Damien Kayat looks ahead to the Bermuda Championship which is set to take place at Port Royal Golf Course, Southampton, Birmingham.
Image Copyright – Steve Haag Sports
The US PGA Tour 2020/2021
Bermuda Championship
Port Royal Golf Course, Southampton, Birmingham
29th October- 1st November
In a proverbial tortoise and the hare scenario, Patrick Cantlay’s solid tee-to-green effort saw him sneak up and steal the Zozo Championship from behemoths Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas. With the Masters just two weeks away, most of the golfing elite are skipping this week to regenerate their batteries. This will only be the 2nd edition of the Bermuda Championship. Last year it was an alternate event to the WGC HSBC Championship. However, due to the cancellation of this year’s HSBC event, this year’s Bermuda Championship has been elevated to full FedEx Cup points status. Despite the relatively poor field, there is the incentive of a 2021 Masters invitation to the eventual champion.
This Robert Trent Jones Sr. design is short and wind-exposed. There are some spectacular vistas, with a number of the holes perched on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. This is one of those novelty courses on tour, one that doesn’t offer a ridiculous advantage to the bombers. This par 71 only measures 6,828 yards and requires a degree of intricacy. the fairways are generous while the Bermuda greens are massive. Much like Sherwood last week, this is a shot-shapers dream. Solid wedge play and finding the ideal portions of these greens will be essential to success here. Then it will turn into a putting contest. Brendon Todd won last year’s inaugural staging with a score of -24. That seems an unlikely proposition this year, with the wind expected to howl from Friday.
This really has the feeling of an opposite event, despite its elevated status. Up-and-coming talent Will Zalatoris leads the markets, just ahead of Brendon Todd. Todd is the only player in competition this week who teed it up at Sherwood last week. There’s a strong contingent of undercooked European Major winners in the field. The Ryder Cup nostalgia includes the likes of Stenson, Willett and Harrington. Recent victor Stewart Cink should relish the windy conditions, while the likes of Harold Varner III and Doc Redman are amongst the favourites. Golf fans around the world will already have Hoagy Carmichael’s ‘Georgia on my Mind’ ringing through their ears. But this will just have to do for now.
Past Winners
2019: Brendon Todd (-24)
Betting Favourites (To Win):
Will Zalatoris (10/1)
Brendon Todd (11/1)
Harold Varner III (25/1)
Doc Redman (28/1)
Emiliano Grillo (30/1)
Value Bets
Stewart Cink- To Win (45/1), To Place (19/2)
Veteran Stewart Cink just seems the logical option this week. Lest we forget, he already has a title under his belt this season: the Safeway Open. He followed that up with an impressive tie for 12th at the Sanderson Farms event. He then sat in 7th place at the halfway stage of the Shriners. But a disastrous 81 on Sunday seemed to reflect a degree of fatigue and possibly disinterest. The 2009 Open Champion has the advantage of playing this track during the now defunct Grand Slam of Golf. Cink is an exceptional wind player. Outside of that Open Championship win he has two victories at Harbour Town. He also has top 10’s at both the Sony Open and RSM Classic.
Andrew Putnam- To Win (160/1), To Place (35/1)
Ok, so I know this is a bit off the beaten track. Putnam withdrew from the US Open and missed the cut at the PGA Championship. But he has made it to the weekend in three other events during that time. Putnam is a very consistent- if unextraordinary- player. Last year he had only three top 10’s but was only cut four times. He’s a mid-table marauder, who should benefit from this field. His one victory on the PGA tour came at the 2018 Barracuda Championship- an event similar in stature to this one.
The Man to Beat
Peter Malnati- To Win (35/1), To Place (15/2)
I’m opting for the always affable Peter Malnati. Malnati has been in blistering form since the start of the new campaign. He agonizingly finished runner-up at the Sanderson Farms event, a strong indication that he is approaching this season with new-found gusto. He followed that up with a tie for 5th at the Shriners in Vegas. He should suit this course. He currently sits 38th in SG: Approach and 1st for SG: Putting. He currently sits inside the top 10 in the FedEx Cup standings, making his price of 35/1 all the more appealing.
