$6 Million PGA Tour Event Returns to Volcanic Course as Players Brace for Deadly Challenge The stakes are higher this time — there is a new sponsor, a stronger expected field, and $6 million prize pur

Only 117,000 viewers watched the final round of last year’s Black Desert Championship — a weak number for a PGA Tour Sunday, even in the FedEx Cup Fall. Still, the Tour is returning to southern Utah, banking on the drama of golf amid black lava fields and red cliffs. This year brings a new sponsor, a stronger field, a $6 million purse, and higher stakes — and tensions.

The tension heading into year two lies in expectations. Last season, Black Desert Resort was a shiny newcomer on the schedule, designed by the late Tom Weiskopf . The same Weiskopf who has shaped what we know today, the TPC Scottsdale and Loch Lomond. But now, the novelty is off.

Now, the PGA Tour must prove that the Utah experiment can sustain momentum. Last time, it carried on some great numbers by critics. Golfweek ra