Butterfield Bermuda Championship: PGA Tour Expert Picks

Tournament Information

Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Date: October 28^th – 31st
Course: Port Royal Golf Course
Purse: $6.5mm ($1.2mm to winner)
2020 Winner: Brian Gay (-15)

Course: Port Royal Golf Course

Founded in 1965, this 6,842 yard, par 71 course was designed by Robert Trent Jones. This course has a 74.6 rating and a slope of 139. It features fairly open fairways with rolling hills. Positioned along the Atlantic Ocean, this course features a handful of traps and water traps throughout. One of the feature holes is 16, which is a par 3 that forms a crescent along the ocean. This course utilizes TifEagle grass for the greens and putting is one of the differentiators here.

My Starting 4

Ryan Armour (first selection this year) – Ryan has back-to-back top 10 finishes at Port Royal Golf Course. He was 51^st at Fortinet Championship and missed the cut at Sanderson Farms—but I wouldn’t panic as he had similar struggles with both of those leading up to the Bermuda Championship in past years and still delivered strong. Ryan is strong off the tee, but his short game getting onto the green is holding him back.

David Hearn (first selection this year) — Put David right up there with Ryan in terms of back-to-back top 10’s at Bermuda. Hearn missed the cut at Fortinet Championship with a 74 on Friday. Much like Ryan, he has historically struggled right up to Port Royal but succeeded here. David has an average drive game and short game but it’s the long irons that hinder him.

Denny McCarthy (first selection this year) — Denny has been among the top 20 the last two years in Bermuda. He’s 86^th in FedEx points with a 17^th place finish at Sanderson Farms (and two missed cuts at Fortinet and Shriners Childrens Open). This is following the script of last year where he was good at Sanderson and subsequently struggled at Shriners. He’s 85^th in total strokes gained behind strong play off the tee (24^thin driving accuracy) and strokes gained around the green (63^rd).

Russell Knox (first selection this year) — Russell has yet to crack the top 10 here, but he’s been in the top 20 the last two years. He’s 106^th in FedEx points behind a 29^th place at Sanderson Farms and a 58^th place at Fortinet. He missed Shriners similar to last year.

My Bench 2

Hank Lebioda (first selection this year) — Hank has been among the top 20 here the last two years. He missed the cut in both Shriners Childrens Open and Fortinet Championship. He has historically been a little better leading up to it than David and Ryan, which has me more apprehensive about his abilities. He is stronger in his game though, with good iron play and putting, but his play off the tee and greens in regulation is poor.

Kramer Hickok (first selection this year) — He was 15^th here two years ago and 8^th here last year. He has two missed cuts and a 57^th place finish at Zozo Championship. He is in line with all the others with struggles leading up to Bermuda. He is 111^th in strokes gained off the tee behind his 118^th placement in accuracy. He’s also 59^th in sand save percentage.

Fun Fact: Despite the slightly lower payouts here, the winner of this tournament receives a Masters invitation.

2021-2022 Stats

Start: Average Finish 41st (41^st percent)
Bench: Average Finish 53^rd (53^rd percent)