Professional athletes are advised to focus on the process over the destination for the simple reason that they influence only their next task at hand. Getting caught up in goals in the midst of a competition is a recipe for failure. Survival over achievement begs for mind over matter.

Now toss into the equation that the Butterfield Bermuda Championship was the penultimate stop of the 2025 season. For PGA TOUR members not yet certain where they will be playing most often in 2026, the pressure to perform is at a boil. And then, for sadistic giggles, require those same hopefuls to go to work in steady winds of 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.

Adam Schenk not only survived, he also achieved. In posting 12-under 272 at Port Royal Golf Course in the exposed expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, he prevailed by one stroke over Chandler Phillips. It’s Schenk’s first PGA TOUR title in 243 career starts and the 16th breakthrough on the circuit this season.

Schenk arrived on the western edge of Bermuda slotted 134th in the FedExCup and having implemented a one-handed putting stroke in an attempt to fend off the demons. Consider that it was just two years ago when he was among the 30 qualifiers for the TOUR Championship in which 2025 FedExCup champion Tommy Fleetwood was the only other non-winner at the time. Schenk had just become a first-time father, so he was at the peak of his personal and professional lives. His second child was born on Valentine’s Day this year, but his love for the winner’s circle at his day job no longer is unrequited as of Sunday.

With 500 FedExCup points added, Schenk now sits 67th in the FedExCup and about 57 points outside the bubble for the Aon Next 10. He also banks $1,080,000 and reloads on exemptions into THE PLAYERS Championship and PGA Championship in 2026. He’s now exempt on the PGA TOUR as a winner through his age-35 season of 2027. The Indiana native was a cool +10000 to prevail pre-tournament at FanDuel.

Phillips driver

The runner-up finish is a career-best for Phillips as well, and it lifts him to 92nd in the FedExCup with only The RSM Classic remaining on the docket. He was available at +8000 to win within a few hours of the beginning of the first round. The 28-year-old finished 94th in the FedExCup in his rookie season of 2024 and also with one podium, but the T3 was early in the season at the Valspar Championship, so this was his foray in the fire as it were in the big leagues.

You get a bronze, and you get a bronze ...

Count ‘em, five guys shared third place at Port Royal, all of whom were also chasing what Schenk snagged – a maiden title on the PGA TOUR.

• In terms of the odds to win, Vince Whaley was the shortest among them at +2700. It makes sense given that he had an active streak of 17 straight paydays. The T3 is his fourth top 10 of the run and seventh top 20.
• Alex Smalley was next-shortest of the T3s at +3500. It’s his second top-four finish in three starts and carries on the narrative of an all-or-nothing season. He’s missed a dozen cuts in 27 starts, while nine of his 15 paydays are top 20s.
• Max McGreevy was attractive at +4000. His recent form while straddling the top-100 bubble throughout the FedExCup Fall has been solid, but he’s now safe at 89th. If there’s a rub, it’s that he’s not defending his title at the Dunlop Phoenix on the Japan Golf Tour this week. When he won that prestigious event last year, he had already secured his 2025 PGA TOUR card via the Korn Ferry Tour. This year’s priority was to re-up, so he’s committed to The RSM Classic.
• Takumi Kanaya was authoring his own surge that was sparked in his homeland with a win in Japan in mid-September. The owner of the lowest ball flight on the PGA TOUR (among qualified members) was +4500 to win. He’s now 99th in the FedExCup. While not officially a rookie because he made nine starts as a non-member in 2021-22, this is his first season as a member.
• Despite sharing this portion of the podium, Frankie Capan III (+20000) loses this round of musical chairs. He’s the only member of the quintet who remains outside the bubble at 124th. It’s the second third-place finish of his rookie year and fourth top 15, but he’s missed 16 cuts and landed at T45 or worse in the others.

This, that and the other

• Facing his own uncertain future, 10-season veteran Adam Hadwin (+10000) positioned himself atop the leaderboard after the first and second rounds, but he closed in 71-75 to settle at T11. He’s now 138th in the FedExCup.
• Tournament favorite Rico Hoey (+1700) finished T22. It’s his fourth straight top 25 and fifth of the FedExCup Fall.
• A year ago, in one of the best stories of the year, Rafael Campos became a father and a first-time winner on the PGA TOUR in the same week. He was +20000 to successfully defend his title but missed the cut on the number.

That’s the ticket!

This section reflects which bets endorsed by the Golfbet team cashed and where you could find them.

Q: Was the winner in my Power Rankings?

A: No. In his only appearance in a Power Rankings this season, Adam Schenk finished T45 at the Puerto Rico Open.

Expert Picks

• Casey Johnston: Vince Whaley (T3) – Top 10 (+360)

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