Butterfield Bermuda Championship betting guide: 5 picks our expert loves | Lifestyle

We continue to study abroad as the FedEx Cup Fall Series resumes this week in Southampton, Bermuda for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Club. This is the fourth of eight fall series events, and the second of four consecutive tournaments that will be held outside of the United States.

The Bermuda Championship began back in 2019. Port Royal Golf Club is a Robert Trent Jones design that opened in 1970. It went through an extensive renovation project in 2009. The golf course is a par 71 and is very short at just over 6,800 yards. It does not always play short, however, because wind is often a factor here when playing out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Guess what the turf species is here at Port Royal Golf Club? No. 1 answer: Bermudagrass. Because the wind is so prevalent in this location, the fairways are of average width but the rough is kept especially low because conditions can blow so many shots offline. It is also for this reason that the Bermudagrass greens are especially large — and while that makes hitting them in regulation much easier, it also brings the dreaded three-putt into play more often than usual.

Strokes Gained: Approach is always at or near the top of the list of weekly skill sets to consider but I am giving it a little extra emphasis this week as ball striking ought to be extra important with both wind and rain in the forecast. Rain is expected this week in Southampton on Tuesday and Sunday and it looks as if the wind will range from 15-30+ mph throughout the week.

I also looked at Driving Accuracy and Good Drives Gained. Getting off the tee and on to the green figures to be a challenge — and from there, we likely get a putting contest amongst those who solve the front end of the puzzle the best. I also looked at Scrambling, Hole Proximity from 75-150 yards, and 3-Putt Avoidance.

In comparing courses, I looked at TPC San Antonio where they play the Valero Texas Open. The layout presents similar demands, both courses feature Bermudagrass, typically less than star-studded fields, and high winds can be a factor at both properties. Same with TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas. The former home of the Shriners Children’s Open also has large greens, very little rough, an emphasis on Scrambling, and oftentimes very windy conditions. Finally, I went with some more obvious coastal connections in Pebble Beach, Waialae Country Club in Hawaii (Sony Open), and Sea Island in Georgia, home to next month’s RSM Classic.

Andrew Novak (30-1)

I was on Novak a few years ago in Bermuda when he finished runner-up. He was 14th this season in San Antonio and finished third there in 2025 and ninth in 2023. He’s been top 15 at the Sony and at Pebble Beach and was seventh last fall at Sea Island, where he is also a member. Ball-striking has always been his strongest suit. Over the last 20 rounds, he ranks 14th in this field for Hole Proximity from 125-150 yards. He’s been seventh and 17th in his last two starts on Tour.

Eric Cole (30-1)

Cole’s best weapon is his putter and he’s one of the best in this field not only with the flatstick but also on the correlated courses. Cole has finished 14th and 26th at San Antonio, third and 15th at Sea Island, 14th and 15th at Pebble Beach, and fifth and 13th at the Sony. Over the last 20 rounds, he ranks third in this field for 3-Putt Avoidance, 12th in Hole Proximity from 100-125 yards, and ranks second from 125-150 yards. Many golf handicappers will also use PGA National and Colonial Country Club as correlated courses this week, where Cole has lost in a playoff at both courses.

David Ford (42-1)

I’m making my maiden voyage in driving a “Ford” this week as the young man has caught my eye as a candidate possibly headed for stardom in the near future. Over the last 20 rounds, he is the very most accurate player in the field this week off the tee and also ranks No. 1 in 3-Putt Avoidance and is third in Scrambling. A standout at North Carolina, Ford turned professional in 2025 after finishing No. 1 in the 2025 PGA Tour University rankings. The two players to achieve that before him were Ludvig Aberg and Michael Thorbjornsen. Ford just finished third in Utah three weeks ago. He won the 2020 Junior Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, the Southern Amateur at Sea Island in 2022, and won the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational at Colonial Country Club in 2024. Let’s take him for a test drive.

Lee Hodges (50-1)

Hodges played golf at Alabama, so is plenty familiar with Bermudagrass. He’s finished sixth and 10th at Waialae, sixth at the Valero Texas Open in 2023, and fourth and fifth the last two years at Sea Island. Hodges finished third earlier this summer at the John Deere Classic and was 13th earlier this month in Utah. Over the last 20 rounds, he ranks 24th in this field for SG: Approach, 14th in Driving Accuracy, and is 15th in Hole Proximity from 125-150 yards.

Taylor Montgomery (130-1)

I’m going to try a long bomb here with a local Las Vegas product. Montgomery lost his exempt status on the PGA Tour last season and has been competing primarily on the Korn Ferry Tour as of late as he tries to regain his status. It looked like he was going to win soon after turning professional and playing a full schedule on Tour in 2022 and 2023 — a run that saw him finish third in Napa, 10th at Mayakoba, 12th at the Sony Open, and 15th and eighth at the RSM Classic. Montgomery took 13th at the Sony in 2024 but has fallen off since. He’s finished 22nd in San Antonio and was 34th here in Bermuda last year. He has always been one of the best putters in the world. Maybe this week, he can be the best player in Bermuda.