It's nearly time for the penultimate event of the PGA Tour's 2024 season - the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. The seventh of eight legs in the FedEx Cup Fall series, this tournament presents one of the final chances for players to secure their playing rights for next term.
Among the field will be Bryan brothers, Wesley and George IV for the second consecutive year, as well as 16-year-old Miles Russell, who made his PGA Tour debut back in June as he missed the cut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Plus, headlined by Mackenzie Hughes, seven of the players ranked between 51 and 60 in the FedEx Cup standings will be teeing it up at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton.
With only the RSM Classic left to play after, a last-gasp victory here could not come a moment too soon for many. For the rest, it will be about climbing as high up the rankings as possible in order to avoid missing out on full playing rights before expected changes come into effect in 2026.
In terms of a potential champion, though, three of the Golf Monthly team have picked out two players each who we believe will be in contention for the lion's share of the $6.9 million total payout on Sunday afternoon.
Butterfield Bermuda Championship 2024: The Course
Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda is a par-71 layout which will host the Butterfield Bermuda Championship for the sixth year in a row. Given its location, the course is fully laid out with Bermuda grass greens and fairways.
At just 6,828 yards, it is one of the shortest courses anywhere on the PGA Tour and is almost 1,000 yards shorter than what players will face at Jumeirah Golf Estates' Earth course in the DP World Tour Championship.
It also holds particularly large undulating greens, just like last week's World Wide Technology Championship, along with relatively generous fairways and the occasional water hazard.
In the five events so far, the winning score has ranged from anywhere between -15 and 24-under par, with the strength of the wind often dictating how low scoring can be.
BUTTERFIELD BERMUDA CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIOUS WINNERS
BUTTERFIELD BERMUDA CHAMPIONSHIP BETTING ODDS
The odds to win outright are via FanDuel Sportsbook
- Maverick McNealy (+1600)
- Seamus Power (+1600)
- Mackenzie Hughes (+1800)
- Ben Griffin (+2000)
- Doug Ghim (+2000)
- Sam Stevens (+2500)
- Justin Lower (+2500)
- Lucas Glover (+2800)
- Andrew Novak (+2800)
- Patrick Rodgers (+3000)
- Daniel Berger (+3000)
- Matti Schmid (+3000)
- Andrew Putnam (+3300)
- Jacob Bridgeman (+3500)
- Nico Echavarria (+3500)
- Jhonattan Vegas (+3500)
- Rico Hoey (+4000)
- Carson Young (+4000)
- Michael Kim (+4500)
- Kevin Yu (+4500)
- Greyson Sigg (+4500)
- Alex Smalley (+4500)
- Wesley Bryan (+5000)
- Nick Hardy (+5500)
- Mark Hubbard (+5500)
BUTTERFIELD BERMUDA CHAMPIONSHIP BETTING PICKS
FAVORITE: Ben Griffin (+2000)
Griffin so nearly secured a sensational victory here two years ago where he held the lead on the back nine before making four bogeys and a double. He returns this week much more experienced and having come even closer to victory at the RBC Canadian Open, where he was second to Robert MacIntyre.
This could finally be his week to get a W on the PGA Tour, and it would be a very fitting venue. Overall, his form this season has been solid, with three other top-10s aside from his runner-up and 24 cuts made from 32 outings.
OUTSIDER: Garrick Higgo (+10000)
The big-hitting lefty needs a good finish to the FedEx Cup Fall to jump inside the top-125, and he got moving last week with a T6th in Mexico, where he got better every day and closed with an eight-under-par 64.
The South African can go super low, having won in Gran Canaria and Tenerife on the DP World Tour with scores of 25-under and 27-under, respectively. He is also a PGA Tour winner, and hopefully he can kick on after his best result of the season last week - evidence that he has found something to spark his game back into form.
FAVORITE: Lucas Glover (+2800)
Glover's past two finishes here failed to make any headlines, but - in theory - the experienced campaigner's game should suit this place down to the ground. It's a really short course and he's an amazing ball-striker.
Plus, he's coming in with four top-25s in as many starts - one of which was a T3rd at the Black Desert Championship when he lost almost a shot to the field via poor putting. If his putter behaves this week, Glover could stand a real chance.
OUTSIDER: Alex Smalley (+4500)
Smalley is a sneaky shout for a top-10 after two very close calls in 2021 (12th) and 2022 (11th). The American averages 68 strokes per round at Port Royal Golf Club from three full weeks, so he definitely likes the course.
A tidy player from tee to green, Smalley is capable of finally breaking onto the first page of the leaderboard if he can get his putter to behave. A T5th result at the Sanderson Farms four starts ago - where he picked up 0.67 shots with the putter - is evidence of that.
FAVORITE: Justin Lower (+2500)
The past few weeks on the PGA Tour have thrown up an array of different winners. But this week, I've gone for Justin Lower, who finished runner-up at the World Wide Technology Championship last time out and picked up a top-20 spot at the 2023 Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
Lower has rediscovered some form of late and, if you look at last year's stats, winner Camilo Villegas led the field in greens in regulation. Looking at Lower's stats, he is 25th on the PGA Tour for that category, so the course should suit his game. Throw in the recent form, and I believe he will be in contention again.
OUTSIDER: Wesley Bryan (+5000)
It's safe to say that Bryan's results in 2024 have blown hot and cold but, following a tie for sixth at the World Wide Technology Championship, I expect him to continue his run of form in Bermuda.
In 2023, the 34-year-old finished in a share of 37th at this event and, if you look at his best result this year, a second-place finish at the Corales Puntacana Championship - both are played on Ocean-view-style courses, so it seems that they suit Bryan's game.
Throw in the fact that he needs a big week as he is outside the FedEx Cup's 125th spot, sitting 128th at the moment, I like to think Bryan will carry on his form and come up clutch at Port Royal Golf Course.
HOW TO WATCH BUTTERFIELD BERMUDA CHAMPIONSHIP
USA (ET)
- Thursday, November 14 - Round One: 1:00pm - 4:00pm (Golf Channel/NBC Sports app)
- Friday, November 15 - Round Two: 1:00pm - 4:00pm (Golf Channel/NBC Sports app)
- Saturday, November 16 - Round Three: 11:30am - 2:30pm (Golf Channel/NBC Sports app)
- Sunday, November 17 - Round Four: 11:0am - 2:00pm (Golf Channel/NBC Sports app)
UK (GMT)
- Thursday, November 14 - Round One: 6:00pm - 9:00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
- Friday, November 15 - Round Two: 6:00pm - 9:00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
- Saturday, November 16 - Round Three: 4:30pm - 7:30pm (Sky Sports Golf)
- Sunday, November 17 - Round Four: 4:00pm - 7:00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
Golf Monthly Betting Picks: Best PGA Tour Results This Season
- Jonny Leighfield - Sanderson Farms Championship: Keith Mitchell T3rd (+2500)
- Matt Cradock and Elliott Heath - Shriners Children's Open: Matti Schmid T3rd (+5000)
