IVINS, UT — What happened to the LPGA Tour stop at Black Desert Resort? It was played just once, in May 2025 and provided charter planes to take players from Texas to Utah, and provided free lodging for players on property at the resort.
It’s an interesting story, and one that Black Desert Resort managing partner Patrick Manning wanted to set straight.
Manning originally set out to bring an Epson Tour event — the developmental circuit for the LPGA — to Utah for two years. The plan was to hold the first tournament at Shoulder Hollow Golf Course, a 36-hole mountainside complex in Park City, before moving it to Black Desert.
But there was a problem: another Epson Tour event at Copper Rock Golf Course in Hurricane, Utah, had market exclusivity. Manning
proposed a simple solution: Why not make it a full-fledged LPGA Tour event?
“And they started laughing, and that's how it all got started,” Manning recalled to Golfweek. “I'm like, I don't know what's funny. Seriously, let's make it a full (LPGA) tournament.”
And they did.
As Manning became more involved, he also became increasingly passionate about creating a different experience for the women competing in the tournament. He began to understand the disparity between the treatment and amenities typically provided to men's and women's professional golfers, and he believed Black Desert could help change that.
“I knew that we could make a real impact for the women,” he said.
Manning decided to go all in — thus the private jets, complimentary accommodations and meals.
“I spent a year of my life, almost solely focused on treating the women like they've never been treated before,” he said. “One of the most surreal moments of my life was seeing that first Silver Air dot coming through the cloud.”
The players noticed — and appreciated — the effort. The day after the tournament ended, a front-desk employee flagged Manning down and handed him a shoebox filled with handwritten notes from the players. But despite the positive response from the golfers, Manning acknowledged the tournament didn't produce the broader impact he had hoped for.
“I thought that if we showed the world how the ladies should be treated, then other tournaments would really step up,” he said. “I thought I could get Utah excited to support these women, show up for the women here, and it didn't really happen. It was a huge letdown.”
That realization ultimately led Manning to a different decision.
He informed the LPGA he wanted to redirect the money Black Desert had been investing in the tournament toward becoming an official marketing partner of the LPGA Tour.
The LPGA released the following statement at the time of the announcement: “Through this marketing partnership, Black Desert will help advance our mission by increasing opportunity, visibility, and growth across the Tour for the remainder of our agreement," said Ricki Lasky, the LPGA's chief tournament business and operations officer. "Their continued partnership represents a powerful step forward in our collective effort to elevate the women’s game globally. We are deeply grateful to Black Desert for recognizing the goals we are working towards as a tour—and for aligning their support to help us achieve them.”
And reflecting on the shift in resources more than a year later, Manning added, “I wanted to spend that money on them where they actually have their careers impacted all season long rather than just be really good for four days,” he explained. “It wasn't because I don't love the LPGA and didn't love hosting them, but we can have a larger impact this way.”
Adam Schupak is a senior writer for Golfweek, covering the PGA Tour.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Why Black Desert Resort changed its strategy for supporting the LPGA
