By Associated Press
IVINS, Utah – Austin Cook made an impressive entry into the Bank of Utah Championship, bypassing a qualifier and capitalizing with six birdies on Thursday. His strong performance allowed him to claim a share of the lead before fading light forced a halt to the day`s slow-moving round at the Black Desert course.
Joining Cook at the top were Thorbjorn Olesen, Jesper Svensson, and David Lipsky, each carding a 6-under 65 on the distinctive layout, characterized by its red dirt and dramatic black lava rock formations.
Cook himself stood at 6 under par, poised for a 20-foot birdie putt on the reachable par-4 14th, when the darkness became too pervasive to continue. Afternoon tee times had already faced a 15-minute delay. The 38 players unable to complete their rounds are scheduled to resume at 8 a.m.
For Cook, a one-time PGA Tour winner, this marked only his eighth start of the year, so he had little to complain about. He was initially far down the alternate list, enjoying a beach vacation with his family and planning to participate in the Monday qualifier.
“By Saturday, I moved all the way up to first alternate. I had a feeling I’d get in, so on Sunday, I helped drive everyone home, flew out Monday, and got a text on the plane,” he recounted. Cook ultimately replaced Erik van Rooyen, who had withdrawn.
Olesen, too, expressed unexpected satisfaction with his opening performance. His recent schedule involved competing at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi, then returning to Europe for the Spanish Open, a trip home to Dubai, and finally traveling to Utah – a significant amount of air travel.
“I`d say my expectations were pretty low this morning,” Olesen admitted. “But I`ve been focusing on recovery for the past few days, trying to get my body ready for today.”
Olesen currently ranks 116th in the FedEx Cup standings, an anxious position as players contend for tour cards. Svensson is just ahead at 115th, and Lipsky is at 99th.
With only three tournaments remaining after this week, players are intensely focused on securing a spot within the top 100 of the FedEx Cup to retain full tour cards for the 2026 season. This year, the number of players keeping full cards has been reduced from 125 to 100.
One stroke behind the leaders at 66 was Paul Peterson, who remarkably recovered from being 2 over par through eight holes to finish his round with six birdies and an eagle.
The Black Desert course offers numerous birdie opportunities, but also presents considerable hazards. Billy Horschel, returning after a five-month absence due to hip surgery, was 1 under par before encountering trouble on the back nine, starting with a bogey and then a quadruple-bogey 8 on the 11th hole.
His attempt to play from the desert landed him in the black lava. Horschel took a penalty drop, trying to play from the red dirt while balancing on rocks. That shot veered left of the green. He chipped onto the green and then three-putted from just inside 20 feet.
However, Horschel demonstrated resilience, bouncing back by driving the 14th green to within 20 feet for an eagle putt, and then adding a 12-foot birdie on the par-3 15th, ultimately salvaging a round of 72.
Max Homa aimed to close in on the leaders and reached 3 under par until his drive found the water on the 13th, resulting in a double bogey. He also recovered by driving the 14th green (securing a birdie) but subsequently lost ground with a soft bogey on the 16th and failed to save par from a bunker on the par-3 17th. He ended the day even par and will begin Friday with a 27-foot birdie attempt on the 18th hole.
Alex Noren completed his round at 4-under 67. A leg injury kept the Swede out of play until early May, and he is now striving to re-enter the top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings. Noren previously won the BMW PGA Championship in England, the flagship event on the European Tour, and served as a vice-captain for Europe`s triumphant Ryder Cup team.
