Butterfield Bermuda Championship betting guide: five picks from the expert

GOLF.com golf-betting analyst Brady Kannon has selected five players to back at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, which begins Thursday at Port Royal Golf Club in Southampton, Bermuda.

The 2026 tournament is the fourth of eight FedEx Cup Fall Series events and the second of four consecutive tournaments held outside the United States.

The Butterfield Bermuda Championship has been played since 2019. Port Royal Golf Club is a Robert Trent Jones design that opened in 1970 and underwent an extensive renovation in 2009. The par-71 layout measures just over 6,800 yards. However, because wind is often a factor in the middle of the Atlantic, it does not always play as short as its yardage suggests.

The course is covered in Bermudagrass. The fairways are of average width, while the rough is kept especially low because strong winds can push shots well offline. For the same reason, the greens are especially large. That makes hitting greens in regulation easier, but it also increases the risk of three-putts.

Kannon placed particular emphasis on Strokes Gained: Approach because rain and winds of 15 to more than 30 miles per hour are in the forecast. He also considered driving accuracy, Good Drives Gained, scrambling, proximity from 75 to 150 yards and three-putt avoidance.

For correlated courses, Kannon considered TPC San Antonio, TPC Summerlin, Pebble Beach, Waialae Country Club and Sea Island. They share Bermudagrass, large greens, limited rough, windy conditions and, generally, less star-studded fields.

Andrew Novak — 30-1

Kannon backed Novak in Bermuda several years ago, when he finished runner-up. This season, Novak was 14th in San Antonio; he also finished third there in 2025 and ninth in 2023. He has posted top-15 finishes at the Sony Open and Pebble Beach, and he was seventh at Sea Island last fall, where he is also a member.

Ball-striking has always been Novak’s strongest attribute. Over the last 20 rounds, he ranks 14th in this field in proximity from 125 to 150 yards. He has finished seventh and 17th in his last two starts on Tour.

Eric Cole — 30-1

Cole’s main weapon is his putting. Kannon considers him one of the best players in this field both on the greens and on the correlated courses. Cole has finished 14th and 26th in San Antonio, third and 15th at Sea Island, 14th and 15th at Pebble Beach, and fifth and 13th at the Sony Open.

Over the last 20 rounds, Cole ranks third in the field in three-putt avoidance, 12th in proximity from 100 to 125 yards and second from 125 to 150 yards. Some handicappers also use PGA National and Colonial Country Club as correlated courses this week, where Cole has lost in a playoff at both venues.

David Ford — 42-1

Kannon is making his first wager on “Ford,” calling the young player a potential future star. Over the last 20 rounds, Ford is the most accurate player in the field off the tee, and he also ranks first in three-putt avoidance and third in scrambling.

A standout at the University of North Carolina, Ford turned professional in 2025 after finishing No. 1 in the 2025 PGA Tour University rankings. Before him, only Ludvig Aberg and Michael Thorbjornsen had achieved that. Ford finished third in Utah three weeks ago.

He won the 2020 Junior Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, the 2022 Southern Amateur at Sea Island and the 2024 Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational at Colonial Country Club.

Lee Hodges — 50-1

Hodges played college golf at Alabama and is therefore very familiar with Bermudagrass. He has finished sixth and 10th at Waialae, sixth at the 2023 Valero Texas Open, and fourth and fifth at Sea Island over the last two years.

Hodges finished third at the John Deere Classic earlier this summer and 13th in Utah earlier this month. Over the last 20 rounds, he ranks 24th in this field in SG: Approach, 14th in driving accuracy and 15th in proximity from 125 to 150 yards.

Taylor Montgomery — 130-1

Kannon chose a risky long shot from Las Vegas. Montgomery lost his PGA Tour exemption last season and has recently been competing primarily on the Korn Ferry Tour as he tries to regain his status.

After turning professional and playing a full Tour schedule in 2022 and 2023, it appeared that his first win was close. During that run, he finished third in Napa, 10th at Mayakoba, 12th at the Sony Open, and 15th and eighth at the RSM Classic. Montgomery finished 13th at the 2024 Sony Open but has faded since.

He finished 22nd in San Antonio and 34th in Bermuda last year. Montgomery has long been regarded as one of the best putters in the world. Perhaps this week he can be the best player in Bermuda.