"Utah Natives Patrick Fishburn and Zac Blair Anticipate State's Upcoming PGA Tour Event"
The range of sports available in Utah continues to expand.
Earlier this year, Salt Lake City was chosen to host the 2034 Winter Olympics. The Arizona Coyotes have also relocated to the city and temporarily rebranded as the Utah Hockey Club, with their first regular-season game taking place on Tuesday night.
Now, Utah is preparing to host its first PGA Tour event since 1963. The Black Desert Championship will begin on Thursday at Black Desert Golf Course in Ivins, located in the southwestern part of the state.
Two of the nine players in the field have strong ties to Utah - Patrick Fishburn and Zac Blair. They are both excited for the opportunity to play in their home state during the FedEx Cup Fall.
\"It's thrilling,\" Fishburn expressed on Tuesday. \"Utah is known for its sports, so having another major event here is amazing.\"
Playing at a high altitude in the Rocky Mountains presents a unique challenge for golfers, as those who participated in the BMW Championship playoff event in Denver can attest to.
\"Playing at a high altitude is definitely different. I grew up in Ogden and played at Ogden Country Club, which is about 4,000 feet above sea level. Here, we're at about 3,000 feet,\" Fishburn explained. \"The ball behaves differently.
\"With the heat this week, there are many different factors to consider. If you're not used to it, it can cause some extra calculations in your mind. Personally, I prefer to keep things simple.\"
Blair warned that the course's main feature, black lava rock, can be tricky for first-time players.
\"In some places, hitting the rock may be considered a hazard. In Arizona, you can still find your ball and chip it out of the desert,\" Blair said.
\"But here, most of the time you won't be able to find it, especially if it lands in the rocks. It's a very unique and challenging course. Everyone is still learning and adapting to it.\"
Both Fishburn and Blair were born and raised in Utah and attended BYU, where they were teammates for one season. They have remained close friends and even competed together at the PGA Tour's team event, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where they finished tied for fourth this past spring.
Although Blair has yet to win on the PGA Tour, he did reach a five-man playoff at the ISCO Championship in July, where Englishman Harry Hall emerged as the victor. Fishburn, a rookie on the tour, has four top-10 finishes this season and started the FedEx Cup Fall with a third-place finish at the Procore Championship.
This has helped Fishburn climb to the 85th spot in the points standings, while Blair is currently at 110. The top 125 players secure their PGA Tour cards for 2025, while those ranked 126-150 only receive conditional status.
\"It's been a process throughout the year,\" Fishburn said. \"Lately, I've been playing consistently well and I feel comfortable playing in Utah. I have a lot of experience playing at high altitudes. The dry desert air and other factors are things I'm familiar with. The course has bent greens, which I'm used to. Hopefully, it all works out.\"
\"I've been playing well,\" Blair added. \"I just need to keep doing what I've been doing. It would be great to have another strong performance or two this fall, especially here at home.\"
