Michael Brennan left no doubt that he was entitled to his sponsor exemption into the Bank of Utah Championship.
Playing in his first PGA Tour event as a professional, Brennan coasted to a dominant four-shot victory at Black Desert Resort in Ivins, Utah, closing with a 5-under-par 66 for a 22-under total. He became the first sponsor exemption to win since Nick Dunlap’s victory as an amateur at the 2024 American Express.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Brennan, who played in two Tour events as an amateur. “Winning golf tournaments is one of the better feelings in the world. It takes a lot to play professional golf, and I have such a great team behind me.”
A History of Success
Brennan is no stranger to winning. He had eight individual tournament victories, including two ACC Championship titles, while starring at Wake Forest. On the PGA Tour Americas, Brennan won three times in a four-tournament stretch and had 12 top-10 finishes in 16 starts. Winning the Fortinet Cup season points race gave him a fully exempt Korn Ferry Tour card.
The victory in Utah, which was worth $1.08 million, means the 23-year-old can go straight to the PGA Tour with a two-year exemption. He also earned a spot in THE PLAYERS Championship, the PGA Championship, and the signature event, RBC Heritage, in 2026.
Brennan had a three-shot lead after 54 holes on rounds of 67-65-64. Rico Hoey was second going into the final day and shot 67 to finish at 18 under. Six players tied for third at 16 under, including defending champion Matt McCarty.
Brennan Got Off to a Hot Start at the Bank of Utah Championship
Brennan birdied three of his first five holes to stretch his lead to five shots and was never seriously challenged. He went out in 31 with five birdies on the front nine.
Hoey got to within three shots after a two-shot swing at the 10th — a bogey by Brennan and Hoey making birdie. But Brennan bombed a drive that rolled out 411 yards, just short of the green, on the 12th hole, which resulted in a pitch-and-putt birdie.
After also making birdie on the 12th, Hoey had an opportunity to get to within two shots, but he missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 13th. He fell four shots behind when he missed a 10-foot birdie chance on the 14th, where Brennan drove the green on the 312-yard, par-4 hole with a 3-wood to set up a two-putt birdie.
With victory almost a sure thing, Brennan hit his second shot on the par-5 closing hole into a deep pit with lava rocks near the green. He found his ball and a few others, but wisely took an unplayable. After pitching onto the green, he two-putted for a closing bogey.
Fall Season Facts
Winning in the FedExCup Fall portion of the schedule no longer comes with an invitation to the Masters, but Brennan has a shot at gaining a coveted invitation. His victory moved him from 111th in the Official World Golf Ranking to 43rd. The top 50 at the end of the year get to Augusta National.
The top 100 players in the FedExCup Fall standings earn their PGA Tour card for 2026. Hoey has three top-10 finishes in the four Fall tournaments so far and moved up to No. 61 with three events remaining. Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark, who shot 68 to tie for third, moved up 19 spots to No. 97 in his bid to keep full status for next year.
The Tour heads to Mexico for the World Wide Technology Championship, Nov. 6-9 at El Cardonal at Diamonte Cabo San Lucas, a Tiger Woods design. Austin Eckroat is the defending champion.
