Something’s not quite right at the Bank of Utah Championship. For the second consecutive day, play has ground to a halt at Black Desert Resort—but this time, Mother Nature can’t take the blame. With perfect conditions overhead and yet another suspension called, questions are mounting about what’s really causing the chaos in Ivins, Utah.

The second round of the Bank of Utah Championship was suspended due to darkness at 6:47 p.m. local time (MT) on Friday, October 25, 2025. According to PGA Tour Communications, play will resume Saturday at 8 a.m. The stoppage comes just one day after Thursday’s first-round suspension, which left 38 players across 14 groups unable to complete their rounds before sunset.

Thursday’s issues began with fog and delays in tee marker setup that pushed the afternoon wave back by 15 minutes. What seemed like a minor hiccup snowballed into a full-blown timing crisis as the slow pace of play compounded throughout the day. By the time officials called darkness at 6:47 p.m. MT, 38 players from 14 groups were stranded mid-round.

Friday brought no relief. Round 2 began late since those 38 players had to finish Round 1 first. The compressed morning-to-midday transition created long waits between pairings on Black Desert’s dual wave tee structure, grinding pace of play to a crawl once again. Despite another day of pristine weather—no wind, no rain, no natural interference—the tournament couldn’t finish before sunset claimed another casualty.

Adding to the tournament’s troubles, three players have withdrawn from the event. Lanto Griffin pulled out during the first round, followed by Vince Covello after Round 1 and Aldrich Potgieter before the second round began. Potgieter’s exit has sparked particular interest, with rumor mills running to link the South African to a potential move to LIV Golf. That was later squashed by Potgieter, who released an official statement saying his stomach bug was the reason for the WD. Most recently, Gordon Sargent withdrew during the second round, citing a hand injury. The irony of it all couldn’t be more glaring.

Black Desert Resort, Tom Weiskopf’s final architectural masterpiece, carved through ancient lava fields and red rock cliffs, offered tournament organizers everything they could want weather-wise. Yet the $6 million PGA Tour FedExCup Fall event has struggled to maintain fundamental scheduling integrity across two full days.

As the sun sets on two consecutive days of organizational struggles, the reality becomes unavoidable: this championship’s credibility hangs in the balance.

Bank of Utah Championship’s perfect weather can’t save compromised schedule

Saturday’s schedule now faces a logistical puzzle. Play resumes at 8 a.m. MT to finish Round 2, with Round 3 scheduled to begin around 1 p.m. MT in threesomes off split tees—a desperate attempt to maximize remaining daylight. Tournament organizers are banking on this format to finally complete 54 holes before another sunset suspension threatens the championship’s competitive integrity.

Meanwhile, the leaderboard remains frozen in time. Thorbjørn Olesen, David Lipsky, Jesper Svensson, and Austin Cook share the lead at 6-under par, though Cook still has five holes remaining when play resumes Saturday morning. The par-71, 7,421-yard layout has proven scorable for those who’ve completed rounds, making the inability to finish on schedule all the more frustrating.

For a PGA Tour event in its second year at this venue, the back-to-back suspensions raise uncomfortable questions. Last year’s inaugural edition also experienced late finishes due to darkness. With perfect weather conditions both days this week, the organizational issues can’t be blamed on anything other than execution of the schedule and pace-of-play management.