WiretoWire: Michael Brennan defies odds to win at Bank of Utah Championship
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Michael Brennan’s Round 4 winning highlights from Bank of Utah
Written by Staff
Welcome to the big leagues, Michael Brennan.
Exactly six weeks after his Three Victory Promotion to the Korn Ferry Tour following his third win this season on PGA TOUR Americas, the second-year professional leapfrogged his way to the PGA TOUR with a win at the Bank of Utah Championship.
Brennan – who secured his spot in the field at Black Desert Resort via a sponsor invite – became the first player to win on a sponsor exemption since Nick Dunlap last year in The American Express.
“It feels amazing,” the 23-year-old from Leesburg, Virginia, said after the final putt dropped. “I get that belief from my family and friends, my team. I mean, Jeff (Kirkpatrick), my caddie, believes in me I think more than anyone, maybe other than my parents. He told me ever since we played a great year, ‘We're not going to the Korn Ferry Tour.’ Whether it was, I don't know, through something like this or Q-School. I can't believe he's right.”
Brennan began to pull away from the pack out of the gate Sunday, making five birdies – no bogeys – to turn with a commanding five-shot lead. His first bogey of the day came at the par-4 10th hole, when he missed the fairway left and failed to get up-and-down to save par. The bogey opened the door for Rico Hoey, who made birdie at 10 to briefly cut the lead to three. But Brennan stayed steady down the stretch, collecting two more birdies to offset a bogey at 18 and secure his first TOUR title by four shots.
Points and payouts: See what each player earned at Bank of Utah
In just his third TOUR start, Michael Brennan earns $1.08 million with Bank of Utah Championship victory, joining the field as a sponsor exemption.
Brennan's victory at Black Desert Resort marked his first TOUR win with a four-stroke margin over Rico Hoey.
Brennan maintained his lead with a 5-under 67 to secure the victory, while Hoey moved up one position with a 4-under 68 to finish alone in second place at 18-under, earning $654,000.
Defending champion Matt McCarty, who started the day in second place, dropped one spot to T3 after posting a 1-under 71, finishing at 16-under alongside five other players, including Pierceson Coody, David Ford, Thorbjørn Olesen, Ben Silverman and Justin Lower.
Video of the week
Matt McCarty and caddie test their knowledge about each other
Mic check
“We would give him – if he did certain milestones, or whatever it was in golf – we would buy him another club, like his 7-iron. I remember when we bought him his 7-iron, he slept with it for a week. Who sleeps with a 7-iron?” - Bank of Utah winner Michael Brennan’s father, Mike, after his son’s breakthrough win on the PGA TOUR.
