Cook goes from late entry to share of lead before darkness stops him at Black Desert

IVINS, Utah (AP) — Austin Cook had a good start to his week by avoiding a qualifier and took advantage with six birdies Thursday that allowed him to share the lead before darkness halted a slow round at Black Desert in the Bank of Utah Championship.

Thorbjorn Olesen, Jesper Svensson and David Lipsky each posted a 6-under 65 on the unique course lined by red dirt and black lava rock.

Cook also was at 6 under and facing a 20-foot birdie putt on the reachable par-4 14th when it was too dark to continue. The afternoon tee times had been pushed back by 15 minutes. The 38 players who did not finish were to resume at 8 a.m.

Cook had few complaints. A one-time winner on the PGA Tour, this is only his eighth start of the year. He was well down the alternate list and at the beach with his family, planning to play the Monday qualifier.

“Saturday got all the way down to first alternate. I felt like I was going to get in so I helped drive everybody home on Sunday and flew out Monday and on the plane I got a text,” he said. Cook replaced Erik van Rooyen, who had withdrawn.

Olesen also was surprisingly pleased with his start. He was in Mississippi for the Sanderson Farms Championship, then the Dane headed back to Europe to play in the Spanish Open, went to his home in Dubai and then came to Utah. It was a lot of time in the air.

“I would say my expectations were pretty low this morning,” Olesen said. “But did some recovery work the last few days and just tried to get the body ready for today.”

Olesen is at No. 116 in the FedEx Cup, and he has company on the bubble. Svensson is at No. 115 and Lipsky is at No. 99.

After this week, only three tournaments remain in the season for players to finish among the top 100 in the FedEx Cup to keep full cards for the 2026 season. The top 100 has been reduced from 125 players keeping their cards a year ago.

The group one shot behind at 66 included Paul Peterson, who was 2 over for his round through eight holes until finishing with six birdies and an eagle.

There are plenty of birdie chances at Black Desert, and plenty of trouble. Billy Horschel, who missed five months this year with hip surgery, was at 1 under for his round until starting the back nine with a bogey and then taking a quadruple-bogey 8 on the 11th hole.

He tried to play out of the desert and wound up in the black lava. Horschel took a penalty drop, still playing in the red dirt while trying to balance off some rocks. That shot went left of the green. He pitched on and then three-putted from just inside 20 feet.

Horschel at least bounced back by driving the 14th green to 20 feet and making the eagle putt, and then adding a 12-foot birdie on the par-3 15th. He salvaged a 72.

Max Homa was trying to creep closer to the leaders and reached 3 under until driving into the water on the 13th for a double bogey. He also bounced back by driving the 14th green (he made birdie), but lost more ground with a soft bogey on the 16th and failing to save par from a bunker on the par-3 17th. He was even par and had a 27-foot birdie attempt on the 18th that will start his day on Friday.

Alex Noren finished his round at 4-under 67. A leg injury kept the Swede out until the start of May and he is trying to work his way back into the top 100 in the FedEx Cup. Noren won the BMW PGA Championship in England — the flagship event on the European tour — and was a vice captain for Europe’s winning Ryder Cup team.

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