Hideki Matsuyama emerged victorious in a return to his native country during the 2022 ZOZO Championship held at Accordia Golf Narashino CC in Chiba, Japan this past weekend. The winner of the 2021 Masters dominated throughout the weekend at a course that gave quite a few players a challenge to stay under-par. This week, the PGA Tour leaves Japan for another island thousands of miles away in Bermuda, where players will gather to play at the Port Royal golf course. This tropical island destination became an official stop for the PGA back in 2020, meaning this weekend’s tournament marks its third appearance.
Many of the players in attendance are not household names, so it will be more difficult to construct winning lineups without the familiarity and well-documented history of certain star players such as Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, etc. Identifying these lesser-known players and understanding their skill set and how it aligns with the course design is a great way to cash lineups while watching golf being played in the tropics this weekend. Unlike the last few events, the Butterfield Bermuda Championship does have a cut line that players will need to adhere to in order to proceed to the final two rounds of the tournament.
Without further ado, let’s assess some of the ideal prospects to target in lineups at the 2022 Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
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Previous Winners
- 2021 – Brian Gay (-15)
- 2020 – Brendon Todd (-24)
Course Overview
Port Royal golf course is a par 71 that runs just over 6,800 yards in length, making it one of the shortest courses on the PGA Tour circuit. Three par 5s and four par 3s provide a nice blend of birdie opportunities and difficult par conversions, while quite a few of the par 4 holes favor accuracy and finesse over power. The rough is shorter than most courses, standing at two inches, while the greens are comprised of bermudagrass that run slower than many of the bentgrass and zoysiagrass greens featured in other tournaments.
Expect the weather to be a massive factor throughout the weekend as wind gusts of up to 30 miles per hour are expected early, while lighter winds will certainly prevail for the duration of the tournament. These winds will force players to make the right read on the location of the green from fairways that tend to feature a dogleg, meaning it curves to make approaching the green more difficult. Deep sand bunkers and bodies of water erase any comfort of playing a shorter course, as its beautiful views deceive the challenges that await.
Relevant Betting Stats
- Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green
- Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee
- Driving Accuracy percentage
- Strokes Gained: Putting
Recommended Plays: DraftKings
DraftKings maximum salary is set at $50,000
Christian Bezuidenhout ($10,700)
The 27-year old South African will make his first appearance on the PGA Tour at Port Royal. Bezuidenhout is currently ranked 43rd in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) and is well-equipped to deal with windy conditions based on the weather he’s played in at various courses in South Africa. Last season, Bezuidenhout finished inside the top ten once at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and closed out with an impressive fifth-place finish at the BMW PGA Championship, meaning he is worth investing in despite the high salary.
Guido Migliozzi ($8,700)
Another golfer making his 2022 PGA debut is 24-year old Guido Migliozzi. The Italian finished T4 (-2) at Torrey Pines South to crack the top-five at last year’s U.S. Open and currently ranks 71st in the OWGR. He’s vastly cheaper than a lot of the other players at the Bermuda Championship and possesses a high ceiling but a low floor if his play slips, which is reflected in the $8,700 salary. It’s a risk but the payoff could yield a massive return on value if he is able to navigate the slower greens with the elite putting ability he displayed last season.
Brian Gay ($7,100)
Winner of the inaugural 2020 Bermuda Championship, 49-year old American Brian Gay has not had a great start to the 2022 PGA season. Gay missed the cut line at the Sanderson Farms Championship and has to withdraw in the final round of the Shriners Children’s Open a couple of weeks ago. Still, he is ranked 64th in strokes gained putting and is equipped with an accurate driver, meaning he possesses the experience and the skill set needed to be competitive at Port Royal this weekend.
Recommended Plays: FanDuel
FanDuel maximum salary is set at $60,000
Matt Fitzpatrick ($11,900)
It’s a hefty salary to pay but 27-year old Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick has all the makings to rise and stay atop the leaderboards at Port Royal. Currently ranked 26th in the OWGR and finishing the 2021 PGA season ranked 73rd in the FedExCup standings, he yielded five top-ten finishes last year and will look to make an impact by winning his first PGA event at the precision-based course with gusting winds. Entering his third year on the PGA Tour, Fitzpatrick will look to tap into the 17th-best driving accuracy percentage he maintained last season, along with impressive irons and putting. He’s the most expensive option on the slate for a reason. Insert Fitzpatrick into lineups and don’t look back.
Taylor Pendrith ($10,200)
When assessing whether or not to roster 30-year old Canadian Taylor Pendrith at the Bermuda Championship this weekend, focus on his strokes gained off-the-tee and strokes gained putting metrics. These metrics both rank inside of the top 60 through the young 2022 PGA season, which has seen Pendrith hover between T36 and T47 finishes at all three events. While these aren’t ideal finishes for constructing winning fantasy lineups, his driving distance measures sixth-best on Tour this season, which will be useful on the par 5 holes and a few of the longer par 4s at Port Royal. He is priced fairly high but the consistency is certainly there, meaning Pendrith is an expensive floor-play that won’t necessarily win the week but also won’t do much to damage your lineup.
Nick Watney ($9,600)
A great putter at a discounted salary can be found in 40-year old American, Nick Watney. He is currently 13th in the 2022 FedExCup rankings and has one of the hottest putters on Tour this season, ranking 16th in strokes gained putting. Perhaps the best metric to focus on other than Watney’s putting is the 77.78 percent greens in regulation he hits, which is ranked inside of the top ten. He has bounced around with his scorecard in the three events played this season, finishing T2 at the Sanderson Farms Championship before sliding to a T56 finish at Shriner’s Children’s Open the following week. However, with a couple of weeks off to rest and train for Bermuda, Watney is a salary-saving option with an extremely high ceiling to slide into lineups at Port Royal this weekend.
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Whether you’re new to daily fantasy golf or a seasoned professional, be sure to check out our Daily Fantasy Golf Glossary. You can get started with The Stats That Matter Most or head to a more advanced strategy — like How To Use Vegas Odds To Generate Your Lineup — to learn more.
Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.
