Power Rankings: Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank

After back-to-back events in Northeast Florida in the Return to Golf, the Korn Ferry Tour heads west for the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank, contested at Oakridge CC in Farmington, Utah, just outside Salt Lake City.

This year marks the 29th iteration of the Utah Championship, which was first held in 1990 but took a two-year hiatus in 1997 and 1998. Notable past champions include John Daly (1990), Zach Johnson (2003), Brendon Todd (2008), Patton Kizzire (2015) and Cameron Champ (2018).

The event has been held at Oakridge CC since 2017, a 7,045-yard track that plays to a par-71 and sits nearly 4,300 feet above sea level. Winning scores at Oakridge have been 21-under, 24-under and 14-under in the past three seasons respectively.

PGA TOUR members Luke List (Korn Ferry Challenge at TPC Sawgrass) and Chris Kirk (The King & Bear Classic at World Golf Village) have emerged with Korn Ferry Tour trophies so far in the Return to Golf. Is it time for a Korn Ferry Tour member to finish on top?

Here are 10 players to watch this week in the Salt Lake City metroplex.

1. Justin Lower. The Malone alum has developed a penchant for contending at the Korn Ferry Tour level, finishing runner-up last week at World Golf Village to mark his third career top-three. A breakthrough could be imminent.

2. Will Zalatoris. The Wake Forest alum has been a model of consistency this season, making the cut in all seven starts and recording four top-10 finishes, including a T3 last week at The King & Bear GC.

3. Josh Creel. The 30-year-old finished runner-up in last year’s Utah Championship, losing a playoff to Kris Ventura, and has made five cuts in six starts this season.

4. Brandon Harkins. The new dad posted a final-round 64 at The King & Bear GC, moving from outside the top-25 into a tie for sixth, and he stands No. 14 on The 25 as the Tour heads west.

5. Davis Riley. In his first year as a full Tour member, the Alabama alum has demonstrated an accelerated learning curve. He finished T6 last week at World Golf Village, and stands No. 2 on The 25.

6. Mito Pereira. With four top-25 finishes in six starts, including a victory in Bogota, the Chile native stands atop The 25. He leads the Tour in scoring average (68.27) and is No. 2 in All-Around Ranking.

7. Josh Teater. The affable veteran returns to Utah with good memories from a four-shot victory in 2009, and he nearly broke through for his first TOUR title just before the pandemic hiatus, runner-up at the Puerto Rico Open.

8. Patrick Fishburn. The Utah native will make a triumphant homecoming in his first Korn Ferry Tour season, having carved out a solid rookie campaign so far at No. 44 on the Points List.

9. Paul Peterson. In his second career Korn Ferry Tour start, the 31-year-old finished T16 at The King & Bear Classic to punch his ticket to Utah. The Oregon State alum has won on the European Tour, Japan Golf Tour and Asian Tour.

10. Nicholas Lindheim. The 35-year-old can draw on past memories from his 2016 victory in Utah, and he finished T4 in the Return to Golf at TPC Sawgrass, just two shots off the winning mark.