Seamus Power can proudly stand tall despite seeing his goal in capturing a second Butterfield Bermuda Championship and a third PGA Tour success end with a tournament loss at the third extra play-off hole in windblown Bermuda.
Power’s goal to become the first repeat Bermuda champion ended with defeat at the hands of American rival Austin Smotherman who pared the hole to Power’s bogey but with the Irishman’s official second place finish good enough to see him comfortably secure full PGA Tour playing rights for the 2027 season.
Smotherman captured his second FedExCup Fall event of 2026 in as many starts Monday morning (local time) in outlasting Power thanks to a par on the third playoff hole to win the weather-shortened Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
The win is remarkably Smotherman’s second in successioin having captured the Bank of Utah Championship three weeks ago and his two victories offering full FedExCup points and also earning him a U.S. Open tee time next year at Pebble Beach.
SMOTHERMAN REVEALS LUCKY ‘ARROW’ NECKLESS AS SEAMUS, DESPITE @Bermuda_Champ LOSS,
PLEASED TO LOCK-IN FULL ‘2⃣7⃣ TOUR STATUS ….Austin Smotherman secures second @PGATour in as many events with 3rd hole play-off @Bermuda & reveals lucky dad’s neckless.
“It’s my dad’s necklace with a little arrowhead that he used to wear forever. He passed a couple years ago. I always have it in my golf bag,” said Smotherman.
Power leaps 71 Tour money-list places from 103rd to 68th and secure full 2027 m’ship
“That was a big goal for the fall was to get a top-100 locked up. Now I’ll have a look at the list and see if I can maybe move into that top-60 or 70, whatever that cutoff is for the first couple elevated events,” said Semus
“But really big strides for me forward like in the fall, three events, two top-10s, almost winning here, so a lot of good stuff”.
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Golf Channel/PGAT
✅ @TOURMISS
— Fatiha (@TOURMISS) October 26, 2026
Smotherman and Power were tied at 16-under 197 after 54 holes late Saturday but with Sunday’s final round soon cancelled due to a forecast of the wind to be so strong at Port Royal Golf Course that conditions would be unplayable.
As such, officials decided to end the tournament after 54 holes and for the leading pair to return to the course at 9am local time Monday. The duo thus chilled out on Sunday and returned to the course Monda ahead of making their way to the par-3 16th hole and with a strong wind still gusting off the Atlantic Ocean.
With the flag located at the back of the green, Power missed a 20-foot birdie putt for the win, and with each making par ahead of returning to the tee where the Irish golfer bravely holed an 8-foot par putt after being in a greenside bunker off the tee.
Officials then had both players return to the third hole but with the flag moved to the front of the green.
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.
And in ending the event victorious Smotherman revealed a special ‘good luck’ item he had in his bag,
“It’s my dad’s necklace with a little arrowhead that he used to wear forever. He passed a couple years ago. I always have it in my golf bag,” said Smotherman.
“The week in Utah it had somehow come out and didn’t have it. I wear it sporadically when I feel like I want him a little closer to me and this week was one of those weeks where I know he would have loved it here.
“To get a win here and be thinking about him all week was pretty cool”.
Smotherman’s win in Utah three weeks ago was his first PGA Tour title in his 100th career start. Now he has two in a row and moves to No. 51 in the FedExCup, assuring him a spot in next year’s first two $20 million Signature Events at Pebble Beach and Riviera.
As well, Smotherman earned a handsome victory cheque of $1.08m.
The consolation for Power, who was trying to become the first multiple winner of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in its eight-year history, was locking up his card for 2027.
He arrived in Bermuda lying No. 103 on the PGA Tour rankings — the top 100 at the end of Fall (Autumn) keep full status — and the runner-up finish seeing him jump to No. 68.
“This gets me back to like full status again, which was frustrating this year playing — not really knowing when you’re in, when you’re not in. That’s nice”, said Power.
“That was a big goal for the fall was to get a top-100 locked up. Now I’ll have a look at the list and see if I can maybe move into that top-60 or 70, whatever that cutoff is for the first couple elevated events.
“But really big strides for me forward like in the fall, three events, two top-10s, almost winning here, so a lot of good stuff”.
As well, Power’s first top-two result since capturing the 2022 Bermuda Championship has seen him jump 40 places to the new World No. 156.
And let’s not forfet a tidy prize cheque of $645,000 for the affable Irishman.
