The globetrotting continues for the PGA TOUR. Three weeks ago, we were in Japan for the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. Last week, it was Los Cabos, Mexico, and this week the players will tee it up along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Southampton, Bermuda.

The Butterfield Bermuda Championship is the sixth of seven FedExCup Fall events. Players will have this week and next - at The RSM Classic in St. Simons Island, Georgia - to get into the top 125 in FedExCup points and thus retain their TOUR card for the 2024 season, beginning in January. It is also worth noting, players that finish Nos. 51 through 60 in the FedExCup Fall points will earn spots in two upcoming Signature Events in 2024, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational. This week's betting favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook, Adam Scott (+1600), is currently 85th in the FedExCup Fall points. Scott undoubtedly wants to qualify for The Genesis Invitational, where he is a two-time champion.

Earning First Round Leader honors this week won't do anything for one's FedExCup points – but it will make for a great start, and hopefully cash a few of our tickets in the process.

Port Royal Golf Course is the venue for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. It is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design that plays to a par 71 and is the shortest course on TOUR, measuring just over 6,800 yards. This will be the fifth time it has hosted this championship. Both bombers and shorter, more accurate drivers have fared well at this event. The golf course's biggest defense is the wind that often blows off the ocean. Conditions look favorable this week, but the forecast does call for some winds reaching 15-20+ mph over the weekend.

I kept it pretty simple this week as far as statistics considered, looking at Strokes Gained: Approach, SG: Around the Green, SG: Par 4's, Good Drives Gained, and SG: Putting - on Bermuda grass. Thursday looks like it will be the best day of the four for scoring. High temperatures are expected to be in the mid-70's with less than 10 mph of wind.

Here’s a look at some of the players I like to get off to a fast start along the ocean:

Alex Noren (+3500)

Noren ranks especially high in this field for the stats I looked at this week. Over the last 24 rounds, he is 18th for SG: Approach, 12th for SG: Around the Green, and second in SG: Par 4’s. Noren also ranks third in this field for SG: Putting (Bermuda grass). He’s played this event at Port Royal Golf Course once before and finished 15th, shooting four rounds in the 60’s. The current form is good as well, as he has made three straight cuts and last month finished third in Las Vegas at the Shriners Children’s Open.

Alex Smalley (+3500)

One of the better course history marks this week belongs to Smalley, as he has finished 11th and 12th the last two editions - his only two visits to Bermuda. Last year, he opened with a round of 65 on Thursday. And it makes sense, as he ranks second in this field over the last 24 rounds for SG: Total on shorter TOUR courses. He ranks third in this field for SG: Approach over the last 24-rounds, and 27th for Good Drives Gained. Currently at 58th in FedExCup Fall points, he’ll be determined to not lose ground and get himself into a pair of Signature Events in 2024. Getting off to a good start will surely be a big part of his game plan.

Kramer Hickok (+6600)

Hickok played very well last week in Mexico. He shot four rounds in the 60's, finishing 15th, but was inside the Top 10 on the leaderboard for each of the first three rounds. He opened with a 65 and was in sixth place at the conclusion of Round 1. He's very accurate off the tee, and over the last 24 rounds ranks 29th in this field for Good Drives Gained. He's also 18th for SG: Par 4's, of which this golf course has 11. This will be Hickok's fifth time playing this event. On three of the four prior visits, he has finished his first round in 26th, 15th, and 25th place. He is also 31st in this field for SG: Putting (Bermuda) over the last 24 rounds.

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