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With back-to-back weeks of invitational fields in the rear-view mirror, the PGA TOUR heads to Southampton, Bermuda and Port Royal Golf Course for the second edition of the Bermuda Championship.
Brendon Todd buried his demons in this event last year as he closed with 62 to win by four. His first victory on TOUR since 2014 officially cured him of “the Yips”. The proof was winning the following week at Mayakoba and then taking fourth at RSM the week after.
Todd will lead the field of 132 as they will attack 6,828 yards (Par-71) of breezy, coastal golf designed by Robert Trent Jones. The top 65 and ties will play the weekend. With only one hole over 517 yards on the card and the Bermuda/Zoysia rough sitting at only two inches, it is not a mystery why 30 players were double digits under-par last year.
RELATED: Power Rankings | Expert Picks
The major defense of any coastal track is Mother Nature and the wind will blow this week. I’d expect the TifEagle greens, which at 6,000 square feet on average are hardly enormous, to run quietly this week as the wind is forecast to blow. Only 19 acres of fairway suggest very tight landing areas and 88 bunkers will provide deterrence off the tee and into the greens. Water will be in play on five of the holes.
Last year, the inaugural event was played opposite the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai. This season, it is a stand-alone event with the winner earning $720,000 of the $4 million prize pool PLUS earning a trip to the Sentry Tournament of Champions, the 2021 Masters and THE PLAYERS Championship, just to name a few. As always, there is PLENTY to play for each week on TOUR and most of these guys will be rested and ready to go. Only Todd and K.H. Lee played in the invitational events over the last two weeks.
The PGA Grand Slam of Golf was held on this track from 2009 thru 2014. The only participant from that run of events in the field this week is Stewart Cink.
Recent Winner
Recent Winners & Notables
Inaugural Event 2019: Brendon Todd (-24)
Shot a career-best 62 (co-low round of the week) to win by four. … Played in the final pairing with 54-hole leader Harry Higgs (2nd). … First-ever official event in Bermuda. … Led the field in Par-3 scoring and T1 Par-4 scoring. … Top five Fairways, GIR, Scrambling, Birdie-or-Better Percentage and Bogey Avoidance. … 27 birdies led the field. … Zero 3-putts. … 51st in Driving Distance. … Posted 63 in Round 2. … MC in four of the five events leading in but was T28 the week before in Houston.
Notables:
Higgs (not entered) was bogey free thru 36 holes and led the field in scrambling (22 of 23) for his best career finish. … Brian Gay (T3) posted his last top 10 on TOUR here with all four rounds in the 60s and was T4 Birdies (24). … Hank Lebioda also joined the podium as he closed with 63 and was top five in Putting Average. … Aaron Wise (T3) circled 20 birdies and two eagles and was T3 GIR. … Fabian Gomez (7th) co-led the field in GIR and made led the field with FOUR eagles. … Ryan Armour (T8) was third in birdies (25). … David Hearn (T8) was second in Fairways. … Wes Roach (T8) opened with 63 and was second in Putting Average. … Cut was 2-under (140). … 22 bogey-free rounds. … Only more eagles made at TPC Summerlin, TPC Boston and Muirfield Village Golf Club.
Other Top Finishes:
T11 Bo Hoag (posted two rounds of 64)
T11 Russell Knox (opened with 64, T1 GIR)
T11 Josh Teater (15-under last 54 holes)
T15 Kramer Hickok (2nd, Scrambling)
T15 Denny McCarthy (T9, Putting)
T18 Rafael Campos
T18 Scott Stallings
T24 Beau Hossler (2nd birdies, 26)
T24 Rob Oppenheim (opened with 64)
T24 D.J. Trahan (T7, Fairways)
Key stat leaders
Top golfers in each statistic on the 2019-2020 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. Players in BOLD below deserve deeper inspection.
Ball-Striking
4 Doc Redman
6 Jhonattan Vegas
9 Harold Varner III
10 Emiliano Grillo
11 Josh Teater
11 Chesson Hadley
15 Adam Schenk
15 Will Gordon
17 Henrik Norlander
20 Aaron Wise
26 Kyle Stanley
26 D.J. Trahan
29 Seamus Power
30 Doug Ghim
Greens in Regulation
2 Kyle Stanley
3 Aaron Wise
4 Will Gordon
7 Josh Teater
7 Emiliano Grillo
12 Doc Redman
13 Henrik Norlander
15 Harold Varner III
16 Pat Perez
19 Jhonattan Vegas
20 Chesson Hadley
21 Nick Watney
23 Russell Knox
24 Chris Baker
25 Joseph Bramlett
26 Bo Hoag
27 Brice Garnett
28 Cameron Tringale
30 Cameron Percy
Bogey Avoidance
6 Brice Garnett
9 Cameron Tringale
11 Russell Knox
13 Tim Wilkinson
14 Ben Martin
20 Adam Schenk
22 Pat Perez
23 Brendon Todd
27 Mark Anderson
27 Scott Stallings
29 Harold Varner III
30 Cameron Percy
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Source: PGA tour
