One of the frustrations of the Nationwide Tour is that the best players move up to the PGA Tour and you rarely get to see the defending champion or former champions at your tournament from year to year.

That won't be the case at the Utah Championship at Willow Creek Country Club this week.

Not only will defending champion Brendan Todd be playing in this year's event, but so will the two previous champions, Craig Kanada (2007) and Garrett Willis (2006).

Also several regulars from the PGA Tour will be competing, including Jason Gore, Mark Brooks, Eric Axley, Scott Gutschewski, Peter Tomasulo and Colt Knost.

The 72-hole Utah Championship officially begins Thursday and runs through Sunday.

However, there will be a full week's worth of activities with pro-ams scheduled for Monday and Wednesday with qualifying tournaments on Tuesday at Glen Eagle and Valley View golf courses.

The upgraded field is because of the PGA Tour schedule with the "playoffs" for the FedEx Cup being played. A limited field will be competing this week at the BMW Championship in Illinois. That allows players such as Todd, who is down the money list, to play again on the Nationwide Tour.

Tournament director Mike Smith point out that with the season winding down, the competition will be intense for spots on next year's PGA Tour with most of the top players in Utah this week.

"We have a very good field," said Smith. These players are the future stars of the PGA Tour, and our tournament provides local golf fans with an opportunity to see them play right here in our own backyard."

Several of the past champions in Utah have gone on to successful careers on the PGA Tour, including Zach Johnson, Brett Wetterich and John Daly.

This year's tournament with a total purse of $550,000 will again be broadcast live around the country on The Golf Channel. More than 20 hours of coverage are currently scheduled, including live coverage of the final two rounds.

Among the local players in the field are Daniel Summerhays, a Nationwide Tour regular; Clay Ogden, who received one of the sponsor's exemptions; and Steve Schneiter, Mark Owen and Dave DeSantis, who earned spots from the Utah PGA.

e-mail: sor@desnews.com