Out of the Rough: Butterfield Bermuda Championship (2025)

We’re onto the penultimate stop of the FedExCup Fall series with a stop in Southampton, Bermuda for this week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

This is the sixth-of-seven stops of the FedExCup Fall as time is running out for those outside of the top 100 of the FedEx Cup Standings to secure themselves a card for the upcoming 2026 PGA Tour season.

This event has been played since 2019 and has been held each year at Port Royal Golf Course in which this year will also be held.

This is one of those events where the weather has a big say in who will win, more so than almost every other course on the PGA Tour schedule. This course can play completely different from round-to-round depending on what Mother Nature has in store. 

The Field

There’s no sugar coating it, this is the worst field of the FedExCup Fall swing.

With those looking to secure a card forced to make the trip from Mexico to Bermuda, most who have a card already for 2026 have opted out of this event.

There are just two golfers within the top-50 of the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) playing this week.

Michael Brennan (No. 40) and Sam Stevens (No. 48) are those aforementioned golfers. 

Overall, there are just nine golfers within the top 100 of the OWGR teeing it up this week.

Other notable golfers include Nico Echavarria, Matt Wallace, Kevin Yu, Rico Hoey, Sahith Theegala, Matti Schmid and Steven Fisk.

As it stands, Max Homa, Matt Wallace, Beau Hossler, Brennan and Max McGreevy are the first five within the top 100 cut line. Of course Homa and Brennan already have cards for the 2026 season. All but Homa will be playing this week.

The current first five out of the top 100 are David Lipsky, Tom Kim, Adam Scott, Victor Perez and Billy Horschel. Lipsky and Perez will be playing this week with eyes on big performances to secure a 2026 PGA Tour card.

Anyone beyond that mark will almost certainly need a win to secure a card for next year.

There will also be eyes on the top 125 as those within that cut line will receive conditional PGA Tour status. 

The first five within that cut line are Jesper Svensson, Alex Noren, Brandt Snedeker, Carson Young and Doug Ghim. Noren will receive his 2026 PGA Tour card via top ten status on the DP World Tour. The rest will be teeing it up this week seeking a victory to crack the top 100 or remain within the top 125.

The first five outside of the top 125 cut line are Hayden Springer, Nick Dunlap, Ricky Castillo, Harry Higgs and Chan Kim.

Beyond that, we’ll continue to monitor the Aon Top 10 which will grant entry into the PGA Tour’s first Signature Event of the season - the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Those currently include Max Greyserman, Garrick Higgo, Aldrich Potgieter, Chris Kirk, Aaron Rai, Min Woo Lee, Jordan Spieth, Rico Hoey, Jake Knapp and Kevin Yu.

The first five out are Wyndham Clark, Nico Echavarria, Patrick Rodgers, Joe Highsmith and Stephan Jaeger.

The Course

Port Royal Golf Course is a Par-71 that plays at just 6,828 yards. This makes it the shortest Par-71 on the PGA Tour schedule and the second shortest course overall to just TPC River Highlands.

It is a Robert Trent Jones design and is a public course in Southampton, Bermuda.

Overall, this course is tree-lined with water in play on several holes. It too features a lot of bunkers and is made for low scoring.

Playing at such a short distance, fairway finders have had their turns at success here over the years but this course too in turn plays to the likes of long-bombers off-the-tee if weather is to become a factor.

Port Royal Golf Course is rather forgiving off-the-tee as long as the weather remains at bay.

Being a coast-lined venue, intermittent wind changes play a big factor on every shot and the regular elevation changes this course features offers a challenge to players on their approaches.

Golfers who are talented ball strikers will see an advantage this week, especially those who are experienced in playing approach shots in windy conditions.

The greens, of course, are Bermuda and this event has been won and then in turn, lost on these greens. Golfers who are good on Bermuda greens will see an advantage this week.

Port Royal Golf Course consists of three par-fives, 11 par-fours and four par-threes.

Among the 11 par-fours featured this week, none of them measure over 460 yards. Therefore, short iron and wedge-play will be important for any hopeful winner.

As I previously mentioned countless times already, the weather is the biggest line of defense this course has to offer. 

In all, golfers who are strong on their approach, especially in windy conditions as well as those able to navigate steep elevation changes will see an advantage overall this week.

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, there is at most a 15-percent chance of precipitation on Saturday. Thursday currently calls for just a five-percent chance, Friday a ten-percent chance and Sunday a five-percent chance. Temperatures will begin at 72-degrees on Thursday before dropping to 72-degrees on Friday and 69-degrees on Saturday before returning to 71-degrees on Sunday. Winds are currently set at 18 miles-per-hour on Thursday, Friday and Saturday before dropping to 15 miles-per-hour on Sunday. As previously mentioned, this is a coast-lined golf course so coastal winds will be in play, changing on almost every shot.

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (SG: OTT) / Driving Accuracy

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Ball Striking

• Strokes Gained: Around the Green (SG: ATG)

• Par Three Average Scoring

• Strokes Gained: Putting on Bermuda (SG: PUTT Bermuda)

• Birdie or Better Percentage

• Proximity to the Hole from less than 125-yards

• Sand Saves Percentage

• Scrambling

  
  

Betting Card

Thorbjorn Olesen (+2200)

This was a battle at the top of the card between Olesen and Kevin Yu. I simply went with the guy with the better number. Olesen is currently fourth on Tour in par-three average scoring, sixth in ball striking, 42nd in birdie-or-better percentage, 44th in driving accuracy, 50th in proximity to the hole from less than 125 yards, 54th in SG: OTT, 60th in SG: APP, 79th in SG: ATG, 97th in scrambling, 110th in SG: PUTT Bermuda and 163rd in sand saves percentage. I’ve been on Olesen a lot not only across the FedExCup Fall but also the entire season. As of late, he placed 14th last week at the World Wide Technology Championship, third at the Bank of Utah Championship and 14th at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He’ll be making his tournament debut this week. 

Pierceson Coody (+2800)

Coody was my first click this week. I had his name circled for this event and wasn’t leaving my betting card without him on it. He is currently first on Tour in SG: OTT, third in both ball striking and birdie-or-better percentage, 51st in driving accuracy, 54th in scrambling, 68th in par-three average scoring, 87th in SG: ATG, 88th in SG: PUTT Bermuda, 105th in sand saves, 119th in SG: APP and 146th in proximity to the hole from less than 125-yards. The approach numbers aren’t ideal but he did gain 0.175 strokes-per-round on approach at the Bank of Utah Championship and 0.321 strokes-per-round at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He too comes into this week in great form across the fall, placing 31st at the World Wide Technology Championship, third at the Bank of Utah Championship and 14th at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He also placed 12th at this event a season ago. 

Seamus Power (+6000)

There are certain things that go together. Peanut butter and jelly, salt and pepper, Power and the fall series. He placed 23rd here last season, won here in 2022, placed 12th in 2021, 37th in 2020 and 31st in 2019. His course form is what ultimately tipped me in his direction. Now, he is going to be a popular pick and if you’re one to avoid the “Wheel of Death” brought to us by the Golf Tips Checker, you’ll want to avoid his name but I simply cannot. He also hasn’t missed a cut across the fall, placing 27th last week in Mexico, 59th in Utah, 48th at the Sanderson Farms Championship and 47th at the Procore Championship. He is currently tenth on Tour in proximity to the hole from less than 125-yards, 36th in par-three average scoring, 47th in driving accuracy, 51st in ball striking, 53rd in scrambling, 58th in sand saves percentage, 75th in SG: ATG, 80th in SG: PUTT Bermuda, 84th in SG: APP, 96th in SG: OTT and 110th in birdie-or-better percentage. A very well rounded game that obviously fits this course. 

Takumi Kanaya (+6000)

Kanaya has played each of the previous five fall events, missing just one cut back at the Procore Championship. Since then, he placed 21st at the Sanderson Farms Championship, fourth at the Baycurrent Classic, 33rd at the Bank of Utah Championship and 63rd at the World Wide Technology Championship. He’ll be making his tournament debut this week. He is also third on Tour in both driving accuracy and scrambling, eighth in SG: PUTT Bermuda, 11th in par-three average scoring, 19th in SG: ATG, 53rd in sand saves percentage, 70th in SG: OTT, 88th in ball striking, 95th in proximity to the hole from less than 125 yards, 131st in birdie-or-better percentage and 162nd in SG: APP. Obviously, I don’t love the approach number there but he did gain 0.041 strokes-per-round on approach in Utah.

Max McGreevy (+6600)

McGreevy is currently fifth on Tour in proximity to the hole from less than 125-yards, 11th in driving accuracy, 25th in SG: OTT, 42nd in ball striking, 79th in birdie-or-better percentage, 86th in sand saves percentage, 89th in SG: APP, 108th in par-three average scoring, 127th in SG: PUTT Bermuda, 128th in SG: ATG and 131st in scrambling. He has made three consecutive cuts coming into this week. He placed 56th at the World Wide Technology Championship, 11th at the Bank of Utah Championship and 33rd at the Baycurrent Classic. He’s played this event previously, placing 53rd in 2023, eighth in 2022 and 62nd in 2021. 

Brandt Snedeker (+15000)

My longshot for the week is Snedeker. He is currently eighth on Tour in driving accuracy, 11th in SG: PUTT Bermuda, 12th in sand saves percentage, 20th in both proximity to the hole from less than 125-yards and scrambling, 26th in par-three average scoring, 73rd in SG: ATG, 104th in birdie-or-better percentage, 106th in ball striking, 112th in SG: APP and 152nd in SG: OTT. He’s had a mixed-bag of results across the fall, missing the cut last week in Mexico but placing ninth in Utah. He missed the cut at the Sanderson Farms Championship but placed 19th at the Procore Championship. He played this event a season ago where he missed the cut.