This is the penultimate event of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup fall season, and it will be played at Port Royal Golf Course, one of the most unique courses on the schedule. It’s incredibly short by PGA Tour standards, listed at only 6,828 yards for a par 71. Included in that setup are massive greens about 8,000 square feet on average.
The path to success at Port Royal has generally been wedge play and putting but keep an eye out for winds to kick up this week, which could create a layer of chaos.
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Here are all the players who have my interest—and those who certainly don’t—this week at the 2023 Bermuda Championship:
Golfers I’m Definitely Playing
Akshay Bhatia ($10,000 DraftKings)
It was another solid finish for Bhatia in Cabo (T-10), which makes it four straight events this fall where his finishing positions have improved in each start. He’s a sensational scorer who thrives in tropical locations. He has played this event once, finishing T-17 last year.
Lucas Glover ($9,500 DraftKings)
Glover disappointed with a T-59 last week in Cabo, but this golf course is a much better setup for him. He’s elite with his wedges, ranking inside the top 20 in basically every proximity bucket under 125 yards. I still worry that his putter is inconsistent, but if he rolls it well this week, we know he’s one of the most capable winners in this field. The Ryder Cup angle might put you over the edge as well.
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Harry Hall ($7,600 DraftKings)
Orlando Ramirez
There are really only two things that Hall does better than his PGA Tour peers—hitting shots from 125 yards and closer and gaining strokes with the putter. Luckily for Harry, those are the two most critical factors around Port Royal. With two top-26 finishes in his past three starts, Hall should be feeling plenty confident when he tees it up this week.
Justin Lower ($7,600 DraftKings)
Lower bookended his week in Cabo with a pair of 65s—helping him to a T-23 finish. He ranks ninth on tour this season on putts from 15 to 20 feet, per the RickRunGood.com golf database, which is where plenty of birdie opportunities will come from at Port Royal. If he can clean up his bad holes, he’ll have a chance to contend this week.
Brian Gay ($6,700 DraftKings)
Mike Mulholland
Nobody plays Port Royal like Brian Gay. There are eight golfers in this field who have played at least 14 rounds at this course, and Gay is simply lapping the field. He’s gained 2.68 strokes per round in 16 rounds, and there is no other golfer above 1.61 strokes/round on that list, per the RickRunGood.com golf database.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
