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Professional golfers usually have only minutes to prepare for a sudden-death playoff, but Austin Smotherman and Seamus Power faced a much longer wait at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. After finishing the third round on Saturday tied atop the leaderboard at 16 under, the two players had to wait roughly 38 hours to complete the tournament due to severe weather conditions.
Weather Delays and Waiting Out the Storm
When the field returned to Port Royal on Sunday for the final round, players encountered extreme weather with flag-bending winds gusting up to 40 mph. The Tour ultimately decided to cancel the final round entirely, bringing Smotherman and Power back out on Monday morning to contest a sudden-death playoff for the championship.
Smotherman spent his Sunday trying to pass the time on the island by sleeping in, ordering breakfast to his room, and watching football. He also walked into town for lunch at an Irish pub, paced around the hotel, and called his family about five different times while waiting for the competition to resume.
An Unconventional Warm-Up Routine
After sleeping fairly well Sunday night, Smotherman left his hotel at 7 a.m. for the 8 a.m. playoff, which left time for only a brief and modified warm-up. His usual routine was impossible because the playoff format required the duo to repeat the par-3 16th hole—meaning they only needed clubs no longer than a 7- or 8-iron—and the wind on the driving range was too strong to hit balls effectively.
Recognizing the difficult circumstances, the Tour made an allowance to let the players warm up on the par-4 15th hole. A Tour spokesperson explained to sports.yahoo.com that the rules committee provided both competitors with an option to hit a shot similar to what they would face on No. 16. The setup included the same wind directions and a GCQuad launch monitor to track ball data.
While the rules do not typically allow players to practice on the course ahead of a playoff, the Tour spokesperson noted it is not entirely unprecedented, citing previous instances at the Corales Puntacana Championship, the CJ Cup at Byron Nelson, and the Charles Schwab Cup where on-course reps were permitted due to range logistics.
Sealing the Victory on the 16th Hole
The practice ultimately paid off for Smotherman. With the wind blowing hard off the water, the tee shot on the 16th hole required players to aim toward the cliff edge and trust the wind to bring the ball back. Using an 8-iron from 178 yards on the first playoff hole, Smotherman missed the green right but successfully got up and down to match Power’s par.
On their second trip to the tee, playing the same club and distance, Smotherman found the green but left himself a 76-foot lag putt, which he knocked to kick-in range. Power also made a three, forcing a third playoff hole with a new pin placement and a shorter yardage of 152 yards.
Smotherman selected an 8-iron again, explaining that he wanted to control how he flighted the wind rather than risking going too deep with a longer club if the breeze shifted. He struck his shot pin-high, landing 16 feet left of the hole, and two-putted for par. When Power missed short left and failed to get up and down, Smotherman claimed his second PGA Tour title in less than a month, describing the outcome as a fairy tale.
