Fantasy Advice

Bermuda Championship DFS picks 2023: I'm playing the Lucas Glover revenge angle

November 07, 2023
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - AUGUST 13:  Lucas Glover reads his putt with his caddie Tom Lamb on the 18th hole green during the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs, at TPC Southwind on August 13, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

This is the penultimate event of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup fall season, and it will be played at Port Royal Golf Course, one of the most unique courses on the schedule. It’s incredibly short by PGA Tour standards, listed at only 6,828 yards for a par 71. Included in that setup are massive greens about 8,000 square feet on average.

The path to success at Port Royal has generally been wedge play and putting but keep an eye out for winds to kick up this week, which could create a layer of chaos.

Here are all the players who have my interest—and those who certainly don’t—this week at the 2023 Bermuda Championship:

Golfers I'm Definitely Playing

Akshay Bhatia ($10,000 DraftKings)

It was another solid finish for Bhatia in Cabo (T-10), which makes it four straight events this fall where his finishing positions have improved in each start. He’s a sensational scorer who thrives in tropical locations. He has played this event once, finishing T-17 last year.

Lucas Glover ($9,500 DraftKings)

Glover disappointed with a T-59 last week in Cabo, but this golf course is a much better setup for him. He’s elite with his wedges, ranking inside the top 20 in basically every proximity bucket under 125 yards. I still worry that his putter is inconsistent, but if he rolls it well this week, we know he's one of the most capable winners in this field. The Ryder Cup angle might put you over the edge as well.

More from Golf Digest

Harry Hall ($7,600 DraftKings)

1770923225

Orlando Ramirez

There are really only two things that Hall does better than his PGA Tour peers—hitting shots from 125 yards and closer and gaining strokes with the putter. Luckily for Harry, those are the two most critical factors around Port Royal. With two top-26 finishes in his past three starts, Hall should be feeling plenty confident when he tees it up this week.

Justin Lower ($7,600 DraftKings)

Lower bookended his week in Cabo with a pair of 65s—helping him to a T-23 finish. He ranks ninth on tour this season on putts from 15 to 20 feet, per the RickRunGood.com golf database, which is where plenty of birdie opportunities will come from at Port Royal. If he can clean up his bad holes, he’ll have a chance to contend this week.

Brian Gay ($6,700 DraftKings)

1736171445

Mike Mulholland

Nobody plays Port Royal like Brian Gay. There are eight golfers in this field who have played at least 14 rounds at this course, and Gay is simply lapping the field. He’s gained 2.68 strokes per round in 16 rounds, and there is no other golfer above 1.61 strokes/round on that list, per the RickRunGood.com golf database.

Golfers I Might Play

Brendon Todd ($10,300 DraftKings)

1608040541

Jason Allen/ISI Photos

Todd is always a threat in Bermuda, where he won in 2019. His ability to wedge it close—he ranks ninth from 50-125 yards, and his scorching hot putter will give him ample opportunity to separate from the field this week.

Ben Griffin ($9,300 DraftKings)

Griffin’s game is rounding into form, earning four top-25 finishes in his past seven starts, highlighted by a T-2 in Jackson earlier this fall. He’s not the best wedge player on the PGA Tour, but he’s better from those ranges compared to longer shots, which should help hide his weaknesses this week. He can putt well and has plenty of scoring power to try and replicate his T-3 from last year.

Alex Smalley ($8,900 DraftKings)

1720772107

Jonathan Bachman

Smalley has been inconsistent and his putter is a big question mark, but the upside is obvious. He finished T-16 in Jackson and has a T-11 and T-12 in his two trips to Bermuda. He will go as far as the putter allows him as he’s proven to be one of the better ball-strikers in this field whenever everything goes right.

Austin Smotherman ($7,200 DraftKings)

Smotherman closed with a 64 on Sunday in Cabo, the third-best score of the final round. That jumped him to T-23 and marked two straight top-35 finishes. He’s a talented second-shot golfer who can catch fire in short spurts. He earned a T-23 at this event last year and should enter with plenty of confidence.

Satoshi Kodaira ($6,800 DraftKings)

Kodaira could certainly attack Port Royal with his wedges. He’s one of the best players in the world from 125 yards and in. The question will be the flatstick, which routinely gives him trouble. He’s played four times this fall—two missed cuts, a T-30 in Napa and a T-12 in Tokyo.

Golfers I'm Fading

Lucas Herbert ($9,800 DraftKings)

1776693164

Hector Vivas

This is a bit expensive for a golfer who has one top-25 finishes in his past 11 starts, but he’s getting a boost for winning this event in 2021. Since then, his approach play has really taken a step back, and he’ll be very reliant on his best skill—putting—if he wants to contend again this week.

Luke List ($9,200 DraftKings)

List thrives on courses where he can bomb it and hit lots of long irons … think: Torrey Pines. This is quite the opposite and will ask List to hit wedges, where he struggles, and make more putts than his peers. Those are big questions without many answers.

Ryan Palmer ($8,500 DraftKings)

Palmer’s T-5 in Cabo last week looks more like an outlier than a trend. That was his first top-30 finish since the AT&T Byron Nelson, which was 10 events prior. His statistical profile has crumbled, losing strokes from tee-to-green in five of his past six events, and he doesn’t have the putting prowess to make up for it.

David Lipsky ($7,400 DraftKings)

1773564391

Orlando Ramirez

Lipsky has always struggled with his putter, routinely losing multiple strokes to the field in a single event. Now, his tee-to-green play is no longer carrying him, and it has resulted in zero finishes inside the top 30 over his past 12 events.

Kevin Tway ($6,900 DraftKings)

Tway hasn’t been that bad, but he’s just missing nearly every single cut. He’s failed to make the weekend in six of his past seven starts despite losing two-plus strokes to the field only twice during that stretch. So while he’s close to making cuts, it’s just not happening for him and he’s even farther away from true contention.

Rick Gehman, founder of RickRunGood.com and the RickRunGood YouTube Channel, is one of the industry’s leading experts on golf DFS and gambling. Gehman is co-host of the First Cut Podcast and appears regularly on the Pat Mayo Experience golf podcasts. Follow him on Twitter: @RickRunGood.