PGA Tour Cuts Bermuda Championship to 54 Holes Amid High Winds

Severe winds have forced the PGA Tour to shorten the Butterfield Bermuda Championship to 54 holes, with Austin Smotherman and Seamus Power scheduled to contest a sudden-death playoff Monday morning at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda. The decision followed Sunday's cancellation of the final round after wind gusts exceeded 40 mph.

The PGA Tour announced the revised format shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday, citing an unfavorable weather forecast and uncertainty over whether the final round could be completed Monday. Smotherman and Power share the lead at 16 under par after 54 holes, leaving the tournament title to be decided in a playoff.

The Tour explained that the championship standings would be finalized after 54 holes because of the expected weather conditions.

"Due to the unfavorable weather forecast for Monday at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship and the uncertainty surrounding the completion of the entire final round on Monday, the tournament results will be considered final through 54 holes in accordance with PGA Tour regulations," the PGA Tour said in its statement.

The playoff is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. ET on the par-3 16th hole. Monday's forecast calls for scattered showers, with wind gusts expected to reach 30 mph by the afternoon.

For Smotherman, the playoff represents his first such contest on the PGA Tour. He claimed his maiden Tour victory three weeks earlier at the Bank of Utah Championship.

Power brings previous playoff experience into the matchup. The Irishman lost the 2021 ISCO Championship to J.T. Poston on the sixth extra hole, according to the tournament report. Power has won twice on the PGA Tour, with his most recent victory coming at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in 2022.

Sunday's schedule had already been adjusted before officials abandoned play for the day. The PGA Tour moved tee times earlier, setting the final group to start at 8:46 a.m. ET, but delayed the schedule by another 30 minutes at 6 a.m. because of high winds.

At 8 a.m. ET, officials postponed the final round for the remainder of Sunday as gusts exceeded 40 mph. The subsequent decision to reduce the tournament to 54 holes established the conditions for Monday's playoff between the two co-leaders.