Utah
Black Desert Championship Tees Off Amid Utah’s Pro Sports Surge
An aerial look at the 1st hole at Black Desert Resort
Utah’s professional sport clout used to be confined to the hardcourt and the soccer pitch, but joining the Jazz and Real Salt Lake this week is a freshly minted NHL team that won their debut game in style 5-2 against the Blackhawks, plus a PGA Tour stop that tees off today.
The inaugural Black Desert Championship, the third chapter of the eight FedExCup Fall, is the first time the PGA Tour has rolled into Utah since 1963 when Tommy Jacobs beat out Don January by a stroke to take the state open, which at the time was part of the circuit.
Golf fans will get to take a gander at the par 71, 7,371-yard Black Desert Resort Course, the centerpiece of a brand new $2 billion project in Southern Utah spanning 630 acres. Tom Weiskopf’s final design, with emerald green fairways set against black lava rock fields and red-hued cliffs, promises plenty of drama for tour players outside the top 50 as they jockey for status on golf’s top circuit.
Fall events carry the same weight as in-season contests. Winners earn 500 FedExCup points, a two-year exemption, and in addition, secure spots in the majors that invite PGA Tour winners, as well as entry into the Sentry Tournament of Champions and The Players Championship.
ST GEORGE, UTAH – OCTOBER 09: Mike Weir of Canada looks on from the third hole prior to the Black … [+]
There are quite a few native Utahns in the field including Zac Blair, Patrick Fishburn and Jay Don Blake. When you include those with strong ties to the Beehive State, the contingent swells to nine. Other notables include Presidents Cup Internationals captain Mike Weir who lives in Park City and attended Brigham Young University where he won WAC Player of the Year in his senior season. Then there’s 18-year-old phenom Kihei Akina, who received scholarship offers from a flood of top tier golf schools, including Oklahoma State, North Carolina and Arizona State before deciding to commit to BYU’s program.
“The scenery out here is pretty insane. I think it’ll look amazing on TV and everything like that. Pretty interested to kind of see what the scores are like and what it plays like in tournament conditions,” Blair said.
Ogden, Utah’s Patrick Fishburn, 85th in the standings, is hoping to improve his position in priority rankings to increase playing ops in the 2025 FedExCup Season. The 32-year-old rookie has had four top 10 finishes this year including a third place showing at the Procore Championship last month.
“It’s been a lot better than where I started. Started off really rough. I was not playing good. Of course, there is no net to flight out here on the PGA Tour,” Fishburn said, adding that his play improved with equipment changes to his driver and putter paying off in tandem with him becoming more comfortable tackling courses with more challenging set ups and firmer and faster greens.
“Lately I’ve been playing pretty consistent and I like playing in the state of Utah. Got a lot of experience playing at altitude. The dry desert air, a lot of factors I just feel comfortable with, bent greens and things like that,” he added.
Jay Don Blake, born, raised and still residing in St. George, marks his 500th PGA Tour start today at the tournament. The 65-year-old veteran’s career high point came in 1991 when Blake earned six top-10 finishes, including a leaderboard topping performance at the Shearson Lehman Brothers Open. A consistently rock solid player, Blake ranked in the top 125 for an impressive 15-year stretch.
Blake learned he’d received a sponsor exemption to play in this week’s tournament during the filming of documentary short about his life. As he and his wife stepped out of a golf cart following a morning of shooting, they were suddenly swarmed by ten of his grandchildren. Patrick Manning, managing director of Reef Private Equity and Black Desert, then appeared from behind his family and presented him with a framed certificate, officially inviting him to compete in the championship.
“It was a very emotional, very proud moment to be part of what’s going to take place this week, to have my family be part of that and all the support they’ve given me throughout the years,” Blake said, calling the gesture a “big surprise” and likening it to a dream come true.
“Being at 499 tournaments, it’s been, I don’t know, 12, 13, 14 years since I’ve played a PGA Tour event. I never thought I’d make that 500th. I’ve tried to get sponsor exemptions, I’ve tried to qualify a few times and it just hasn’t worked out.”
Utah
Utah Jazz jump to #2 in the lottery, plus full results
In what has a chance to be one of the most important nights in Jazz history, the Utah Jazz jumped in the NBA Lottery to the #2 spot for the upcoming NBA draft.
Here are the final results, which show all the movement.
Aside from it being a massive night for the Wizards, Jazz, Grizzlies, and Bulls, it was a devastating night for a few teams, but no one more than the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers, in their trade for Ivica Zubac, had a stipulation on their pick that if the pick was top-4 they kept it. But if it fell below 4, they would give it to the Clippers which is exactly what happened. Now, the Clippers, who are without Zubac, find themselves with a #5 pick to build around.
For the Jazz this is a culmination of four years of rebuilding that ends with an extremely satisfying end. Utah will now have one of the tier-1 players from this draft: AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson. The player Utah drafts will be one of their cornerstone pieces and will have the chance to not only play, but be a part of a team that will be competing for the playoffs this season.
The Utah Jazz now have a Sinister Six core: Darryn Peterson (If AJ Dybantsa goes #1), Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Walker Kessler (if he signs). It’s quite the core with a mix of youth and veterans in their prime. With this group, the Jazz will have a chance to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference. Yes, the Thunder and Spurs are going to be difficult to beat, but Utah has the mix of talent, coaching, and depth that could absolutely do the trick.
Now the Utah Jazz look forward to the NBA Draft that be on June 23rd. Let the posturing begin!!
Utah
Provo’s new Boys & Girls clubhouse gives Utah youth more space to learn, grow and belong
PROVO — An organization that has been a beacon of hope for Utah children and families just got a big upgrade in Provo.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County on Friday held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its newest facility, marking the start of a new chapter in providing support for those who need it the most.
The new Kent B. Nelson Clubhouse, 131 N. Olympic Blvd., replaces the organization’s former Provo clubhouse, which had been in operation for more than 50 years. Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County leaders said they had outgrown the aging facility and needed a larger, more modern space to support more community members.
“This new clubhouse is more than a building — it’s a central place where we can coordinate programs, support our staff, and amplify our impact across the region,” said David Bayles, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County, in a statement.
The organization’s mission was something the late former Utah County Commissioner Tom Sakievich was passionate about. His wife Marji and daughter Emily Sakievich attended Friday’s grand opening ceremony just as if he would’ve wanted to.
“He loved this project, and it meant the world to him,” Emily Sakievich told KSL. “This was actually one of the last places he went before he passed. (He) and my mom stopped by to just see how progress was going; he would be so excited to see this come together.”
The former commissioner died last December at the age of 72. Tom Sakievich resigned from the seat in September 2024 after being diagnosed with glioblastoma brain cancer.
Emily Sakievich said her father was a big supporter of helping children in the Boys & Girls Clubs feel supported while he was in office.
“He would have all of them come to his office and talk about how government works and how they can be a part of it someday,” she said.
The new 20,000 square-foot facility expands on resources and programs offered at its previous site for community youth and families experiencing hardships.
The clubhouse will provide safe, engaging, and educational programs in a modernized building fit to serve more than 14,000 Utah children and teens.
A variety of programs including after-school, summer activities and STEM learning will be offered at the new facility. Other resources include internet safety programs, mental health support, nutrition initiatives, and housing assistance for families experiencing homelessness.
“We’ve been able to increase the capacity so much and add preschool and other things; we can even benefit more families — and we can benefit them for a longer period of time, from younger to older, where there are no gaps.” Provo City Council Chair Katrice MacKay told KSL. “So I’m really excited. It’s a fantastic thing for the city and for our residents.”
Leaders of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County say the new $6 million Provo clubhouse was designed as a welcoming space where children and teens can explore new interests, build life skills, and receive mentorship from caring staff.
“The Boys & Girls Clubs have been a cornerstone of youth development in Utah County for decades,” said Janet Frank, board president, in a statement “This new clubhouse strengthens that mission, allowing the organization to extend its reach and impact across the entire region.”
Friday’s event took place while children who attend the Boys & Girls Clubs were in school, so another ceremony for kids and their families is planned for the end of the month.
“The Boys & Girls Club is for every kid out there,” Bayles said. “We want to accomplish what every parent wants for their kids — we want them to have a safe place to learn and grow, to be successful in school, to build social skills and to go on and be great members of society.”
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
Utah
Three motorcycles crash on Trapper’s Loop in northern Utah
HUNTSVILLE , Utah (KUTV) — Three motorcycles crashed on Trapper’s Loop in northern Utah, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.
Officials said one motorcycle traveling northbound on SR-176 near milepost 10 failed to maintain its lane while navigating a curve.
The bike crossed into oncoming southbound traffic, where it collided with two other motorcycles. Officials said all three riders were taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition. All were wearing helmets and protective gear.
Speed is believed to have been a contributing factor in the crash.
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