As the 2022 calendar year winds down, many of the top golfers are already turning the page and looking at the 2023 tournament schedule.
For those players looking to make a name for themselves, that’s good news as there are still four events on the schedule before we hit 2023 and that starts with this week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
The tournament will be held at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda.
The top names like Rory McIlroy (who defended his CJ Cup title with a victory last week and also moved back to the No. 1 ranked player in the world), Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, and many, many others are likely taking time out to finalize vacation plans.
That opens the door for those still looking for that one week that vaults them into the spotlight.
Think it can’t happen? Well, Lucas Herbert would be the first to tell anyone who wants to listen that these are the weeks a lot of players relish.
Herbert is the defending champion and his victory here was his first PGA Tour win and his third victory worldwide.
Or check in with Brian Gay who won two years ago and was T-12 in his defense last year. His victory snapped an eight-year winless drought.
Or even Brendon Todd who won twice in 2019 but both of them were in tournaments where fields were… shall we say… not star-studded.
This year could be more of the same.
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Odds to Win the Bermuda Championship (DraftKings)
| Player | DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Denny McCarthy | +1400 |
| Adrian Meronk | +1800 |
| Thomas Detry | +1800 |
| Mark Hubbard | +2500 |
| Seamus Power | +2500 |
| Russell Knox | +3000 |
| Patrick Rogers | +3000 |
| Alex Smalley | +3000 |
| Justin Lower | +3000 |
| Greyson Sigg | +3000 |
| S.H. Kim | +3000 |
| Nick Hardy | +3500 |
| Aaron Rai | +3500 |
| Stephan Jaeger | +3500 |
| Robby Shelton | +4000 |
| Nick Taylor | +4000 |
| Adam Long | +4000 |
| Brandon Wu | +4500 |
| Adam Schenk | +4500 |
| Will Gordon | +4500 |
| Callum Tarren | +4500 |
| Austin Smotherman | +5000 |
| Austin Eckroat | +5000 |
As always, shop around the sports betting industry for the best odds on your plays.
Winners Are in the Field… But Not Names You Expect
Robby Shelton stands out as a value pick in our PGA Tour Bermuda Championship odds. (AP Photo/David Becker)
There are players in the field this week who have won recently on the PGA Tour.
But a lot of them are names that aren’t expected to compete for titles on a regular basis.
Names like Seamus Power, Chad Ramey, and Garrick Higgo have won this year, but golf fans would be hard-pressed to pick them out of a lineup.
But that’s exactly what weeks like this are all about… giving someone the chance to step into the spotlight and show all those long sessions on the practice range can pay dividends.
Granted, this week isn’t a Who’s Who of golf talent. In fact, it’s more of a ‘Who?’ list.
As an example, look at this week’s favorite: Denny McCarthy at +1400.
There are as many Korn Ferry graduates playing as they are regulars on the PGA Tour. Now, add in the fact that many of the top-ranked players haven’t made the trip and it opens the tournament up to a variety of storylines.
We’re going to give out a couple of players — one with deep roots on the PGA Tour and one newcomer — who just might wind up cashing that $1.17 million payday.
Will there be a first-time winner this week? Or will we have a winner who has stepped out of the spotlight and is looking to use a tournament like this to get back into form… and into the winner’s circle?
A Look at a Veteran Still Looking to Win
Patrick Rogers certainly isn’t the first name that comes to mind when looking at players who might win a golf tournament.
This week might be different.
Rogers, all the way down to No. 222 in the world golf rankings, is still looking for that first PGA Tour victory.
This week just might be that time. At +3000, he’s a solid choice for a couple of reasons.
He’s coming off a T-16 finish at the elite-field ZOZO Championship.
Add in the fact he’s starting to feel right at home with this event and the stars just might be aligning.
He missed the cut here in the inaugural event in 2019 before finishing T-59 the next year. And at last year’s tournament, he wound up solo fourth.
He’s on the rise and this week might be just what the doctor ordered.
One From The Rookie Ranks
Take a look at Robby Shelton, a recent Korn Ferry Tour graduate at +4000.
Shelton is coming off a season where he wound up with two Korn Ferry Tour victories and wound up second in the tour’s points race.
He also won on the Canadian Tour in 2017 and had two other Korn Ferry Tour wins in 2019, so he’s shown he can handle the Sunday pressure.
Granted, the PGA Tour is a different animal but Shelton is coming off a career year. He’s started this wraparound season with three events and he made the cut in all three with a best finish of T-15 at the Shriners Children’s Open.
With the field lacking high-profile talent this week, it just might be the perfect week for a player like Shelton to post that first victory.
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Around The Prop Scene
Check out Doug Ghim at +350 in a five-person matchup against Erik Van Rooyen (+275), Cameron Percy (+275), Ben Taylor (+300), and Beyong Hun An (+330).
Ghim finished last season on a run where he was either ice-cold or hot. He had a pair of T-16 finishes (hot) while missing eight cuts (ice-cold).
But this season has started off differently as he’s played two events and made both cuts.
We’re also going out on a limb and looking at Aaron Baddeley to finish in the top 20 at +350.
Baddeley has been hanging on by a thread (OK, a really long thread) to keep playing the game that has earned him $22-plus million dollars and four PGA Tour titles.
At age 41, he may not contend for titles until he eventually joins the Champions Tour, but he’s one-for-one in making cuts this season.
A solid effort may not be enough to win but it could certainly put him in the top-20 range.
Also read: Longshots who can win Majors in 2023