Butterfield Bermuda Championship 2026 preview picks analysis

I am starting to become quite excited about what may lie ahead for Luke Clanton.

I have been tipping him for big things for some time now. Surprisingly, he has struggled on the PGA Tour in his rookie season.

Surprising because this is a player who had a truly sensational amateur career. He won the Florida High School State Championship on three occasions, in 2019, 2021 and 2022. He also won several other prestigious tournaments, including the Azalea Invitational and the North and South Amateur at Pinehurst.

In 2022, Clanton enrolled at Florida State University and soon became the world’s number one amateur after winning the Seminole Intercollegiate, the Valspar Collegiate, and the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial - and performing well in several professional tournaments.

In June 2024, he competed in the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst, finishing T-41. The following month, he became the first amateur since 1958 to finish in the top-10 in back-to-back PGA Tour events, finishing in a tie for 10th at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and was joint runner-up at the John Deere Classic. He had two more top-ten finishes on the PGA Tour later in the year, with a fifth place at the Wyndham and another runner-up finish at the RSM Classic, which put him inside the top-100 of the world rankings while still an amateur. At the end of the year, he was awarded the Mark H McCormack Medal as the world's top amateur golfer.

And in February 2025, Clanton made the cut at the Cognizant Classic to secure the final points he needed to earn PGA Tour membership via the PGA Tour University Accelerated programme, although he did not turn professional immediately.

He eventually joined the paid ranks in June 2025 and made his pro debut at the Canadian Open, with a huge weight of expectation on his young shoulders. It didn’t quite turn out as he had hoped.

To date, he has made 47 starts, missing 19 cuts. This season he has made 21 starts and has missed 11 cuts.

It hardly looks like the form of a quality golfer with any kind of future.

But there have been some hugely encouraging signs recently. After missing six cuts in seven starts he finally started playing with freedom at the Bank of Utah Championship, where he finished seventh on 21 under par. This could well be the turning point. His talent has never been in doubt but it takes some golfers longer than others to adapt to the rigours of the professional game.

Bermuda Championship

And I really fancy his chances at this week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

Matthieu Pavon made a sensational start to his PGA Tour career after gaining his card through his play on the DP World Tour in 2023.

Against all the odds, he won the Farmers Insurance Open in 2024 and nearly added the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am the following week before finishing that season in 16th place in the FedEx Cup standings. It was a surprise, to say the very least.

But 2026 has been a nightmare. making just 11 cuts in 22 starts as his world ranking has plummeted. Nothing other than a win in one of the remaining Fall Series events will see him keeping his card.

And there is nothing in his recent form to suggest that is going to happen.

When you think of Bermuda you conjure up images of palm tries, blue skies, beautiful ocean water and miles of sandy beaches. It wasn’t that way 12 months ago.

On a day of brutally tough conditions, Adam Schenk produced some incredibly creative shot making to win his first PGA Tour title at the 243rd attempt at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

He hit a layup on the par-five 17th that never got above three feet from the ground as he defied the wind. He flighted a series of clever wedge shots down wind and powered wonderful chip shots back into the breeze when he found himself out of position.

The wind consistently blew at 30mph, gusting to 45mph, producing trying and difficult conditions for everybody. While others were crumbling around him, he ground his way to a maiden win.

Schenk, who entered the final round tied for the lead, made clutch par saves on the par-three 16th and, crucially, at the par-four final hole. He missed a short birdie look on the 17th that would have given him a two-shot cushion going to the 18th, but then had to grind out a par to win. He finished with 16 pars, one birdie and a single bogey.

Tournament Winners:

It was first staged in 2019 and was won by Brendon Todd, in 2020 by Brian Gay, in 2021 by Lucas Herbert, in 2022 by Seamus Power, in 2023 by Camillo Villegas, in 2024 by Rafael Campos and last year by Adam Schenk.

The Course:

Port Royal Bermuda is a breathtaking layout. It measures just 6,842 yards, is a par 71, was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr in 1970 and has recently undergone a $14.5m update. It is tree-lined, has several water features, lots of bunkers and is made for low scoring.

Form Guide:

It is only a matter of time before Luke Clanton enjoys his first victory on the PGA Tour and he will surely love this course, which is going to be set up for low scoring.

Prize Money:

Total prize money is $6m with $1.25m going to the winner along with 500 FedEx Cup points.

How to Watch:

Thursday, October 22, Sky Sports Golf, 6pm; Friday, October 23, Sky Sports Golf, 6pm; Saturday, October 24, Sky Sports Golf, 6pm; Sunday, October 25, Sky Sports Golf, 5pm.