Running with Rick: Look for Ben James to cash in on massive upside in Utah

The dramatic backdrop of Black Desert Resort will once again play host to this week’s Bank of Utah Championship. This will only be the third instance of this event, making it slightly more difficult to handicap as we try to parse through sample-size noise.

One thing is clear: This venue can reward elite driving and punish subpar shots off the tee. The penalty for missing the fairway is huge, since the cost is often playing from the lava rock – if you can even find it. We saw Michael Brennan find victory last year, hitting it long and straight off the tee. He collected +7.62 strokes in that category, which is the best driving performance of 2025 and one of the best in ShotLink history.

After a one-week break from traditional stroke-play action, we are back with a full field of players vying for their standing in the FedExCup Fall. The top of the board is led by young talent, with Jackson Koivun, Brennan and Ben James all at +2000 or shorter. There’s no shortage of options, even with Koivun being the clear favorite at +1075. There are currently 13 golfers at +4000 or shorter, making it one of the more packed odds boards that we’ve seen in quite some time.

Doug Ghim is quietly having the best year of his career, gaining 0.87 strokes per round. That’s twice as good as his 2025 campaign, with the entire improvement coming on the putting greens. Ghim is still not a positive putter, but he’s a staggering 0.80 strokes per round better this year with the putter than he was last year.

With that improvement, it makes sense that he’s earned seven top-20 finishes, including three straight. Those last three are gorgeous and projectable stat profiles. Ghim gained at least six strokes from tee to green in all three starts for a total of 22.1 strokes in those 12 rounds.

There’s plenty of reason to think that run continues, so I’ve targeted Ghim to finish inside the top 20 at +108. His tee-to-green play contributes to a high floor, even if he struggles with the flatstick.

The last two events for Austin Smotherman have been vintage Smotherman. He’s been dynamic off the tee and, as usual, has struggled the closer he gets to the hole. That’s certainly not unusual for Smotherman, and it hasn’t stopped him from posting solid finishes throughout his career.

The path for Smotherman is the unique and extreme nature of this venue. The best drivers are going to be able to separate themselves off the tee at a clip that we don’t often see. It will allow those players to hide deficiencies in other areas, which will improve the outlook for Smotherman. I’ve got him circled for a top-20 finish at +295.

Kevin Yu has gained strokes off the tee in 12 straight events, dating back to the Valero Texas Open. During that time, he’s made 10 cuts and has earned seven top-30 finishes. His most recent run is even better, notching four top-25 finishes in his last five starts – highlighted by a fourth-place finish at the Wyndham Championship.

The question with Yu has always been the putter. He’s providing plenty of reason for optimism on the putting surfaces, as he’s gained 9.89 strokes putting over his last seven starts. Maybe even more actionable is how he played here last year. Yu notched a T15 finish and gained more than six strokes putting, one of the best putting performances of his career.

His recent form and upside have me excited to deploy Yu in the top-10 market, where he is currently priced at +305.

If you’ve followed this content for any period of time, you’d know that I’m enamored with Ben James. He’s already a talented and accomplished player, but he seems to be getting better every step of the way.

His recent run of finishes – a third-place finish at the Wyndham Championship and a runner-up finish at the Biltmore Championship Asheville – only cements that sentiment. He’s a great driver, but he does it in a spectacular way. He’s long, averaging 310 yards off the tee, and he’s hitting nearly 80% of his fairways at that distance. It’s the combination that unlocks massive upside at Black Desert Resort.

He makes plenty of putts and converts birdies at a high clip. He’s making birdie on 24.3% of his holes and has gotten to 18 under or better in three of his last five starts. It seems like only a matter of time before James captures his first victory, which is why he’s my pick to win the Bank of Utah Championship at +2000.

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