Jay Don Blake will play in this week's Black Desert Classic. Getty Images It’s a week of firsts on the PGA Tour. That much should only be expected with the launch of the Tour’s newest competitive event, the Black Desert Classic at the Black Desert Resort in Irving, Utah.
The Classic is the second of two brand-new events on the 2024 PGA Tour schedule, following in the footsteps of the Myrtle Beach Classic this spring. But perhaps the most interesting story on the PGA Tour this week is not a first-timer. No, the most interesting story is that of a potential PGA Tour last-timer .
His name is Jay Don Blake, a 65-year-old pro from St. George, Utah — and on Tuesday morning at the Black Desert Classic, he received the best news of the week: He was in the field. Blake received the final sponsor’s exemption into the event, solidifying a spot in the field in emotional — and personally historic — fashion.
“To be part of the tournament, the first event for St. George,” Blake said in a video posted to the PGA Tour’s official social channels with tears welling in his eyes. “For me to be part of that is a dream from when I was a little kid.
” A post shared by PGA TOUR (@pgatour) The story of Blake’s journey back to the PGA Tour begins in 2004, with a professional career on the brink. Blake was an aging 45-year-old then, and for the first time in more than two decades in pro golf, he could see the end. He’d played in 14 events during the 2004 season and made the cut .