Paulie’s Picks: 2020 Bermuda Championship

Port Royal Golf Course, the venue of this week’s Bermuda Championship, is one of the shortest on the PGA Tour. A par-71 course of just over 6,800 yards, Port Royal will give players plenty of looks with wedges. They will, however, have to reach for some mid- and long irons as well: there are three long par 3s and three reachable par 5s, so players will face up to six shots from outside 200 yards. Among the par 4s, no hole is longer than 458 yards, and six of the 11 two-shotters are under 400 yards. Off the tee, Port Royal is fairly wide, as winds can gust over 30 mph at times. The current forecast for the Bermuda Championship is calm in the early rounds but windy on the weekend.

Taking all of that into consideration, the key skills this week will be wedge play, long-iron play, and control in the wind. Here are some players who excel in those categories:

DraftKings

Will Zalatoris $10,900

An elite iron player with both consistency and upside, Zalatoris is first in the field in approach from over 200 yards yards and above average with his wedges. He has finished eighth or better in three of his past four PGA Tour starts, and since the restart, he has broken into the top 20 in 14 of 15 events on both the PGA and Korn Ferry tours

Ryan Armour $6,600

Armour’s career results have been defined by the fact that he isn’t long off the tee. As a result, while he performs very well on the handful of short courses on the PGA Tour, he struggles on long courses. Port Royal gives the likes of Ryan Armour a shot. He finished eighth here last year, and this year he is third in fairways, sixth in wedge proximity, and sixth in approach from over 200 yards. He also fares well in the wind because of how solidly he strikes it. If Armour finds anything with his putter, I think he will contend this week.

One-and-Done

Brendon Todd

Todd is elite with his wedges, on the greens, and in the wind, which explains why he won the Bermuda Championship last year. In this field, he is top 10 in wedge proximity, fairways, and putting. Many people will still have him available, so he may be chalky this week—but that’s for good reason.

Harold Varner III

If you’re looking for a high-upside pivot from Todd, look no further than Harold Varner III. He is a near-perfect fit for Port Royal: first in birdies, second in approach, second off the tee, second in approach from over 200 yards, and above average with his wedges. Yes, he comes with the risk of a missed cut (he has missed four cuts in his past 14 events), but he did finish 42nd or better in all the cuts he made during that span. Varner is going to win on the PGA Tour soon, and this week may be his moment.