Austin Smotherman of Loomis, Calif., captured his second straight FedEx Cup Fall event Monday morning when he outlasted Seamus Power of Ireland with a par on the third playoff hole to win the rain-shortened Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
Smotherman also won the Bank of Utah Championship three weeks ago. The two victories in tournaments offering full FedEx Cup points gets him in the U.S. Open next year at Pebble Beach.
Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., tied for third at 14-under par in Bermuda, two shots behind the leaders.
Smotherman and Power were tied at 16-under 197. The final round was cancelled because of wind so strong at Port Royal that conditions were deemed unplayable in Southampton. They returned for a playoff held on the par-3 16th hole with a strong wind gusting off the ocean left of the green.
Both made par when the pin was all the way back at 178 yards — Power missed a 20-foot birdie putt for the win on the first extra hole and made an eight-foot par putt for a bunker save the next time.
The hole was moved to the front of the green for the third extra hole.
Smotherman, who twice hit 8-iron to the front section when the pin was in the back, stayed with an 8-iron and left himself a birdie chance just inside 15 feet. Power again didn’t get enough help from the wind and his shot buried in deep rough left of the green. He chopped it out to just outside 15 feet and missed the par putt.
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Conners, Taylor topple world No. 1 Scheffler at Presidents Cup to put U.S. in hole
Smotherman won the Bank of Utah Championship three weeks ago for his first PGA Tour title in his 100th career start. Now he has two in a row and moves to No. 51 in the FedEx Cup, assuring him a spot at the $20 million signature events at Pebble Beach and Riviera next year.
The consolation for Power, who was trying to become the first multiple winner of the Bermuda Championship, was locking up his card for 2027. He was at No. 103 — the top 100 at the end of the fall keep full status — and the runner-up finish moves him to No. 68.
It was the second time this year a playoff began on a Monday morning because of weather. Viktor Hovland defeated Scottie Scheffler on the par-4 18th to win the Travelers Championship in June.
Smotherman becomes the first 54-hole winner on the PGA Tour because of weather since Wyndham Clark won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2024.
Canada’s Conners, Taylor topple world No. 1 Scheffler at Presidents Cup to put U.S. in hole
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Trump, the honorary chairman of the Presidents Cup, stuck around for the trophy presentation, just like he did after another American victory at Liberty National in 2017 during his first term.
The U.S. rally wasn’t on edge the way it was in 2012 when Europe stormed from a 10-6 deficit at Medinah to win the Ryder Cup. The Americans at least had a home crowd on their side, loud and boisterous all day, and over the top on one occasion.
Someone yelled in the backswing of Nico Echavarria, causing him to drop the driver as his ball sailed to the right. Scheffler barked at the fan, and after missing a birdie putt, he conceded a 30-foot par to the Colombian in a show of sportsmanship.
Scheffler went on to win. So did Cameron Young and Justin Thomas and Chris Gotterup as the deficit shrunk and soon turned into another comfortable victory.
“I told the guys last night that funny stuff happens here. Medinah has a history of funny things happening,” said Snedeker, who was on that losing Ryder Cup team in 2012. “Sure enough, they went out and played their [tails] off today. I’m so damn proud of those guys.”
That group included Koivun, who just over a year ago was on the winning Walker Cup team for amateurs. Just four months ago, he helped Auburn to an NCAA golf title. And there he was Sunday, going from a 2-down deficit to a 2-up victory and hitting clutch shots on the 18th to secure a win.
“The kid is special. He’s different,” Snedeker said. “You saw that for a 21-year-old kid to stand up there and hit those last two balls like he did. Not many people like that.”
Patrick Cantlay had another moment, as he always seem to do in these events, holing a birdie putt from just inside 60 feet on the par-3 16th against hard-luck Adam Scott.
PATTY ICE!<br> <br>Cold as ever from 57 feet.<br><br>📺 NBC <a href=”https://t.co/kom0hCoC8t”>pic.twitter.com/kom0hCoC8t</a>
Five matches remained on the course — the Americans were 1 up in three of them, the other two were all square. All the Internationals had to do was find three points from them. The Americans simply refused to budge.
Koivun was 2 down through 10 holes to the Internationals’ top performer this week, Si Woo Kim, when he won three straight holes to flip the color to American red on the board. The kid drilled his tee shot on the 18th, and twirled his iron when he knew the approach was pure. He wound up with a 2-up victory, and then it was a matter of time.
The clinching point came from Jacob Bridgeman, who was 1 down with three to play. He rolled in a 3-foot par putt for a 1-up victory over Min Woo Lee, assuring the Americans the 15 1/2 points they needed.
Canadians Conners, Taylor help Internationals take 3-point lead at Presidents Cup
“It was sort of on a knife’s edge all day,” Internationals captain Geoff Ogilvy said. “Some of those 1-downs that we had out there, if they’d flipped to 1-up, the numbers look really good, and who knows what momentum can give.
“But look, it’s a very difficult thing to beat the U.S. in singles in the U.S,” he said. “They’re great players, and the crowd came out for them. They get a bit of red on the board, and the noise gets loud. They started the day with a lot to do and they all played great.”
All the Internationals can do is regroup and try again at Kingston Heath in Australia in two years. Their only victory was at Royal Melbourne in 1998, and there was a tie in South Africa in 2003.
