It’s that time of year again as the calendar starts to shorten until the end of 2021. It’s the perfect place for those looking to make a name for themselves on the PGA Tour to grab the brass ring.
The Butterfield Bermuda Championship 2021 will of course take place this week in Bermuda on the Port Royal Golf Course.
With the tournament now taking place in this little piece of paradise, it will be anything but normal for the PGA Tour players in attendance. This is one of the few events during the year where no-names or fringe gamblers have a chance to advance.
The reason? Lack of star power.
If you are looking for a star studded field to support in the betting windows or on your mobile app, this is not the week. By far not.
For the majority of the top 50 in the world rankings, it’s vacation time. In fact, only three take part in this category: Patrick Reed (24), Matthew Fitzpatrick (26) and Christiaan Bezuuindenhout (43). Many of the top tour players won’t have their next appearance until early 2022.
So that opens the floodgates for those hoping to switch to that category to make hay while the big boys relax in the sun without golf clubs.
Brian Gay, the winner here last year, grabbed an eight-year winless drought. Let’s see who could be next to break a winless drought … or win for the first time.
Odds of winning the 2021 Bermuda Championship from FanDuel
- Matthew Fitzpatrick +1000
- Christiaan Bezuidenhout +1 400
- Patrick Reed +1 800
- Myth of Pereira +2000
- Seamus Energy +2200
- Danny Willett +2700
- Hayden Buckley +2700
- Adam Hadwin +3100
More questions than answers
This is one of those weeks when the best plan of attack is to put the names of the entire field on a dart board and throw a few darts to determine the winner.
The tournament is so wide open.
We’re not sure who’s coming in hot. And we have no reason to believe that more than a dozen players have already been out on the hunt and can handle the pressures of a PGA Tour event on Sunday.
With that in mind, there are a few players who stand out as opportunities … without having to throw those darts.
Keep an eye on the past year
We know … we’ve talked about snapping a winless drought or winning for the first time. But what we’re going to focus on this time around is a repeat winner.
We’re going to give Gay a chance to repeat with an impressive +8000. The PGA Tour has not defended a defending champion since 2019, when Brooks Koepka competed in the PGA Championship in a row. 11 players have successfully defended a title since 2011, including Koepka twice when he also competed in the 2017-2018 US Opens.
With the limited star power in this week’s event, there is certainly a chance Gay can join the group.
Gay finished strong last year when he carded one final round of 64 to get into the playoffs and then made the first hole for the win with Birdy.
He’s not gaining momentum as he started the 2021-2022 wraparound season with a missed cut and a WD.
But that field is so wide open that a few days in paradise and fond memories of winning the trophy last year can do wonders for everyone’s game and mindset.
And that includes a player like Gay, who this week ranks 382 in the world rankings.
Longshots galore … Choosing one is no easy task
When bettors look through the sportsbooks list, two things stand out: First, there are lots of huge betting numbers … if you choose. And second, there are more than a few names on the list that even die-hard bettors haven’t heard of, and that’s troubling for the fact that, as the old quote says, ‘Any day …’
With that in mind, we’re going to try Ryan Armor at +5000. Sure, it’s another long try, but like horse racing, when you’re in the field, you have a chance.
Armor was T-8 last year but lost six places in the finals despite getting a 69.
The reason we like Armor is that he seems to play solidly every time he gets the chance to serve on the PGA Tour. Granted, that hasn’t been as often as he’d like, but when they give you the chance to play, it’s weeks like this that can turn a gamer’s life upside down … and in a great way.
And then there is the ‘X’ factor
Sometimes you just can’t overlook the obvious.
This week that obvious pick is one of the top ranked players in the field, Patrick Reed at +1800.
But here’s the problem with this pick: Reed is in one of those states of mind right now that this week can either be great for him and he wins, or he slams the trunk on Friday after a missed cut.
He wasn’t selected for the Ryder Cup team and that had to hurt. He also had two starts this wraparound season, both in Vegas. He missed the cut at the Shriners event and finished 68th on the CJ Cup outing (where there was no cut).
Which reed will appear in Bermuda this week? That’s the million dollar question. Or, in this case, the $ 720,000 question, which is the winning stake this week.
As we said, it’s a wide field in a little piece of paradise, so why not look at the guy who looks down on the rest of the field … in terms of the leaderboard at least.