing two strokes on approach while gaining eight strokes putting. I’ll take my chances that Bridgeman’s putter comes back to earth this week in Utah.

Flier: Ben Kohles, $7,300:

Ben Kohles is coming off a 16th-place finish at the Sanderson Farms where he gained over a stroke in all three tee-to-green categories, including 3.9 strokes on approach. Kohles also finished runner-up earlier this year at the CJ Cup at Byron Nelson, another Tom Weiskopf-designed course with easier scoring conditions.

$6,000 range

Play: Ryo Hisatsune, $6,900:

Ryo Hisatsune’s missed cut last week at the Sanderson Farms was a bit misleading, as he still gained over a stroke and a half in both ball-striking categories. Hisatsune is still one of the better overall ball-strikers in this field, and he also finished top 15 at the Tom Weiskopf-designed TPC Craig Ranch earlier this season.

Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from New York City who now resides in Los Angeles. He hosts Inside Golf, a twice weekly podcast focused on the PGA Tour, betting, daily fantasy, golf course architecture, and interviews, as part of the BlueWire podcast network. 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