Bermuda winner and runner-up withdraw from Mexico Open: Gordon and Higgs added to field

October 27, 2026. Both players from Monday's Butterfield Bermuda Championship playoff will miss the following PGA TOUR stop. Austin Smotherman, who won in Bermuda, and runner-up Seamus Power have been removed from the VidantaWorld Mexico Open field. PGA TOUR's own official Mexico Open Media Center lists Will Gordon as Smotherman's replacement and Harry Higgs as Power's.

Four field changes, dated Sunday

The TOUR's Field Updates page lists these withdrawals under Sunday, October 25: Austin Smotherman out / Will Gordon in; Seamus Power out / Harry Higgs in; Sami Välimäki out / Tyler Duncan in; Davis Thompson out / Chan Kim in. All four replacements are part of the same dated notification.

The chronology is essential. Smotherman did not win at Port Royal until Monday, October 26, so the official notice of his Mexico withdrawal predates that victory. It would be wrong to present his withdrawal as a response to winning in Bermuda. Nor does the notice give a verified reason for either Smotherman or Power to miss Mexico. Fatigue, travel demands and scheduling decisions are possible explanations, but they remain speculation without confirmation from the players or TOUR.

What happened in Bermuda

Smotherman defeated Power on the third playoff hole on October 26 to claim the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. High winds forced the scheduled fourth round to be cancelled, leaving the 54-hole scores as the official result. The two men were tied at 16 under par, 197 strokes, then went to extra holes at Port Royal's par-3 16th. Smotherman made the decisive par when Power failed to save his.

It was the American's second consecutive PGA TOUR victory after winning the Bank of Utah Championship earlier in October. The official final report put Smotherman 51st in FedExCup Fall, securing his spot in next season's first two Signature Events. Power gained substantial reassurance despite losing the playoff: his runner-up finish moved him from 103rd to 68th in the standings, safely inside the top-100 boundary for full 2027 PGA TOUR playing status. Those figures come from completed Bermuda competition; they are not Mexico Open scores.

A different field in Vallarta

The VidantaWorld Mexico Open is scheduled for October 29–November 1 at Vidanta Vallarta, Mexico. It offers a $6 million purse and 500 FedExCup points for the winner. Brian Campbell is the defending champion, while Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau are among the other names in the announced field.

For Will Gordon and Harry Higgs, the withdrawals mean confirmed spots to compete, not a promise of strong results. With players fighting for ranking positions and future entry opportunities, late field changes matter across the PGA TOUR's fall schedule. The official entry list, rather than older previews, is the proper reference as Thursday approaches.

What has not happened yet

At publication, the 2026 Mexico Open has not begun. There is therefore no first-round score, cut line, completed leaderboard or winner for this year's event. Additional changes to the field may still occur before play begins. The TOUR has not stated the two players' reasons for withdrawing.

Primary documentation: PGA TOUR official Mexico Open field updates — https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/tours/2026/pgatour/vidantaworldmexicoopen; official October 26 Bermuda result — https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/daily-wrapup/2026/10/26/round-4-butterfield-bermuda-championship-port-royal-golf-course-scores-leaderboard-results; official Mexico Open preview — https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/the-first-look/2026/10/26/vidantaworld-mexico-open-preview-storylines-fedexcup-fall-2027-pga-tour-cards.