After watching Rory McIlroy become the new No. 1 ranked player in the world with his win at the CJ CUP, the PGA TOUR travels to Port Royal Golf Club (par 71, 6,828 yards, Bermuda greens) in Southampton, Bermuda, for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Since this tournament’s inception in 2019, Port Royal has been the only course to host this fall event. A year ago, Lucas Herbert took home the big check at this par 71 at 15-under, one-stroke clear of Patrick Reed and Danny Lee.
Port Royal is a beautiful tropical course located on the Bermuda coastline, with the venue’s biggest defense being the strong wind gusts that come from being seaside on the Atlantic Ocean. With the wind and given how short Port Royal is, most players will elect to club down on most holes, making off-the-tee stats a non-factor this week. However, approach and putting will be crucial. Of the three champions at Port Royal, two ranked inside the top-15 in greens in regulation during their wins and all three ranked T6 or better in putts per round. At this par 71, six of the 11 par 4s fall between 350-400 yards and these holes have bar none been the most important for success, with two of the three Bermuda Championship victors at Port Royal leading their fields in efficiency on these six holes.
After the star-studded field at the CJ Cup, the Bermuda Championship’s field is one of the weakest of the season, with only four top-100 ranked golfers in the world make the trip to Port Royal, with Denny McCarthy - who finished T4 here two years ago – the betting favorite on the DraftKings Sportsbook at +1400. Also, after back-to-back limited field no-cut events, the Bermuda Championship is a full field of 156 players with a standard top-65 and ties following the first 36 holes.
Below, I have featured four of my favorite sub $7.5K bargain plays for the Bermuda Championship.
Ryan Armour ($7,400) – Disregard that Armour missed his last cut and trust him at Port Royal. Armour has proceeded to make the weekend at all three of the Bermuda Championships played at this par 71, with two of these results being T8 finishes. Plus, before failing to make the cut at the Shriners Open two weeks ago, Armour looked terrific at the Sanderson Farms Championship, shooting under par in all four rounds, en route to a T13 finish. At the Country Club of Jackson that week, the 46-year-old ranked fourth in par four efficiency and third in bogeys avoided. Armour was priced all the way up to $8.1K for last year’s Bermuda Championship and is no brainer at this low salary.
Scott Piercy ($7,300) – Piercy is a terrific flier for GPPs this week. Before missing the weekend at the Shriners Open, the veteran carded a T19 finish at the Sanderson Farms Championship, while gaining 6.9 strokes from tee-to-green in the process, which is the most Piercy has produced in the category in over a year. The 43-year-old has now notched three top-30 finishes in his past six starts, with all of these finishes coming the week after a missed cut, which is a trend that certainly suggests a bounce back performance is coming from Piercy this week. The four-time PGA TOUR winner has made three consecutive cuts at courses home to Bermuda greens and posted a T14 in his only start at Port Royal two years ago, which is the type of upside Piercy brings this weekend.
Ben Griffin ($7,200) – After closing out his 2021 season with a bang, finishing T4 at the Wyndham Championship, Griffin has made two-of-three cuts to open this season, most notably with a T24 at the Sanderson Farms Championship. While this week will be the 26-year-old’s debut at Port Royal, Griffin is a perfect course fit for the par 71. Across his last 24 rounds, Griffin’s ball striking has been top notch, ranking fifth and sixth in SG: Approach and SG: Tee-to-Green, respectively, and he has been an elite birdie maker, ranking first in birdie or better percentage. Furthermore, Griffin ranks second in strokes gained on 350-400-yard par 4s over his last 24 rounds, and he has been great on Bermuda greens so far during his career, ranking 10th in total strokes when we compare this field’s last 50 rounds at venues with this type of putting surface. Griffin checks every box this week and is a steal at this low salary.
Jonathan Byrd ($6,800) – Byrd’s price tag is far too low for his chances of advancing to the weekend at Port Royal. The 44-year-old has made two cuts in a row at the seaside track, including a T20 last season. As for his current form, Byrd has made eight of his past 11 cuts and has notably gained strokes on approach in five of his six most recent starts. Additionally, Byrd ranks eighth in bogeys avoided over his past 24 rounds, which bodes extremely for a trip to Port Royal this week. Ever since this par 71 became a PGA TOUR host three years ago, every golfer to win the Bermuda Championship has finished the event inside the top-10 in bogeys avoided.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.