Last year’s inaugural Bermuda Championship was a walk in the park for the PGA Tour competitors, with Brendon Todd closing with a 62 to reach 24 under par, but this week’s edition seems set to be played in tougher conditions.
Strong winds are forecast for the final three days of competition, so punters are best advised to support players who have shown they can handle the rough stuff. The Port Royal course is short – at just over 6,800 yards – but can still cause problems when Mother Nature comes to its defence.
Todd may prove popular at 11/1 as he went on to win the Mayakoba Classic after his Bermuda triumph and has since established himself in the top 50 of the world rankings.
This week’s defending champion, though, has had only one top-ten finish this year – eighth place in the BMW Championship in August – so does not seem to be at the peak of his powers for Bermuda.
Zalatoris Looking to Seal Tour Card
Will Zalatoris needs a two-way tie for 69th place or better this week to earn Special Temporary Membership of the PGA Tour – but the Korn Ferry Tour star will surely have hopes of something significantly better than that.
The 24-year-old Californian has already established himself as one of the best ball-strikers on the planet, underlined by finishing sixth in the US Open at Winged Foot a month ago, and he has posted a top-20 in 14 of his last 15 tournaments.
Whatever the grade – whether it be PGA Tour company or Korn Ferry – Zalatoris has been contending. The Bermuda Championship is a weak PGA Tour gathering lacking any superstar quality, so the 11/1 against the name of Zalatoris will tempt plenty.
He sits atop the Korn Ferry greens-in-regulation statistics, is long and straight, his short-game is improving, and he finished fifth in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open last time out. A maiden title on Sunday seems entirely feasible.
Stenson Could Revive Career
The location and weather forecast could be ideal for Henrik Stenson to get a slightly faltering career back on track. Stenson is fond of island golf, underlined by his Hero World Challenge victory in the Bahamas just before Christmas, and the Swede has always been adept at guiding his ball through difficult conditions.
If the winds blow as expected, the tee-to-green control of Stenson should stand him in great stead. The former Open champion is accurate with his three-wood and has always been one of the best iron-players in the sport.
Putting has been the bugbear of Stenson for a while – and it has been the reason for his lack of recent success – but he should be a leading title contender if his flat-stick starts purring in Bermuda. The 44-year-old, Sawgrass champion in 2009 and a six-time PGA Tour victor, can be backed at 33/1 for Bermuda glory. He has won 11 times on the European Tour.
*All odds correct at time of writing