Retour
The PGA Tour ended the Butterfield Bermuda Championship after just three rounds, meaning Austin Smotherman and Seamus Power will go head-to-head in a playoff on Monday.
In accordance with PGA Tour regulations, official results for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship have been declared final through 54 holes. This decision comes as an unfavorable weather forecast for Monday created uncertainty around completing the entire final round, and Tiger Woods hints at a PGA Tour return.
Following the decision to end the tournament after three rounds, Smotherman and Power are set to compete in a playoff to decide the champion. The head-to-head playoff is planned for Monday at 9 a.m., pending weather conditions.
Extreme weather conditions already canceled all play on Sunday, as golfers were shuttled back to their hotel and harsh 40mph winds powered through Port Royal Golf Course.
“With no improvement to the current weather conditions and anticipated further deterioration, there will be no play today,” the PGA Tour wrote in a statement.
Prior to tournament officials calling off the final round, Power shared his thoughts on the challenging weather conditions.
“It's probably more mental because you have to commit to lines that just do not seem right, to be honest,” said Power after the third round.
“Like on 1 even, you're moving your line from where I was probably in my practice round, 40 yards to the left, and you're trying to hit a draw. So you're looking at someplace you shouldn't be hitting a draw and trying to hit a draw, so trying to be fully committed.”
Entering the final stretch following three rounds of play, Power and Smotherman were tied for the lead at 16-under, sitting two strokes ahead of Ben Silverman, Taylor Moore, and Corey Conners.
Conditions were unlikely to improve on Monday, and PGA Tour officials knew the weather would be dicey. They sent text messages to the field suggesting that play could be extended into the next week to complete all 72 holes, but the actual forecast made a Monday finish highly unlikely.
According to chief referee Stephen Cox, Monday's weather was almost just as bad as Sunday's, and Tour officials were almost expecting to close off the tournament after just three rounds.
“It's just been the talk, the talk of everybody all week, what Sunday's forecast has been,” said Smotherman after the third round.
“I don't think it's gotten any better. You know, take care of step one, making the cut. Go get into contention on Saturday and see what happens. But here we are actually doing that. That was the goal at the start of the week.
“Now we get to rest a little bit tonight, and whatever tomorrow brings, we'll be ready. But staying in the present was not necessarily easy because it's Saturday, feeling like a Sunday's an odd feeling as well.”