After one week off, the PGA TOUR returns this week with the Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Course (par 71, 6,828 yards, Bermuda greens) in Southampton, Bermuda. This course has been the home of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship since its inception in 2019. At this event last year, Adam Schenk (-12) won by one shot. This week’s field features 120 golfers and there will be a top-65 and ties cut after the first two rounds.
Port Royal is a short seaside track that presents narrow fairways, thin rough, large greens, 87 bunkers and water in play on seven holes. This course’s biggest defense is the coastal winds and we saw wind severely affect the scoring last season, when Schenk won at -12, which is the highest winning number in the history of this event.
Port Royal is very scoreable when the wind isn’t overpowering, as three winners before Schenk all shot -19 or lower, but wind looks like it is going to be a major factor again this week. All four days of the event are forecasted to have wind gusts of at least 15 MPH and it is expected to get worse as the tournament progresses, as Sunday is forecasted for gusts over 30 MPH. Obviously, the forecast could change, but as of Monday, it looks like the conditions at Port Royal will be challenging for the second year in a row.
With this venue being a shorter track that doesn’t feature penalizing rough, your performance off the tee isn’t overly important, but your approach play and work on the greens are both crucial. Two of the last four winners at Port Royal have finished the event top-10 in GIR and four of the last five victors here have finished the event top-10 in PPR.
Port Royal is a classic par 71 with 11 par fours, four par threes and three par fives. As expected with this type of layout, scoring on the par fours is the most vital for success, as three of the last five winners at Port Royal have finished the tournament top-five in par four performance.
Let’s dive into three of my favorite DraftKings bargain plays for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, all costing less than $7.5K.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $150K Sand Trap [$50K to 1st]
Top DraftKings DFS Bargain Plays for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Patrick Fishburn ($7,400)
Fishburn has never missed a cut in two starts at Port Royal – including a T34 last season – and he has been reliable over the last few months, missing only two cuts in his last 12 starts. Fishburn has finished inside the top-40 four times during this span, most recently with a T32 at the Bank of Utah Championship earlier this month, in which he gained strokes on approach and with his putter.
Fishburn opened and closed that event with a 5-under 66 at the Black Desert Resort and he ranks 22nd in total strokes gained when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds. Fishburn has been strong at island courses throughout his career, making 7-of-8 cuts with two top-25 finishes and he is way underpriced at only $7,400.
John VanDerLaan ($7,200)
VanDerLaan finished T35th in his lone start at Port Royal in 2022 and he now returns to the track 322 spots higher in the world golf rankings. VanDerLaan has made four of his last six cuts and this fall, he has finished T10th at the Biltmore Championship Asheville and T40th at the Bank of Utah Championship.
VanDerLaan gained strokes on approach at both these events and he has shot under par in seven of these past eight rounds, including a 7-under 64 to open the Bank of Utah Championship. VanDerLaan’s game is trending up right now and a top-30 finish is within reach for him in Bermuda this week. VanDerLaan has made 4-of-5 cuts with three top-30 finishes at island courses and he ranks seventh among this field in strokes gained per round at island tracks.
Dylan Wu ($7,100)
Wu is fresh off a T32nd finish at the Bank of Utah Championship, marking his third made cut in his last four starts, and now, he travels to Port Royal, where he has been great in the past. Wu is a perfect 5-for-5 in made cuts at the coastal par 71 with his best finish coming last season, when he finished T18th.
Wu has shot under par in 12-of-20 rounds at Port Royal, shooting as low as an 8-under 63 in 2023. Wu knows this track very well and he should supply another solid finish in Bermuda this week.
