Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Course: Port Royal Golf Course (6,828 yards, par 71)
Purse: $6,000,000
Winner: $1,080,000 and 500 FedExCup Fall Points
Tournament Preview
This marks the seventh edition of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship once again contested at beautiful Port Royal Golf Course. While the field is not anything to celebrate, make not mistake this is an important week for a lot of players. There is only two events left in the FedExCup Fall and many players are still trying to secure playing opportunities on the PGA Tour in 2026. Max McGreevy holds spot No. 100, which is the last full exempt spot available based on FedExCup points. David Lipsky is the first man out, but isn't far behind. There are some notables sitting outside the Top 100 like Tom Kim (102nd), Adam Scott (103rd) and Billy Horschel (105th), but all of those players have status for 2026 via other exemptions.
Michael Brennan, who just two events ago needed a sponsors exemption to make it into the field, is now the highest ranked player teeing it up for a full-point PGA Tour event. Sam Stevens is the only other player in the field this week who is ranked inside the Top 50 of the OWGR. He's also the only player who finished Top 50 in the FedExCup last season and is already exempt for all signature events in 2026. The Aon Next 10 is another race on the line with just two events left to go, as all players No. 51-60 will gain entry into the first two signature events next season. Kevin Yu holds the final spot there with Wyndham Clark and Nico Echavarria not far behind.
After Americans Brendon Todd and Brian Gay won the first two Bermuda Championships, international players have claimed the last four. Rafael Campos will be looking to defend his title after winning by three strokes last year over Andrew Novak. While these fall events don't earn an automatic Masters invite like in previous years, the winner will still earn a two-year exemption and get a spot in the 2026 PGA Championship.
Port Royal is about as exposed a golf course as you will find on the PGA Tour, and this week players will need to embrace the elements. Wind gusts are expected to exceed 30 mph on three of the four tournament rounds. It's also likely we see some showers at some point during the event. After perfect conditions a week ago in Los Cabos, expect the conditions in Bermuda to cause players to have to exercise a bit more patience.
Recent Champions
2024 - Rafael Campos (-19)
2023 - Camilo Villegas (-24)
2022 - Seamus Power (-19)
2021 - Lucas Herbert (-15)
2020 - Brian Gay (-15)
2019 - Brendon Todd (-24)
Key Stats to Victory
- SG: Approach/GIR Percentage
- SG: Around-the-Green/Scrambling
- SG: Putting/Putts per GIR
- Par-3 Scoring/Driving Accuracy
Champion's Profile
Port Royal is a one of the shortest courses on the PGA Tour at 6,828 yards on the scorecard. It's a stock par 71 with three par-5s and four par-3s. Eight of the par-4s check in at under 415 yards, which allows for players to use a lot of different clubs off the tee. Accuracy will take precedent over distance this week, especially considering the challenge of the wind. The par-3s are extremely difficult on this course, and that could give a solid indication of who will be there come Sunday.
Iron play is likely to be the most important department once again, and the wind being up only allows those striking it the best to separate themselves even more. I also see your top short-game players being able to rise to the occasion as well. I'm expecting much more of a grind than players have had to face the last few tournaments on the PGA Tour. Lastly, putting has always been crucial on this course for whatever reason. The Bermuda greens will have to be prepped to run slower given the high winds, but anything less than a firm and pure hit with the flatstick will likely wobble off line before reaching the cup.
FanDuel Value Picks
The Chalk
Thorbjorn Olesen ($11,900)
Olesen is playing some very strong golf right now and has posted four straight top-15 finishes. He's typically playing in Europe this time of year, but instead has played a fair amount of FedExCup Fall events trying to lock up full status for next year. It's actually surprising that Olesen is still battling all the way to the end just to keep his car considering that he ranks 16th in SG: Total and 11th in adjusted scoring average on the PGA Tour. Win No. 1 on the world's top tour may very well come this week in Bermuda. There's not any holes in his game right now.
Nico Echavarria ($11,500)
Echavarria is coming off back-to-back top-15 finishes and he is trending ahead of the Bermuda Championship where he has never missed a cut in three previous tries. I talked about the difficulties of the par-3s here, but Echavarria currently sits fourth on Tour in par-3 scoring (2.97). He also is eighth in SG: Putting and 40th in proximity.
Patrick Rodgers ($10,900)
Rodgers hasn't had much to celebrate the last several months, but he is coming off a T6 finish in Mexico in which he made 30 birdies for the week. Now he gets to tee it up at a place he has torn up. Rodgers has finished 4th-T3-T9 in his last three visits to Bermuda. The 33-year-old has historically been sharp both on and around the greens, which should bode well for him if the wind kicks up as expected.
The Middle Tier
Vince Whaley ($10,600)
Whaley is another player who has absolutely thrived recently at Port Royal. He has finished T7-T8-T5 in his last three attempts in Bermuda, and he rides in on a 17-event made cut streak. Over that stretch Whaley has racked up three top-10s and seven top-25s, including a T17 last week in Mexico. The 30-year-old ranks second in par-3 scoring and fourth in bogey avoidance this season. Whaley is strong on and around the greens ranking top-40 on Tour in SG: Around, SG: Putting, scrambling and putts per GIR.
Matt Kuchar ($10,300)
Kuchar will be making his Port Royal debut, but I think this is a course he should thrive at. His lack of distance won't be a problem here and his lower ball flight should be able to cut through the wind. Kuchar ranks fifth in bogey avoidance and second in par-4 scoring average. He is also top-25 on Tour in proximity, SG: Around-the-Green, scrambling, SG: Putting and putts per GIR. Kuchar has finished top-20 in all three starts he has made in the FedExCup Fall.
Justin Lower ($9,000)
Lower will be playing the Bermuda Championship for the fifth straight year and will be looking to make it five straight top-20 finishes. For whatever reason Port Royal has been a place that Lower has been extremely comfortable. He'll be coming into this edition in decent form with a recent T3 finish at the Bank of Utah Championship where he gained strokes across the board.
The Long Shots
Greyson Sigg ($8,900)
Sigg might be the best value play of the week. He's a perfect fit for Port Royal as he ranks top-35 on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy, SG: Approach, GIR percentage, proximity and scrambling. Given his skillset it probably isn't a huge surprise that he has gone T22-T11-T9 in three career starts in Bermuda. Sigg has has a nice fall with three top-25s in four starts.
Ben Kohles ($8,300)
If you subscribe to the importance of iron play this week, then Kohles should be in your lineups. He ranks top-10 on the PGA Tour this season in SG: Approach, GIR percentage and proximity. Kohles also has one of the lowest apex height's on Tour, which should play to his benefit with all the wind expected on this extremely exposed course. Kohles has made the cut in each of his previous two starts at Port Royal.
Andrew Putnam ($8,100)
It's been a struggle of late for Putnam, but I like his traits for the upcoming test at Port Royal. Putnam ranks fifth in driving accuracy, 14th in GIR percentage, eighth in SG: Around-the-Green, fifth in scrambling and 25th in SG: Putting on the PGA Tour this season. He also slots in second in bogey avoidance and seventh in par-3 scoring. Putnam finished top-25 here back in 2020.
Strategy Tips This Week
Based on a Standard $60K Salary Cap
The biggest thing that stood out to me from the FanDuel pricing was how much I did not like the $9K range. For followers of this column, usually that is a range that I'm always looking to take advantage of, and typically I think it has a big impact on the overall strength of your lineup. On the other hand, I think the $8K range is very strong and that probably lends itself to more of a stars and scrubs build. Kris Ventura ($8,800) and David Lipsky ($8,500) are a couple other quality $8K options in addition to the three listed above.
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