Austin Smotherman endured brutal weather conditions and a playoff with Seamus Power to claim his second PGA Tour victory in as many starts.
Smotherman defeated Power on the third playoff hole Monday morning to win the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, which was reduced to 54 holes. The final round was canceled because of wind so strong at Port Royal Golf Course that conditions were deemed unplayable by the Tour:
“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.”
Smotherman and Power were tied at 16 under after three rounds. Taylor Moore, Corey Conners and Ben Silverman tied for third at 14 under.
It was Smotherman’s second FedExCup Fall title. He won the Bank of Utah Championship three weeks ago. The two victories in tournaments offering full FedExCup points (he’s 51st in the Fall standings) gets him in the U.S. Open next year at Pebble Beach.
“We were excited for the fall season,” said Smotherman, 32, who won $1.08 million. “We had our best FedExCup finish ever (80th) and the fall we felt was just going to be bonus golf and do things like this, and to have it come true and live this out now not once but twice in that short time frame is, I mean, I couldn’t have drawn it up. It’s a fairytale really right now.”
Par-3 Playoff Dramatics
Smotherman and Power arrived for a playoff on the par-3 16th hole, the hardest of the tournament with an average of 3.24 strokes, with a strong wind gusting off the Atlantic Ocean left of the green.
Both made par when the pin was at the back of the green at 179 yards. Smotherman missed the green to the right but chipped to 4 inches for a tap-in par and Power missed a 21-foot birdie putt for the win on the first extra hole. Power made a 5-foot par putt for a bunker save the second time around and Smotherman hit a 75-foot birdie putt to 10 inches for his par.
The hole location was moved to the front of the green at 152 yards for the third extra hole.
Smotherman, who twice hit 8-iron to the front section when the pin was in the back, stayed with the 8-iron and gave himself a birdie chance just inside 14 feet. Power’s tee shot came up short in the deep left rough and he pitched to 16 feet.
He missed the par putt and Smotherman rolled in a 2-foot par putt for the win.
“I had a chance this morning, wasn’t able to do it, which is disappointing, but overall great week, can’t complain too much,” Power said. “Hit some good shots in the playoff, just didn’t quite judge the wind right, but that’s golf sometimes. I’ll move onwards. There are a lot of positives from the week.”
Added Bonuses for Winning
Smotherman now has a ton of positives. His victory in Utah three weeks ago was his first PGA Tour title in his 100th career start. His FedExCup points put him in the top 20, securing a spot in next year’s first two $20 million Signature Events at Pebble Beach and Riviera.
“It can literally happen at any time,” said Smotherman of lightning striking twice and resulting in back-to-back victories. “We say it every week, everybody out here’s so good, anybody can win on any given week. That’s what makes our sport so great.
“There’s Scottie Schefflers of the world that know how to win a lot more frequently every single year, but I think I’m getting a little bit of a taste of what they feel, a top player like that as far as just so much freedom every single week and feeling like what you’re doing, you’re getting the validation with the results but also just the immense trust you have in the process that you’ve devised. I’ve been a professional now for 10 years and I feel like I’ve put a lot of notches in my belt with different skills and things that help pay off at the end of the week.”
With his win, each winner in the FedExCup Fall is now a multiple winner on Tour this season – Smotherman, Jacob Bridgeman and Michael Brennan, each with two victories.
It was the second time this year a playoff began on a Monday morning because of weather. Viktor Hovland defeated Scheffler to win the Travelers Championship in June.
Smotherman became the first 54-hole winner on the PGA Tour since Wyndham Clark won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2024.
Next up is the VidantaWorld Mexico Open in Vallarta, Mexico. Brian Campbell is the defending champion.
