This article is part of our FanDuel PGA DFS Picks series.
Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Course: Port Royal Golf Course (6,828 yards, par 71)
Purse: $6,500,000
Winner: $1,170,000 and 500 FedExCup points
Tournament Preview
We are almost to the end of the line. Just two more events to go before status is determined for the new calendar-based season in 2024. Bermuda is absolutely beautiful, but to most of the 132 players in the field this week they are in full grind mode to try to lock up their card. The Top 125 will secure full playing status in 2024 and C.T. Pan currently holds the coveted final spot. Right behind him is Patton Kizzire, Zecheng Dou and Cameron Champ who are looking to take that spot away.
The other battle going on is to be part of the Next 10 from the FedExCup Fall and earn a spot in the two West Coast signature events, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational. Beau Hossler leads the way on that list after a very strong showing over the first five events of the fall. He is followed by veterans Matt Kuchar and Mackenzie Hughes just in front of rookies Taylor Montgomery and Nick Hardy. Stephan Jaeger holds the last spot in the Next 10 over Sanderson Farms Championship winner Luke List.
This will be the fifth edition of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. It started off as an opposite-field event to the WGC-HSBC Champions in China, but that changed after the first edition when the WGC was canceled three times and then not put on the schedule this year. It now offers the full FedExCup points and the winner gets an invite to the Masters. Seamus Power is the defending champion at Bermuda, but will not be in the field this year as he continues to recover from a hip injury that has sidelined him since the summer.
Two-time winner in 2023 Lucas Glover is the highest ranked player in the field at No. 31. Adam Scott is the only other Top 50 player in the OWGR teeing it up in Bermuda. It isn't overly shocking considering Bermuda has typically been the worst field of the fall portion of the schedule the last few seasons. Nevertheless, the opportunity is certainly there and the rewards for winning are pretty similar. Names like Thomas Detry, Alex Smalley, Taylor Pendrith and Ben Griffin all have a great chance for their first PGA Tour victory.
The weather can be ever changing in Bermuda. The course itself is pretty straightforward and easy by PGA Tour standards, but the breezes off the Atlantic can really throw players for a loop. Temperatures should be in the mid-70's during the four tournament rounds, but the wind should be at its easiest during the first and second rounds. By the weekend expect to see the breezes really start to kick up and challenge the players that make the 36-hole cut. A stray shower over the weekend cannot be ruled out either. Brendon Todd posted 24-under-par during his four-shot win in the inaugural edition of the Bermuda Championship, but the wind over the weekend may keep the number in the mid-to-high teen's like it has been the last three years.
Recent Champions
2022 - Seamus Power (-19)
2021 - Lucas Herbert (-15)
2020 - Brian Gay (-15)
2019 - Brendon Todd (-24)
Key Stats to Victory
- SG: Putting
- SG: Approach
- Approaches from 50-125 yards
- Scrambling
Champion's Profile
The first thing that will stand out when you look at the card for Port Royal is 6,828 yards and par 71. It is one of the shortest courses on the PGA Tour and it calls for players to be dialed in with their short clubs to succeed. Each the four previous winners were inside the top-six in putts per round for the week. There is definitely going to be more of an emphasis for me on the putter than I typically put in when making lineups. Another thing players will have to be good with is the wedges. Eight of the par-4s this week are 415 yards and under, so being strong in that 50-125 yard range I think will go a long way.
If the wind kicks up as expected on the weekend, that could make scrambling even more of an important factor. The Bermudagrass can sometimes be tricky for players to deal with on touchy pitch shots. This is certainly a week where if you are dialed in from 125 yards and in, you're going to have a very good shot at contending. Players off all lengths can have success at this track and the two-inch rough is typically not much of an issue.
FanDuel Value Picks
The Chalk
Adam Scott ($12,000)
I can't remember the last time Scott has been top of the pricing board, but he is worth it this week. He has played some great golf over the last six months across multiple tours with five top-10s in his last 13 starts. For years his biggest weakness used to be the putter, but you could make the case that putting is the best part of his game now as he ranks 16th in SG: Putting and 15th in putts per GIR. Scott also ranks 12th in approaches from 50-125 yards and 37th in SG: Around-the-Green.
Brendon Todd ($11,600)
Whenever you get Todd on a course where distance isn't a factor, he seems to show out. The inaugural champion in Bermuda has been one of the best putters on Tour over the last decade and that has continued in 2023 where he ranks 16th in SG: Putting and 12th in putts per GIR. Todd's short game is also one of the best out there right now ranking third in SG: Around-the-Green and seventh in scrambling. Add in the fact that he is ninth in approaches from 50-125 yards and you have a great player to start your lineup with for this course.
Lucas Glover ($11,300)
Glover shook the rust off after not having played in nine weeks with a T59 in Mexico, but should be a much better fit for Port Royal. Glover has got the control over his ball to succeed in the wind ranking top-15 on Tour in driving accuracy, SG: Approach, GIR percentage and proximity. The biggest change for him has been the switch to the broomstick putter, which has basically shifted his career outlook over the last six months. Now secure in the Top 50 of the FedExCup, Glover will look to pick up his third victory in six starts.
The Middle Tier
Mark Hubbard ($10,300)
Hubbard has become the new iron man on Tour as this will be his 38th PGA Tour event going back to the start of the 2022-23 season. If you look at his results over the last six months or so, yeah he will miss some cuts, but he also has put up eight top-20 finishes over his last 20 starts. Hubbard's lack of distance won't be an issue at Port Royal and he ranks 13th in SG: Approach and 41st in SG: Around-the-Green. He also excels on the par-3s, which can be the biggest trouble spots on this course.
Ben Griffin ($10,200)
Griffin will be looking to extract some revenge this week after melting down a year ago on the back-nine at Port Royal and falling short of winner Power by two shots. Griffin has put together a good last few months with five top-25's in his last nine starts, including a playoff loss at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He can spray it at times off the tee, but that shouldn't be an issue at this course given how solid his short game and putting are. Griffin is also top-30 on Tour in par-3 and par-4 scoring.
Justin Lower ($9,000)
It hasn't been the easiest go of it the last few months for Lower, but he is coming off a top-25 last week in Mexico and we are heading to one of his favorite venues. Lower has finished 17th and 8th the last two years at Port Royal. When you look at his putting numbers it's not hard to see why at 33rd in SG: Putting and 40th in putts per round. Lower is also 17th in proximity to the hole this season.
Longer Shots with Value
Russell Knox ($8,600)
Knox has played in all four of the previous editions of the Bermuda Championship and has racked up a trio of top-20 finishes. He was well on his way to another after opening 66-67 last year, but fell back on the weekend going 72-72. Knox is one of the best iron player in the field this week ranking 19th in SG: Approach, fourth in GIR percentage, and third in proximity. The Scot loves playing in the wind and if he can be just average on the greens expect to see him up there come Sunday.
Brice Garnett ($8,400)
Whenever we get on one of these tropical venues on the ocean Garnett seems to shine. If you look at his record he has a trip of top-10s and Punctacana, four top-11s at Mayakoba, and scored a top-25 at Port Royal a couple years ago. Typically the thing you have to do well at those courses is putt and Garnett has been very good in that department over the last several years. The veteran needs a good week to secure status for next season and his improved iron play at 17th in GIR percentage could help him win that.
Cameron Percy ($8,200)
Percy turned back the clock last week with an opening round 10-under 62 to take the lead by two strokes. Unfortunately he would not break 70 the rest of the week and had to settle for a T59. I think it would surprise a lot of people to hear that Percy is in the top half of the PGA Tour in SG: Total even at age 49. The approach play has been solid at 27th in GIR percentage and 39th in proximity. Percy is also 22nd in scrambling and is one of the few players in the field to play in each of the first four editions of the Bermuda Championship.
Strategy Tips This Week
Based on a Standard $60K Salary Cap
Typically the $9K range is one of my favorite zones, but it is really grim this week. Combine that with a $7K range filled up of has been's who somehow are still able to get into PGA Tour events and it makes crafting a lineup pretty tricky this week. I feel confident about pretty much every player in the $11K range this week, so I think this would be one where you want to try to fit two of them into your lineups. The upper $8K range has some other pretty solid options like Peter Malnati ($8,900), Dou ($8,800) and Adam Long ($8,800) not mentioned above that I think would help you fit in a couple high-salary players.
If you're wagering on the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, break out the FanDuel Promo Code!
