Among the many impressive things Michael Brennan did in winning the Bank of Utah Championship Sunday among the lava fields and red mountains was how uncomplicated he made it appear.
Winning on any level, but particularly on the PGA Tour, is incredibly difficult, even if it is in a fall event that is short on star power but still deep with talent.
Prior to last week, Brennan had played in only two PGA Tour events, both as an amateur, but the 23-year-old former Wake Forest golfer made it look like it was no big deal, rolling to a four-stroke victory that changed his career path.
It was both a dramatic introduction to a potential new star and a reminder of the depth of young talent that can now use different pathways to get where they want to be. While it’s fair to consider what may become of the tour’s fall tournaments going forward, Brennan’s victory validated the value of what the non-signature events can provide as the pro game’s landscape continues to shift.
As for Brennan, he seems to check every box. He can bomb it as most young players can (according to PGA Tour.com his 7.6 strokes gained off the tee last week was the most of any player in any event this year), he’s focused on improving his game the closer he gets to the hole and, having won eight times at Wake Forest, he has the experience that only winning can provide.
When Brennan put himself in position to win in Utah, he understood what he needed to do and made himself only the seventh player since 1970 to win on tour in three starts or fewer. It helps, obviously, when the game is flowing, but winning may be as much about how you think as how you play. The moment didn’t scare Brennan, who admitted he kept trying to put himself back at his home club in Leesburg, Virginia, where dozens of members were watching him from the grill room.
Brennan had never been to Utah before, didn’t know exactly where he was going or what he was getting into at Black Desert Resort. He was so appreciative to the tournament director for offering him a sponsor exemption that he stopped by the tournament office both Thursday and Friday to thank the staff for the opportunity.
Though he wasn’t at the top of the list, Brennan is a beneficiary of the PGA Tour University program that gives the top college players a boost to start their careers. While others such as Ludvig Åberg and David Ford have gone directly to the PGA Tour, Brennan used his 12th-place finish in the PGA Tour U rankings to earn access to PGA Tour Americas.
“I feel like maybe I have an idea what clicked, but I’m really not 100 percent sure. I’ll take it and hope to continue playing solid golf.” — Michael Brennan
Barely a year into his professional career, Brennan won three times on PGA Tour Americas this season to qualify for the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour but, seizing the moment in Utah, he now has a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.
“I feel like maybe I have an idea what clicked, but I’m really not 100 percent sure. I’ll take it and hope to continue playing solid golf,” Brennan said Sunday.
Here’s another aspect of Brennan’s victory: He was ranked outside the top 100 in the world ranking entering the event and now he sits 43rd. If he can remain inside the top 50 through the end of the year, which seems likely, Brennan – who was 681st at the end of 2024 – will lock down a spot in the Masters next April.
It’s a reminder of the old saying that everyone runs their own race and Brennan is the latest example. The grind is different for every player.
Rico Hoey, who finished second to Brennan and jumped to 61st in the FedEx Cup race, came out of the University of Southern California in 2017 and spent six years playing on developmental tours.
In 2023, Hoey won once on the Korn Ferry Tour and earned a PGA Tour card, and while he now has a pair of runner-up finishes in the big show, he is still chasing what Brennan accomplished in his first PGA Tour start as a professional.
A switch to the long putter, an admittedly desperate measure after the Wyndham Championship in August, has transformed Hoey’s career, not only helping him secure full tour status in 2026 but moving him within one spot of qualifying for the first two signature events next year.
It’s that time of year when the tournaments are overshadowed by football games and most of the top players are laying low. There are, however, still many things on the line for many players and Brennan’s breakthrough moment was another demonstration.
And, he got there the new old-fashioned way – using what he earned via PGA Tour U to play his way to the big stage faster than even he might have imagined.