Brennan wins Bank of Utah Championship on sponsor exemption

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IVINS, Utah. Michael Brennan was as dominant at Black Desert as he was at PGA Tour Americas. He finished with a 5-under 66 and went from a sponsor exemption to a PGA Tour winner on Sunday with a four-shot victory in the Bank of Utah Championship.

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In his first PGA Tour start as a professional, Brennan became the first sponsor-exempt winner since Nick Dunlap entered The American Express in January 2024 as an amateur.

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The win means Brennan, a 23-year-old who starred at Wake Forest, can skip the Korn Ferry Tour next year and go straight to the big leagues. He received a two-year exemption from the PGA Tour, as well as a spot in the PGA Championship and the $20 million RBC Heritage Award.

Brennan was No. 451 in the world when he left the South American portion of the PGA Tour Americas. But he dominated in Canada (with one win in Minnesota), winning three times in four events and posting eight top-10 finishes in 10 starts.

Winning the seasonal Fortinet Cup points race gave him a fully vacated Korn Ferry Tour card. Now he's heading straight to the PGA Tour to compete alongside Scotty Scheffler and other top golfers.

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It wasn't a perfect end to a perfect week. He hit his second shot into a deep pit of lava rocks, deftly converted the penalty for a layoff, and closed out with a bogey. He finished at 22-under 262, four shots ahead of Rico Howe (67).

Brennan represented a combination of power and poise in Black Desert Resort, a picturesque design by Tom Weiskopf framed by red rock cliffs and black lava.

After starting the final round with a three-shot lead, Brennan ran away with three birdies on the first five holes to extend his lead to five shots and was never seriously challenged.

LPGA Tour

Australia beat Team USA to claim the LPGA International crown, claiming the title after Minjee Lee and Hannah Green won their singles matches, each on the 17th hole.

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The four-man match between Australians Stephanie Kiriakou and Grace Kim and Americans Liliya Wu and Lauren Coughlin ended in a draw but was inconsequential when Green earned a 2-and-1 victory over Yelimi Noh at the New Korea Country Club. Lee defeated Angel Yin with a score of 2 and 1.

It is Australia's first match play tournament victory, having eluded them in 2023 when current No. 1 Gino Titicul and Thailand beat them in the final at Harding Park.

The World Team finished third after Charlie Hull and Lydia Ko scored impressive wins in their singles matches against Japan.

European Tour

Youngwan Lee took advantage of a four-shot lead with a 7-under 64 to claim a two-shot victory at the Genesis Championship and his first European Tour title.

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The victory gives the 34-year-old Lee a two-year exemption from the European Tour and sends him into the HSBC Abu Dhabi-Dhabi Championship in two weeks, the first of two DP World Tour playoff events.

Lee won by two shots over Lori Kanter and Nacho Elvira. The South Korean birdied five straight holes on the front nine to take the lead with a birdie at the 14th. He finished at 11-under 273.

Jordan Gamberg, who played college golf in Arizona, hit a 58-yard shot to Eagle on the par-5 18th, putting him in a tie for seventh and lifting him to 110th in the Race to Dubai to keep his card for next year.

PGA Tour Champions

Steven Alker took first place in the Charles Schwab Cup when he completed an unbeaten run at the Simmons Bank Championships with a 3-under 69 for a seven-shot victory.

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Alker, who opened the tournament with a 61, won for the second time this year on the PGA Tour Champions. Miguel Angel Jimenez has four wins this year, but in his last eight starts on the senior circuit he has only three top-10 finishes.

Alker was never seriously threatened at Pleasant Valley Country Club and started the back nine with an eagle-birdie-birdie stretch to pull away.

The top 36 players will advance to the Charles Schwab Championship next month in Arizona. Tommy Gainey held 36th place and there was no other movement in the standings.

Augusta National and R&A

Pongsapak “FIFA” Laopakdi overcame a six-shot deficit with a 4-under 68 to beat 16-year-old Taisei Nagasaki of Japan in the third playoff to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur, sending him to the Masters and British Open next year.

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Laopakdi, a junior at Arizona State, became the first player from Thailand to win the championship, which began in 2010.

Nagasaki, who entered the final round with a five-shot lead over Rintaro Nakano, missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the regulation 18th to close with a 74. Both players birdied the 18th and 17th playoffs until Nagasaki missed the left green on the 18th to make par.

Other tours

Yani Tseng closed with a 5-under 67 to claim a four-stroke victory at the rain-shortened Wistron Ladies Open in her native Taiwan, her first victory in 11 years. The former No. 1 player claimed her seventh win on the Women's European Tour. … Miguel Tabuena hit his third straight 65-under 65 for a three-shot victory in the Philippines International Series on the Asian Tour. … Matias Sanchez completed his straight-set victory with a 1-under 71 with a two-stroke victory in the Webex Players Series-South Australia on the PGA Tour of Australasia. … Henny du Plessis needed just eight modified Stableford scoring points to win the Sunshine Tour's Blu Label Unlimited Challenge by 14 points. … Andrew Marshall captured his first Legends Tour title with a 6-under 66 for a two-stroke victory at the Senior Italian Open. … Shuri Sakuma closed with a 5-under 67 for an 11-shot victory over Miyuu Abe in the Nobuta Group Masters on the Japan LPGA. … Shuying Lee closed with a 4-under 68 for a two-stroke victory in the Gwangnamilbo-Happiness Open on the Korea LPGA.

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