Congrats to all Erik van Rooyen backers last week at the World Wide Technology Championship! We failed to hit an outright last week but did cash both of our top 40 placements, Matthias Schmid (+120) and Adam Long (+130).
Let’s get into this week’s storylines…
The Butterfield Bermuda Championship is the penultimate event of the inaugural FedExCup Fall, a group of seven tournaments played after the TOUR Championship that finalizes eligibility for the 2024 PGA TOUR Season. Nos. 1-50 in the FedExCup standings through the TOUR Championship are locked in their positions while Nos. 51 and beyond carry their FedExCup points over. Nos. 51-60 through the FedExCup Fall will qualify for two Signature Events in 2024: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational. The Top 125 will be exempt into all Full-Field events and THE PLAYERS next season and Nos. 126-150 will earn Korn Ferry Tour status and conditional status on TOUR next season.
Winners of events during the FedExCup Fall receive the same benefits as winners of Full-Field Events during the Regular Season.
Adam Scott, the current favorite at this week’s event will play in his second FedExCup Fall event. This will be his debut at Port Royal Golf Course.
George Byran, brother of PGA TOUR winner Wesley Bryan is set to make his PGA TOUR Debut. The Bryan brothers are mostly known for the YouTube channel “BryanBros”.
Oliver Betschart at just 15 years old earned a spot in the field via a 54-hole local qualifier. He’s one of three Bermudians to qualify via the event in addition to Scott Roy and Eric West. Betschart is also the second youngest player ever to compete in a PGA TOUR event.
- Dates: November 9th, 2023 – November 12th, 2023
- Location: Southampton, Bermuda
- Course: Port Royal Golf Course
- Course Type: Coastal
- Par: 71 (4x 3’s / 11x 4’s / 3x 5’s)
- Length: 6,828 yards
- Format: 72-hole stroke play
- Greens: Tif Eagle bermudagrass .125”
- Fairways: 419 bermuda (front 9) / 419 bermuda / Zoysiagrass mix (back 9) .450”
- Rough: 419 bermudagrass 2”
- Bunkers: 87
- Water Hazard(s): 4 (In-Play on 7 Holes)
- Average Green Size: 8,000 sq. ft.
- Stimpmeter: 11 ft.
- Purse/ Winner: $6,500,000 /$1,170,000
- FedEx Cup Points: 500
- Field/ Cut: 132 Pros | Top 65 and Ties – 36 Holes
- Playoff Format: Sudden Death
- Course Scoring Average:
- 2022: 2022: 69.16 (-1.84), Rank 40 of 50
- 2021: 70.76 (-0.24), Rank 17 of 50
- 2020: 71.15 (+0.15), Rank 19 of 51
- Historic Cut Line:
- 2022: -6
- 2021: E
- 2020: +1
Course Architect:
- Course Architect: Robert Trent Jones Sr. (1971)
- Renovations: Roger Rulewich (2008)
Comparable Courses & Greens:
- Comparable Courses:
- Designer Link (Robert Trent Jones Sr.):
- Spyglass Hill Golf Course – Robert Trent Jones, Sr. (1966) – AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
- Comparable Yardage (6,828 Yards):
- TPC River Highlands – 6,852 Yards – Travelers Championship
- Comparable Greens (Tif Eagle bermudagrass .125”):
- Plantation Course at Kapalua – TifEagle bermudagrass .115” – Sentry Tournament of Champions
- PGA National Resort (The Champion) – TifEagle bermudagrass .115” – The Honda Classic
- Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge – TifEagle bermudagrass .110” – Arnold Palmer Invitational
- Comparable Average Green Size (8,000 sq. ft.):
- El Cardonal at Diamante – 8,300 sq. ft. – World Wide Technology Championship
TV Information:
- Round 1: Thursday, November 9th, 2023
- Golf Channel – 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET
- Round 2: Friday, November 10th, 2023
- Golf Channel – 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET
- Round 3: Saturday, November 11th, 2023
- Golf Channel – 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM ET
- Round 4: Sunday, November 12th, 2023
- Golf Channel – 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM ET
- Thursday: Mostly Sunny 75 F, 6 mp/h W, 70% Humidity, 4% Chance of Rain
- Friday: Partly Cloudy 76 F, 12 mp/h WSW, 74% Humidity, 9% Chance of Rain
- Saturday: Partly Cloudy 76 F, 14 mp/h WSW, 79% Humidity, 18% Chance of Rain
- Sunday: Mostly Cloudy 72 F, 17 mp/h N, 73% Humidity, 23% Chance of Rain
Course/ Tournament History:
The inaugural Butterfield Bermuda Championship was held in 2019, however, it was an alternate event back then. In 2020, this event started to offer 500 FedEx Cup points and became an official event on the Tour.
Port Royal Golf Course has played host to this event since its inauguration. It was founded in 1965 but didn’t open until 1970 under the design of Robert Trent Jones. Through the years, the course has undergone several renovations but, the last major renovation was by Roger Rulewich in 2008 in preparation for hosting the 2009 PGA Grand Slam of Golf.
- 72-Hole Record:
- 260, Brendon Todd (2019)
- 18-Hole Record :
- 61, Taylor Pendrith (second round, 2021)
Course Guide/ Scorecard:
Port Royal Golf Course is a Par 71 that plays 6,828 yards. The layout features four Par 3’s, eleven Par 4’s, and three Par 5’s. It’s one of the shortest courses on Tour with the main defense being the wind.
The four Par 3’s range between 148 yards and 235 yards. At the 2022 Butterfield Bermuda Championship, only one (No. 3), had a scoring average under par.
No. 8, 213 yards, Par 3: “This is a demanding par 3 and the large green perched on the ocean will present the golfer with a challenge. Bunkers surround the target and beware – the ocean awaits the long ball. A par here is a hard-earned achievement.”
No. 16, 235 yards, Par 3: “This is truly one of the most spectacular holes in world golf. The tee shot will require a solidly hit shot across the ocean to a green perched high above the ocean on its own peninsular, A well-bunkered green offers the player a small target to find and, with the prevailing winds, this hole has the ability to fool the strongest of minds. A shot to the right will be safe from the ocean but missing the traps will be a challenge.”
Six of the eleven Par 4’s range between 350 – 400 yards. No. 10 is the shortest Par 4’s listed at 350 yards with the longest being No. 4, at 458 yards.
No. 15, 412 yards, Par 4: “A dogleg to the right, with the ocean on the left and a steep run off to the right, will be the initial issues the golfer faces. Two well-placed traps on the left of the fairway must be avoided, so play for position from this tee. A risk/reward shot is available with a well-struck drive down the right leaving a short iron into a well-protected, undulating green. Achieving a par here is a challenge.”
No. 18, 410 yards, Par 4: “A long, straight, uphill par 4 requiring a well-struck tee shot to a tiered fairway with bunkers left and right – this is a visually excellent hole. The second shot to a raised green will test your skill set and be sure to take an extra club for this shot to the three-tiered front-to-back sloping green. You will face a constant challenge to the end on this hole.”
The three Par 5’s are No. 2, 7, and 17. None of the Par 5’s are listed over 600 yards. All of the Par 5’s had a scoring average below par at the 2022 Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
No. 2, 553 yards, Par 5: “This is a serious par 5, three-shot hole. Water off the tee gives way to a left-to-right sweeping dog leg, trees left and right with bunkers to threaten the off-center shot. You will need to play for position on the 2nd shot. This gives way to a short iron approach to a raised green well protected on all sides by deep bunkers.”
No. 17, 507 yards, Par 5: “The prevailing wind will punish you here and a well positioned tee shot is necessary. The water on the left will make the big hitter think and the well-trapped right side will certainly favor the conservative player. The second shot is all about position and an accurate lay-up is required to leave you with a challenging third shot to a raised green, but beware of the run-off. An undulating green caps off this challenging par 5.”
Featured/ Signature Hole(s): 16
For a hole-by-hole overview of the course, you can click the following link.
Key Statistics:
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- As with most tournaments on TOUR, strokes gained on approach is a major factor. While this course does have some of the largest greens on Tour, it shouldn’t be a straightforward task this week as the wind is predicted to be around 15 mph.
- Strokes Gained: Tee to Green
- Strokes Gained: Putting (Bermuda)
- The green complexes at Port Royal Golf Course are Tif Eagle bermudagrass.
- Par 3 Scoring: 225 – 250 Yards (x2)
- Two of the four Par 3’s range between 225 – 250 Yards
- Par 4 Scoring: 350 – 400 Yards (x6)
- Six of the eleven Par 4’s range between 350 – 400 Yards
- Par 5 Scoring: 500 – 550 Yards (x2)
- Two of the three Par 5’s range between 500 – 550 Yards
- Birdies or Better Gained
- The previous winning scores at this event have been between -15 and -24. Players will need to take advantage of every scoring opportunity if they want to have a chance at winning.
- Comparable Courses and Event History
- This will be the fifth edition of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship played at Port Royal Golf Course so have a few years of course history that we can go off. Two of the four previous winners had top 15 finishes before winning here while the other two previous winners won in their debut.
The Field/ Odds:
There will be 132 players competing in this year’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Only two of the world’s top fifty players are in the field. Here are the current favorites in this week’s event:
Adam Scott (+1400) will play in his first Butterfield Bermuda Championship. This will be his second FedExCup Fall Event as he finished T41 at the ZOZO Championship last month.
Brendon Todd (+1600) finished 6th at the Fortinent Championship in his first FedExCup Fall Event. He has not missed a cut since June at the Travelers Championship. Since then, he has played in seven events with three top-10 finishes. Todd won this event back in 2019 and currently holds the 72-hole record. He did play in his tournament last year and missed the cut.
Lucas Herbert (+1800) won the Butterfield Bermuda Championship back in 2021. Last week at the World Wide Technology Championship he finished T31. Before that, he missed the cut at the Shriners Children’s Open but finished inside the top 30 at both the Sanderson Farms Championship and Fortinent Championship.
Akshay Bhatia (+1800) finished T17 in his debut at this tournament last year. He won his first event on the PGA Tour earlier this year at the Barracuda Championship. Following that victory, he missed the cut twice. However, he’s been in much better form as of late finishing T10 at last week’s event and T21 at the ZOZO Championship.
Thomas Detry (+2000) was the runner-up to Seamus Power at this tournament last year. In his only other appearance at this event, he finished T22 in 2021. He has not missed a cut since July at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Since then, he has played in six PGA TOUR events with one top-20 finish.
- Previous Winners in the Field:
- Lucas Herbert (’21), Brian Gay (’20), Brendon Todd (’19)
- Notable Withdraws:
- Greyson Sigg, Cameron Champ, Tyler Duncan, Nate Lashley, Chad Ramey, K.H. Lee, Will Gordon, Aaron Baddeley, Carson Young, Chesson Hadley, Erik van Rooyen, Mackenzie Hughes
To see the most up-to-date odds, you can click the following link.
To see the full field for this event and how they qualified, you can click the following link.
Horses for Courses:
| Butterfield Bermuda Championship | Butterfield Bermuda Championship | Bermuda Championship | Bermuda Championship | |
| Port Royal Golf Course | Port Royal Golf Course | Port Royal Golf Course | Port Royal Golf Course | |
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| Brian Gay | T11 | T12 | 1 | T3 |
| Thomas Detry | 2 | T22 | – | – |
| Justin Lower | T8 | T17 | – | – |
| Stewart Cink | – | – | T4 | 4 |
| Alex Smalley | T11 | T12 | ||
| Doc Redman | – | – | T4 | T35 |
| Sean O’Hair | T11 | T22 | – | – |
| Peter Malnati | – | T7 | T21 | T22 |
Donkeys for Courses:
“Horses for Courses” is a phrase that is widely used and describes the best course/tournament fits. These are players that have had success at the particular course/event. “Donkeys for Courses” is something I came up with that highlights the players who have struggled at a specific course/tournament.
| Butterfield Bermuda Championship | Butterfield Bermuda Championship | Bermuda Championship | Bermuda Championship | |
| Port Royal Golf Course | Port Royal Golf Course | Port Royal Golf Course | Port Royal Golf Course | |
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| Matthias Schwab | MC | 51 | – | – |
| Chris Stroud | MC | MC | – | – |
| Brian Stuard | T54 | MC | MC | T51 |
| Harry Hall | T63 | MC | – | – |
| Martin Trainer | MC | MC | – | – |
| Ricky Barnes | MC | MC | T63 | T53 |
| Bo Van Pelt | MC | – | MC | MC |
| Charley Hoffman | T29 | – | MC | MC |
| Wesley Bryan | MC | – | MC | MC |
| Thomas Gainey | WD | MC | MC | MC |
| Michael Sims | MC | MC | MC | MC |
| George McNeill | – | – | MC | MC |
| Kevin Stadler | – | MC | MC | MC |
| Greg Koch | MC | MC | – | – |
| Kelly Kraft | – | – | MC | MC |
| Matt Every | – | WD | MC | MC |
Previous Winners Scores & Prices:
- 2022: Seamus Power (-19)
- Price: 22-1
- 2021: Lucas Herbert (-15)
- Price: 80-1
- 2020: Brian Gay (-15)
- Price: 200-1
- 2019: Brendon Todd (-24)
- Price: 100-1
Facts & Figures:
- Each of the last four winners had missed a cut in one of their two previous starts on the PGA TOUR before winning the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
- Brian Gay is the only player in the field to have made the cut in all four editions of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. In addition to Gay, there are three other players (Russell Knox, Denny McCarthy, and Seamus Power) who have accomplished this feat but are not in the field this week.
Previous Winners Incoming Form (Last 5 Starts):
- 2022: Seamus Power
- T49 – THE CJ CUP in South Carolina (PGA)
- MC – Shriners Children’s Open (PGA)
- T30 – Sanderson Farms Championship (PGA)
- 65 – BMW Championship (PGA)
- MC – FedEx St. Jude Championship (PGA)
- 2021: Lucas Herbert
- MC – Sanderson Farms Championship (PGA)
- MC – Fortinent Championship (PGA)
- T21 – DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, DUBAI (EUR)
- T45 – Korn Ferry Tour Championship (KFT)
- T58 – Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship (KFT)
- 2020: Brian Gay
- MC – Shriners Hospital for Children Open (PGA)
- MC – Safeway Open (PGA)
- MC – THE NORTHERN TRUST (PGA)
- MC – Wyndham Championship (PGA)
- T41 – Barracuda Championship (PGA)
- 2019: Brendon Todd
- T28 – Houston Open (PGA)
- MC – Shriners Hospital for Children Open (PGA)
- MC – Safeway Open (PGA)
- MC – Sanderson Farms Championship (PGA)
- MC – A Military Tribute (PGA)
Previous Winners Finishes at Event:
- 2022: Seamus Power
- 2021 – T12
- 2020 – T37
- 2019 – T31
- 2021: Lucas Herbert
- Debut at Event
- 2020: Brian Gay
- 2019 – T3
- 2019: Brendon Todd
- Debut at Event
Picks (Outrights):
- Thomas Detry (+2000) – FanDuel
- Risk 0.40 to win 8.00 Units
- Ben Griffin (+2500) – FanDuel
- Risk 0.32 to win 8.00 Units
- Davis Riley (+4000) – DraftKings
- Risk 0.20 to win 8.00 Units
- Justin Lower (+6000) – DraftKings
- Risk 0.14 to win 8.40 Units
Total Risk on Outrights: 1.06 Units
Picks (Top 20):
- Alex Noren (+100) – BetMGM
- Risk 1.00 to win 1.00 Units
- Taylor Pendrith (+100) – BetMGM
- Risk 1.00 to win 1.00 Units
Total Risk on Top 20: 2.00 Units
Picks (Top 40):
- Austin Smotherman (+100) – BetMGM
- Risk 1.00 to win 1.00 Units
- Harry Hall (+110) – BetMGM
- Risk 1.00 to win 1.10 Units
Total Risk on Top 20: 2.00 Units
As always, all of my placement bets are through BetMGM as they’re one of the only books without dead-heat rules. If you’d like to bet these placements at BetMGM, you can get up to $1500 in Bonus Bets if you don’t win if you’re a first-time user.
Here’s my link to sign up at BetMGM!
Total Risk on the Butterfield Bermuda Championship: 5.06 Units
Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting. Any feedback whether positive or negative, is always encouraged.
