Out of the Rough: The Butterfield Bermuda Championship (2022)
Many will argue that these smaller tournaments without the big names in the field are un-eventful and not as fun. I’ll argue the contrary as we get to see the grinders, the up-and-comers in full force and with that comes some bets and DFS plays on names we typically would not.
This week the Tour heads to Bermuda to the Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
As already mentioned, the field lacks not only the stars of the PGA Tour, but also the common place names that the avid follower of the Tour knows of.
This has been the case with the previous three installments on this relatively young event as we’ve seen the likes of Brendon Todd, Brian Gay and Lucas Herbert win.
Port Royal Golf Club plays as one of the shortest courses on tour at around 6,828 yards as a par 70.
Although the length may seem short on paper, the elevation changes and the unpredictable weather of a coast lined course makes it play longer than it tells.
The par threes at Port Royal are no joke as three of them play over 210 yards. However, the par fours and fives are there for the taking as long as weather isn’t a major factor.
Speaking on the par fours, eight of them measure under 415 yards and the longest is just at 458 yards. Again, this should help with some low scores but again, the weather will play a major factor in the ease of these holes this week.
Long bombers off the tee can have an advantage setting up short approach shots as they’ll look to play a form of up-and-down onto the greens.
The greens are daunting here however and the past three winners of the event have all been proficient in both short term and long term Strokes Gained: Putting.
The greens are Bermuda, which should be common sense, but play slower than what the Tour typically battles. Due to this, being able to adjust on the fly and read greens properly goes a long way in claiming victory here.
With the possibility of coastal winds detailing some shots, being able to get up-and-down from around the green will be a must for anyone looking to compete into the weekend.
There are also a staggering 88 bunkers in play this week. Sand saves will be at an all time importance.
The inaugural event was won by Todd at 24-under but the weather was not much of a factor four years ago. The past two installments were won at 15-under.
As for weather this week, there is at least a 60-percent chance of precipitation all four days with the chances peaking at 70-percent on Friday. Scattered thunderstorms are also slated for everyday with thunderstorms in the forecast for Friday.
Winds will pick up throughout the event as well. Winds are set to increase from eight miles-per-hour on Thursday to 16 miles-per-hour on Sunday.
Again, the last few holes border the coast as coastal winds will almost certainly be higher than what the forecast projects.
Important statistics to consider this week include Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP,) Proximity to hole from 100-150 yards, Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: PUTT,) Strokes Gained: Around the Green (SG: ATG,) Strokes Gained: Scrambling (SG: SCR,) Average Driving Distance, Par 3 Average Scoring and Sand Saves Percentage.
$10,000+
As mentioned several times, there is not much in terms of household names in this field making it all that more fun to dive into these DFS picks. Leading the way is Mark Hubbard ($10,000.) Hubbard has a top five on the season with a T5th at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He’s also gone T21st and T28th at the Fortinet Championship and Shriners Children’s Open. Hubbard is currently 13th on tour in sand saves percentage, 22nd in SG: APP, 32nd in SG: ATG, 44th in SG: PUTT, 83rd in proximity to the hole 100-150 yards and 85th in par three scoring. He comes in second in our module and is at +2400 to win. Also consider Thomas Detry ($10,500.) Detry has played three tournaments thus far this year and has placed 12th or better in two of them. He placed T12th at the Fortinet Championship and T9th at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Now he’s one of the odds-on favorites to win this week. He’s currently 20th on tour in sand saves percentage, 48th in SG: ATG, 51st in proximity to hole from 100-150 yards, 80th in SG: APP, 81st in SG: PUTT, 103rd in SG: SCR, 109th in par three average scoring and 112th in average driving distance. There’s a reason he’s the most expensive guy on DraftKings in the field.
$9,000-$9,900
I’m rather high on Russell Knox ($9,200) this week as he comes in third in our module. He’s currently 17th on Tour in SG: APP, 20th in proximity to hole from 100-150 yards, 31st in SG: ATG, 63rd in sand saves percentage, 67th in SG: PUTT and 85th in par three average scoring. He is a bit out of form as of late but started the scoring season on a high note with back-to-back top 25 finishes at the Fortinet Championship and Sanderson Farms Championship. Also consider Nick Hardy ($9,800.) Hardy was a name that played well towards the end of last season and started grabbing some attention. So far this season he has made the cut in each of his three tournaments he played in and even went T5th at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He’s currently seventh o the tour in SG: APP, 63rd in proximity to the hole from 100-150 yards, 68th in sand saves percentage, 85th in par three average scoring and 104th in SG: SCR.
$8,000-$8,900
Leading off this difficult to gauge price range is Callum Tarren ($8,200.) He’s currently 15th on the tour in sand saves percentage, 26th in SG: PUTT, 34th in average driving distance, 48th in par three average scoring, 81st in SG: APP, 82nd in proximity to the hole from 100-150 yards and 86th in SG: SCR. He isn’t in the best of forms to start the season missing two cuts in three events but in the one event he did make the cut, the Sanderson Farms Championship, he placed T13th. On top of that he’s from England. Historically speaking, the English natives tend to fare better in rougher weather conditions, namely wind. Also consider Nick Taylor ($8,800.) Taylor is a two time winner on tour and has two top 20’s to start this season. He went T6th at the Fortinet Championship and T19th at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He’s currently 26th on tour in SG: ATG, 39th in SG: APP, 62nd in par three average scoring and 69th in proximity to the hole from 100-150 yards.
$7,000-$7,900
This is a price range I really enjoy this week as both of my suggestions rank rather high in the module. First off we have Brice Garnett ($7,300.) Garnett has played in two tournaments this season where he went T43rd at the Fortinet Championship and T54th at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Garnett is currently seventh on tour in sand saves percentage, 11th in SG: PUTT, 22nd in average driving distance, 51st in SG: SCR, 54th on par three average scoring, 99th in SG: APP and 101st in SG: ATG. Also consider Brian Stuard ($7,000.) Like Garnett, Stuard has played in two tournaments and made the cut in both. He placed T12th at the Fortinet Championship. Stuard is currently 15th on Tour in SG: APP, 20th in proximity to the hole 100-150 yards, 40th in SG: PUTT, 62nd in par three average scoring, 87th in SG: SCR and 99th in SG: ATG.
$6,900-
William McGrit ($6,800) is actually the highest scoring golfer in my module this week. He’s currently second on Tour in par three average scoring, 23rd in average driving distance, 27th in SG: PUTT, 29th in SG: ATG, 72nd in SG: APP, 88th in proximity to the hole 100-150 yards and 94th in sand saves percentage. He has played just one tournament this far this season where he placed T24th at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Also consider Chris Stroud ($6,500.) Stroud is currently 23rd on Tour in sand saves percentage, 36th in SG: APP, 42nd in SG: SCR, 61st in proximity to the hole 100-150 yards and SG: PUTT. He has played in two tournaments this year and has made the cut in both of them.