23-yo Michael Brennan a round away from skipping entire pro golf level at the Bank of Utah Championship

Michael Brennan continued his good run at the Bank of Utah Championship 2025 on Saturday, October 25, to take the 54-hole lead. He is now just one round away from skipping the entire Korn Ferry Tour season to directly secure his PGA Tour card.

Brennan is a 23-year-old pro, currently active on PGA Tour Americas. This week he is playing via a sponsor exemption but is now the favorite to lift his maiden PGA Tour title. He shot 64 on Day 3 at Black Desert Resort to take a two-stroke lead over Matt McCarty.

Last year, Brennan earned his PGA Tour Americas card after finishing 12th in the PGA Tour University Rankings. He then made his mark on PGA Tour Americas this season, bagging three wins to top the Fortinet Cup. The wins also helped him secure a full-season exemption for the upcoming Korn Ferry Tour season.

The 23-year-old golfer will be exempted for the PGA Tour season provided he finishes in the top 20 on the Korn Ferry Tour. However, he is now close to skipping all that work if he continues his form on Sunday. A win on Sunday would make him exempt on the PGA Tour through the 2027 season, meaning he would not have to play on the Korn Ferry Tour next year.

Interestingly, Brennan’s closest contender, Matt McCarty, earned his PGA Tour card after three wins on the Korn Ferry Tour last year and became the champion at the first-ever edition of the Bank of Utah Championship.

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"It's been my goal growing up," - Michael Brennan gets real about 'great opportunity' at the Bank of Utah Championship

During the post-round interview on Saturday, Michael Brennan opened up about his chances of securing a PGA Tour card at the Bank of Utah Championship.

"It would mean a lot. It's been my goal growing up to play on the PGA TOUR. I know my parents showed me things I wrote in kindergarten what my dream job is. It was always to play professional golf and to do so on the highest level. I have a great opportunity tomorrow, so try to take advantage of it, stay focused, but also play golf at River Creek. We'll see," he added.

Michael Brennan is paired alongside McCarty and Rico Hoey for the final day action at Black Desert Resort. The trio will resume play from the first tee on Sunday, October 26, at 2 p.m. ET.

Edited by Shobhit Kukreti