Séamus Power needs to produce something special over the final two weeks of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Fall series, and he’s off to a good start at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
Back in 2022, the Waterford man braved the tough conditions at Port Royal Golf Club better than anybody and claimed his second PGA Tour win, and he needs to find similar form either here in Bermuda or at next week’s RSM Classic if he’s to avoid having to return to PGA Tour Q-School in mid-December.
Two birdies over his opening five holes was close to an ideal start in a tournament where the wind generally determines the winning score and there was enough of it on show to ensure that rounds in the 60s would be extremely welcome.
A bogey on the par-3 eighth slowed his progress, but he got that shot back with a birdie on 10 and then reeled off six pars as he navigated the toughest stretch of holes at Port Royal safely. The par-5 17th was the easiest hole on the course on day one, but a wild tee shot found the hazard and he ended up making bogey, but his response was impressive as he birdied the par-4 closing hole to claw his was back to -2 and lay tied for 13th when play was suspended for darkness with several groups left on course.
He’ll need to improve his driving in round two, and hopefully at the weekend, if he’s to put himself in contention, however, as he hit just four of 14 fairways and played the three par-5 in one-over.
Like Power, Adam Hadwin has spent pretty much all of 2025 out of the picture, and he too needs to find something special over the final two weeks. The Canadian birdied seven holes and dropped just the one shot on his way to a six-under 65 that left him one shot clear at the top of the leaderboard.
“I do truly believe that I’ve got my best golf is still to come, I’ve got a lot more in me and then I’ll be a better player once I get through this,” Hadwin said. “It was just a matter of when I got through this and today’s a good start.”
He leads Takumi Kanaya and Braden Thornbury by the minimum, but the latter will return to the course on Friday morning with two holes to complete in round one.
A further four players share fourth at -4 and nine of the dozen who are at the top of the leaderboard arrived in Bermuda with ground to make up if they are to find themselves inside the top 100 in the rankings at the end of the season.
FULL SCORING
