Butterfield Bermuda Championship Shortened to 54 Holes Due to High Winds

Raging winds and unplayable conditions at the Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda, forced tournament officials to cancel the final round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship on Sunday. With morning wind gusts topping 40 mph, none of the 72 players who made the cut were able to start their rounds, leading the PGA Tour to officially shorten the event to 54 holes.

Austin Smotherman and Seamus Power finished tied for the 54-hole lead at 16 under par. Because the weather forecast for Monday remained severe with predictions of scattered showers and afternoon gusts up to 30 mph, tournament organizers determined it was not feasible to complete a full final round. According to PGA Tour regulations, the tournament results were made final through 54 rounds.

Despite shortening the tournament, officials scheduled a sudden-death playoff between Smotherman and Power to determine the champion. The playoff was set to begin at 8 a.m. ET on Monday at the par-3 16th hole, weather permitting.

The cancellation marks a swift conclusion to a tournament that saw strong performances earlier in the week. Power, a two-time PGA Tour winner who previously triumphed at this exact course in 2022, opened strong in the third round with birdies on the first and third holes. Despite a rare bogey on the 13th, he recovered with birdies on the 14th and 17th to hold his share of the lead.

Smotherman, who secured his first PGA Tour victory earlier in the month at the Bank of Utah Championship, entered the tournament seeking another title that would earn him a spot in next year's U.S. Open. For Power, who entered the week ranked No. 103 in the FedExCup Fall standings, a victory would secure his card through 2028 and place him in the elite PGA Tour Championship Series.

The disruption created logistical challenges for players and staff. Smotherman and Power were scheduled to compete in the VidantaWorld Mexico Open the following week in Vallarta, Mexico, while a charter plane was arranged to transport other competitors off the island.

The incident marks another weather-shortened event for the PGA Tour schedule. The last event reduced to 54 holes was the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which concluded on a Saturday.