Austin Smotherman captured his second PGA Tour title in as many starts Monday, defeating Seamus Power on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff at the weather-shortened Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
High winds that gusted over 40 mph canceled Sunday’s scheduled final round at Port Royal Golf Course and left Monday’s forecast equally unpromising. Tournament officials declared the event official after 54 holes under PGA Tour regulations, with Smotherman and Power tied at 16-under 197. They returned Monday morning for a sudden-death playoff that began on the exposed par-3 16th, broadcast on Golf Channel.
Both players made par on the first two visits to the hole. Power missed a birdie putt of roughly 20 feet on the opening playoff hole and recovered from a bunker to save par on the second. On the third hole, with the pin moved toward the front of the green, Smotherman hit an 8-iron to about 14-15 feet. Power’s tee shot landed in deep rough left of the green; his recovery left him a putt from just outside 15 feet that he missed. Smotherman two-putted for par to close out the win.
The victory came three weeks after Smotherman earned his first PGA Tour title at the Bank of Utah Championship in his 100th start. The back-to-back wins make him the first player to win consecutive starts on the Tour since Matt Fitzpatrick earlier this season and earn him a spot in next year’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, along with improved standing for Signature Events.
Smotherman collected the $1.08 million winner’s share from the $6 million purse. Power, the 2022 Bermuda champion seeking to become the event’s first two-time winner, finished second and earned $654,000. The runner-up finish also moved the Irishman from outside the top 100 into the mid-60s in the FedExCup Fall standings, securing his full PGA Tour status for 2027.
Taylor Moore, Corey Conners, and Ben Silverman finished tied for third at 14 under.
Smotherman became the first player to win a PGA Tour event reduced to 54 holes by weather since Wyndham Clark at the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
