BUTTERFIELD BERMUDA CHAMPIONSHIP / FINAL RECAP
Bermuda loses its final round. Smotherman wins the playoff.
High winds cut the Butterfield Bermuda Championship to 54 holes, leaving Austin Smotherman and Seamus Power to settle the title on Monday.
Port Royal never got its Sunday finish. Instead, the Butterfield Bermuda Championship ended with two players returning to the same coastal par 3 until one finally separated himself.
Austin Smotherman defeated Seamus Power with a par on the third playoff hole Monday morning, October 26. Both had finished regulation at 16-under 197. For Smotherman, it was a second PGA Tour victory in consecutive starts, following his breakthrough at the Bank of Utah Championship earlier this month. [PGA Tour final notes]
The weather changed the tournament
Sunday’s fourth round was initially postponed as wind gusts exceeded 40 mph. Officials had already moved the tee times earlier, but conditions prevented play from getting underway.
The bigger decision came Sunday evening. With Monday’s forecast also threatening the completion of a full round, the PGA Tour canceled the fourth round and declared the tournament final through 54 holes. A limited window of less severe weather Monday morning offered an opportunity to conduct a playoff. [Weather decision] [PGA Tour statement]
That distinction mattered. The field would not return for another 18 holes, and the chasing players would not get a final opportunity to close the gap. Saturday’s scores became the final regulation standings, with only the tie for first left unresolved.
Taylor Moore, Corey Conners and Ben Silverman finished tied for third at 14 under, two shots outside the playoff. [Final standings]
Three trips to the 16th
The playoff took place entirely on Port Royal’s oceanside par-3 16th, with both players making par on their first two attempts.
Smotherman needed a recovery on the opening hole after missing the green. Power reached the putting surface but could not convert his birdie opportunity.
Their second trip reversed some of those demands. Smotherman faced a roughly 75-foot putt and controlled the pace well enough to leave a straightforward par. Power found the greenside bunker, then escaped and matched him.
The hole location was changed before the third attempt. This time, Power missed the green and could not get up and down. Smotherman found the putting surface and two-putted from approximately 14 feet, finishing with a short par putt to secure the championship. [Golf Channel playoff report]
| Finish | Player | Regulation total |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Austin Smotherman | −16 · won playoff |
| Runner-up | Seamus Power | −16 |
| T3 | Taylor Moore | −14 |
| T3 | Corey Conners | −14 |
| T3 | Ben Silverman | −14 |
Source: PGA Tour final-round playoff notes.
The finish rewarded the ordinary shots
The striking part of Monday’s playoff was how much depended on making par. Smotherman needed a recovery, a well-judged long putt and, eventually, a green hit followed by two putts. Three different situations produced the same useful number.
That is the takeaway for the rest of us. A demanding hole does not always require a spectacular shot. Keeping the next task manageable can be enough, particularly when the conditions make a small mistake expensive.
Power leaves without the trophy, but with a significant result. The runner-up finish moved him from 103rd to 68th in the FedExCup Fall standings. Smotherman leaves with another title and the $1.08 million winner’s share. [PGA Tour final notes]
Bermuda’s final round disappeared from the schedule. The tension survived: three trips to the 16th, with a par finally deciding who lifted the trophy.