Butterfield Bermuda Championship

Course Preview, Weather, Notes, and

Author

Andy Molitor
October 21, 2026

After a nice week off (where I spent some time keeping track of the Indian Open overnight), we’re back for the final stretch of the Fall Swing. Five tournaments in a row to close things down for a bit and get ready for the start of 2027.

This is a fun stop since it’s a simple resort course that either plays that way, and we get a winner that easily crosses the -20 mark, OR it gets really windy, and the going gets tough. We may have the latter this year, which makes it a good week to check the rabbit hole for golfers with lower ball flight and the ability to grind in windy conditions.

Port Royal GC

At 6,828 yards, Port Royal Golf Course is the shortest venue in the PGA Tour’s annual rotation. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., the par 71 resort course embraces Bermuda’s natural terrain, with clifftop tees, exposed fairways, and ocean views from much of the property. Wind is the primary variable determining scoring conditions each year. Blustery weather has influenced every edition of the tournament, making performance in windy conditions an important consideration when evaluating the field.

As Patrick Reed once explained, “It’s one of those golf courses that if they didn’t have wind around here, you’d go out and you’d destroy it. So I almost feel like they need the wind here to be kind of a defense mechanism for the golf course.” The challenge extends beyond wind strength to the frequent changes in direction, which can dramatically alter how holes play from one round to the next. Aaron Wise described the impact, saying, “It’s definitely not a bomber’s golf course. The crazy part is how much it changes because the wind’s blowing 30 miles an hour. Then all of a sudden, if the wind switches to the dead opposite way, a ball goes 50 yards shorter or longer than it did the day before.”

Winning scores have ranged from 12 under par to 24 under par, which has been reached twice, illustrating how heavily conditions influence scoring. Both shorter hitters, including Brendon Todd, Seamus Power, and Camilo Villegas, and longer players such as Taylor Pendrith, Patrick Rodgers, and Lucas Herbert have contended here. The greens average approximately 8,000 square feet, providing large targets that contribute to scoring opportunities, particularly when wind makes approach shots more difficult.

When the wind strengthens and certain holes play considerably longer, distance off the tee can become a more significant advantage. However, Port Royal’s compact layout and emphasis on precision prevent it from becoming a course that can simply be overpowered. The combination of short yardage, generous greens, and unpredictable coastal winds allows different player profiles to succeed, with weather often determining which skill sets prove most valuable.

2026 Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Course – Preview - Betsperts Golf

With five events remaining in the FedExCup Fall, the PGA Tour heads to Bermuda for the eighth edition of the Bermuda Championship. Situated on high ground

Model

Kept it to a few metrics this week, just trying to suss out what has mattered here in the past, especially in editions where the wind was kicking up a bit.

  • Tee-to-green play over the past 12 months in “easy fields”

  • Approach play on shorter courses

  • Putting on Bermuda

  • Form over the past 2 years on Island and Coastal courses when the scoring conditions got tougher

Want to build your own models? Get a full year of access ($249 value), for just $10

Betting

Small card again, as is the way of the fall. We were damn close to going back-to-back with both Bridgeman and Mitchell finishing just one stroke behind Brennan at the Baycurrent, so hopefully the process is good, and we can keep getting (at a bare minimum) some Sunday sweats. This time I’ll even be awake for it (watching football).

Kohles +3842
Frittelli 500/1

Matthieu Pavon top 20 +400 (dead heat)
Dylan Frittelli top 40 +240 (ties pay)

good luck, have fun

How to Watch

Television

  • Thursday, October 22: 1 pm - 4 pm (Golf Channel)

  • Friday, October 23: 1 pm - 4 pm (Golf Channel)

  • Saturday, October 24: 1 pm - 4 pm (Golf Channel)

  • Sunday, October 25: 1 pm - 4 pm (Golf Channel)

Streaming

Golf Channel has the only live TV coverage of all four rounds, and the Golf Channel app and golfchannel.com stream it live. NBC and CBS have no window this week, so there is no Peacock or Paramount+ simulcast.

All times ET.

Weather

The Butterfield Bermuda Championship opens Thursday with showers around Port Royal Golf Course and a westerly breeze of 10 to 18 mph, and Friday should bring the week's calmest conditions, making the first two rounds the best scoring window.

The weekend turns rough, with a northeast wind of 22 to 34 mph and gusts to 40 on Saturday, then sustained wind in the mid-30s to low 40s, gusts above 50, and a 90 percent chance of rain on Sunday. Players who go low before the cut will carry a real cushion into the weekend, and if the Sunday forecast holds, weather delays or a Monday finish are possible.

Not sure about a wave advantage as both Thursday and Friday will have similar wind conditions. Feels like a decent spot for a FRL bet out of the morning wave though.

News and Notes

Reminder: it’s almost TGL season!

As the schedule shifts and eventually settles, we may not lose some of the venues that end up on the cutting room floor; they just may become senior events (reverse 3M)

And finally, another huge bummer for a golfer that was so close so many times at majors early on

As always, bet responsibly, have fun, and hold on to your hats.

BONUS for reading this far: I made a few punts in the DPWT event in Korea!

Kazuma Kobori +9000
Johannes Veerman +15000
Ben Schmidt +20000

Small bets on some long shots I like to compete; take it easy on these if you play along.