The wind picked up Saturday at Port Royal Golf Course in Bermuda on Saturday, but it didn’t affect everyone from going low.
Moving day lived up to its mantra during the third round of the 2022 Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Plenty of golfers made big moves up the leaderboard, including leaders Seamus Power and Ben Griffin, while others faded.
In fact, by getting to 18 under, Power and Griffin each set the 54-hole tournament record.
In the first of two straight PGA Tour events outside of the United States, there are numerous golfers looking to find their way back into the winner’s circle while others are looking to hoist a trophy for the first time.
Here are some takeaways from the third round of the 2022 Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
Butterfield Bermuda: Leaderboard | Photos | Final round tee times
I've got the (Seamus) Power
Power is among that group looking to get back in the winner’s circle, and he’s in a great position to do so with 18 holes left.
Following the round of the day, a 6-under 65, Power shot up the leaderboard and into a tie for first heading to the final round. He had five birdies on his front nine and three on the back nine, but a double bogey on the par-3 13th prevented him from having a bigger lead.
Rolling the rock 🔄@Power4Seamus ties the lead @Bermuda_Champ. pic.twitter.com/TSPivmevLS
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 29, 2022
He last won the 2021 Barbasol Championship. Now, sitting at 18 under with he and Griffin two shots clear of the field, he’s looking to finish.
“Did a lot of good things, putted really nicely,” Power said. “And I’m kind of – you know, proud of yourself sounds funny, but having that double bogey kind of to start a tough stretch and I was able to hang in there and actually get them back, so that was a huge bonus.”
Don't forget about Ben Griffin
Thanks to a hot start and a birdie at the last, Griffin is tied with Power at 18 under. However, were Griffin to win, it would be his first Tour victory, and it’s something he can achieve.
Griffin birdied the first three holes and another on the par-5 seventh. His lone miscue came on the par-3 13th with a bogey, but it didn’t hamper a 5-under 66 effort to tie him for the lead.
Classy touch from co-leader @BenGriffinGolf 👏 pic.twitter.com/dq03a7OpRX
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 29, 2022
His best finish came at the Wyndham Championship in August, a solo fourth. This season, he finished T-24 at the Sanderson Farms Championship.
Come Sunday, he’s looking to best both of those.
“It’s going to be a ton of fun playing against an Irish lad who’s going to hit a lot of stingers and knows how to play this type of golf, so it’s going to be really fun and I’m very excited for the opportunity,” Griffin said.
A special stat for Kevin Yu
Rookie Kevin Yu made three eagles during the first round of the Bermuda, becoming the first player on Tour to achieve that feat this season. It happened twice last season (Maverick McNealy at the AT&T Byson Nelson and Justin Rose at the RBC Canadian Open).
That spectacular start has helped Yu be in the mix come Sunday.
After a pair of bogeys on Nos. 15 and 16, he followed it up with birdies on 17 and 18 to get to 16 under after a third-round 67. He is tied with Aaron Baddeley, two shots back of Griffin and Power while also searching for his first victory.
Yu is 11 under on the nine par 5s this week. If he can continue his strong play on the long holes come Sunday, he could be hoisting the trophy.
Monday qualifier to Sunday winner?
Aaron Baddeley has posted scores of 65-64-68 this week and finds himself tied for third at 16 under.
The 41-year-old could become the second straight Australian golfer to win in Bermuda. Should he hoist the hardware, he’d also be the first Monday qualifier to win on Tour since 2019. He got in the field after advancing out of a 6-for-2 Monday playoff. He hasn’t won on Tour in six years.
“I’ve won four times on the PGA Tour, I won four times in Australia, so I feel like I can win,” he said after his round. “I’m definitely feeling
very comfortable with my game..”
Brian Gay looking for some Tour history
Two years ago, Brian Gay won in Bermuda. This year, he’s again in striking distance and could add his name to the PGA Tour record books if he were to come away victorious.
Gay, who mainly plays on the PGA Tour Champions since turning 50 last December, has played consistently in Bermuda, firing three straight rounds of 66 to sit at 15 under and tied for fourth. He’s three shots back of Power and tied for fifth.
If he were to win, Gay would become the ninth player in PGA Tour history to win after turning 50. The last to do it? Phil Mickelson at the 2021 PGA Championship.
“I’ve got to be aggressive because I’m still going to have to shoot a low number probably,” Gay said. “I’m not sure how windy it’s going to be, but still going to have to make some birdies, so got to keep that aggressive mindset.”
A weekend to remember (and to not) for amateur Caleb Surratt
Caleb Surratt is going to have plenty of memories from his first Tour start.
The freshman at Tennessee, who was named to the final fall Haskins Award watch list earlier this week, had a memorable second round when he shot 7-under 64 to make the cut by one shot, the only amateur in the field to play the weekend. However, his third round went quite a bit different.
In fact, the par-4 14th hole is the one thing Surratt will want to forget from his PGA debut. The 393-yard hole is playing as the toughest this week at Port Royal, and it proved that way for Surratt, who took 12 strokes to complete the hole.
His tee shot went out of bounds, and his third ended up in the rough. His next three shots from the rough also found the penalty area, and then he was sitting nine and not on the green. Two more shots from the rough before he found the green, and he made his 12th stroke.
Four penalty strokes. Eight over on the hole. He shot 85 on the day, 21 strokes worse than his second round.
Surratt making the cut is a big deal, and it’s likely he’s competing for an NCAA title come the spring. But he has plenty to take away from his PGA Tour debut.
