For the second week in a row there’s a brand new event taking place on the PGA Tour this week. The Bermuda Championship is a long way from the ZOZO Championship both literally and metaphorically. It takes over 18 hours on a plane to travel from Tokyo to Bermuda whilst the quality of the field that was beaten by Tiger Woods last week was considerably higher than those teeing it up in this alternate event.
There’s limited prize money (by PGA Tour standards) and relatively few FedEx Cup points up for grabs but these alternate events provide a great opportunity for many different types of players. A combination of up and comers, players fighting to return to the successes of the past and those who have not quite made the mark on the PGA Tour will compete.
Such events are always interesting from a betting point of view as we have a choice to make between a rising star, a class act who might be a little way from their best or someone who just hasn’t quite “broken America” yet. Alex Noren falls into the latter category despite winning 10 times on the European Tour. Noren’s quality marks him out as the most likely winner to our eyes and at a price of 18/1 with Ladbrokes we’re hoping to enjoy a very rewarding weekend of golf.
Top Tips
Alex Noren @ 18/1
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Course Info
Port Royal Golf Course is the host for the maiden Bermuda Championship. This is the first full field event of this level held at the relatively short 6,828, par 71 layout but it did host some of the finest golfers in the world as the venue for the PGA Grand Slam of Golf (a tournament that pitted the current major champions against one another).
The quality players to have competed in that now defunct tournament found it to be in tip top shape but very open to the elements. Scoring is much more difficult when the island winds get up as they are forecast to do in the early stages of the tournament. Scoring should still be pretty good even in the worst of the conditions but Port Royal features a handful of very difficult holes which can prove to be round wreckers. Avoiding big scores on those holes and when the wind is up will be key this week.
| Course | Location | Length | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port Royal Golf Course | Southampton Paris, Bermuda | 6,842 Yards | $3,000,000 |
Analysis: Slow and Steady to Win the Race?
The nature both of the weather and Port Royal Golf Course suggests we will see more than one player in contention make a mess of their strong position during the Bermuda Championship. The eventual winner will have to ensure that they carefully pick and choose when to attack, when to settle for par and when to take their medicine following poor shots. The flashy younger players in the field may struggle to put together four consistently solid rounds so it could well pay to favour experience this week in Bermuda.
Noren Has the Class to Dominate This Field
Alex Noren will feel that he should be teeing it up in Shanghai rather than Bermuda. There is no doubt that the Swede has the talent to compete with the big names in the World Golf Championships. This is a man with 10 European Tour victories who was part of Europe’s successful Ryder Cup team a little over a year ago and yet here he is, competing in what is essentially a second rate tournament.
It is a mark of Noren’s competitiveness and work rate that he has decided to play in the Bermuda Championship rather than taking the week off. It also suggests that he is quite alarmed with his recent lack of form and is looking to jumpstart his career so he can get back to the top level where he belongs.
With all due respect to the players that Noren will be facing this week, he is quite clearly the best golfer in the field at this event. With the obvious caveat that it is never easy to win on the PGA Tour and that Noren will be under pressure to perform, he is the man the others have to beat.
Grace Another With the Skills to Win
Branden Grace is another player who has competed in his fair share of World Golf Championship events. The South African actually has a fifth place finish in the WGC HSBC Champions to his name and has finished inside the top 10 of three of the four men’s majors. In short, he is a golfer of seriously high calibre and, like Noren, stands out against his competition this week.
If Grace turns up to Bermuda with his best golf he will be in contention on Sunday. It’s never quite as simple as that and he has been battling some issues with his game of late. He may well be secretly hoping for challenging weather conditions this week as he has played much of his best golf when the winds have blown. Grace will relish the gusty conditions on Thursday and Friday and can then ride a wave of confidence to claim at least a place at massive odds of 45/1 with bet365.
Final Verdict: Alex Noren to Win
Alex Noren tees it up in Bermuda with the best combination of golfing skills and experience of winning on tour. It’s never quite happened for him on the PGA Tour but his longevity on the European Tour is no fluke. He’s worked his way back from poor spells before and the Bermuda Championship may be just what he needs to return to his best golf so back the Swede to win at 18/1 with Ladbrokes.