Howe, who went pro in 2023 after an All-ACC career at Georgia Tech, is an 18-time competitor on the Korn Ferry Tour, including the first-ever Utah Championship played in his hometown of Ogden back in August. Howe has four top-25 finishes on the PGA TOUR Americas circuit this season, including a runner-up finish at the Biosteel Championship at the Ambassador Golf Club in Ontario, Canada.

Liechty resumed his career as a freshman at Utah Tech following a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has since had a top-4 finish at the Utah Men’s State Amateur and a win at the TalonsCove Amateur in Saratoga Springs, and he became the first Utah Tech golfer to qualify for the U.S. Amateur.

After graduating from Arizona State last spring, Summerhays joined Howe for a second consecutive season together at the Utah Championship. He’s a two-time champion of the Utah Men’s State Amateur (2018, 2019) and has two top-10 finishes across 10 Korn Ferry Tour stops.

Akina is a graduate of Lone Peak High School in Highland and officially joined the BYU roster this season. Last year, Akina became the youngest winner of the Larry H. Miller Utah Open in Provo.

The Bank of Utah Championship, also known as the Black Desert Championship until this year, begins its three-day run at Black Desert Resort on Thursday. Complete tournament information and tickets are available at bankofutahchampionship.com.

Connect with reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.