Austin Smotherman needed 100 starts to win his first PGA Tour event. He needed only one more to win his second. With the first victory he answered questions in his own mind. On Monday morning, after beating Seamus Power a third playoff hole in the weather-shortened Butterfield Bermuda Championship, he answered questions about why he felt the need to keep playing in fall tournaments.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people were asking me coming into this week, \u2018What are you doing, you just won, you locked up a bunch of stuff?\u2019 But like I said, we\u2019re doing a lot of good things and we want to come to a beautiful spot that I have some good history at playing here,\u201d Smotherman said. \u201cPort Royal, Bermuda, everything, it\u2019s easy to enjoy this week and that\u2019s what our goal was.\u201d<\/p>\n
And now the former SMU golfer can enjoy the spoils of riding a hot hand.<\/p>\n
Smotherman, 32, collected $1.08 million and joined Matt Fitzpatrick in winning tour events in consecutive starts in 2026. He\u2019s now exempt through 2029 in the Championship Series that the tour is introducing in 2028\u2014which is huge. He rises from 66th to 54th in the World Ranking, edging closer to a Masters berth that he could earn if he finishes the year inside the top 50. (He was 121st before winning the Bank of Utah Championship earlier in the month.) Finally, he is 51st in the FedEx Cup Fall standings, almost assuredly locking up starts in the first two signature events of 2027.<\/p>\n
Smotherman and Power completed 54 holes at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda, on a windblown Saturday with some impressive play. With gusts near 40 miles per hour, Smotherman shot a five-under 66 while Power, who won this event in 2022, carded 67 to end up deadlocked at 16-under 197. When heavier winds strafed Port Royal on Sunday\u2014and with more predicted for Monday\u2014the tour canceled the final round, setting up a sudden-death playoff.<\/p>\n
The two men squared off at the par-3 16th hole along the Atlantic Ocean with winds still buffeting the course. After each twice made par on the hole set up at 178 yards\u2014with Power getting a sand save with a six-footer the second time\u2014the pin was moved to the front of the green, setting up a shot of 152 yards. Power again missed the green, this time into thick rough. He hacked out to 16 feet and missed. Smotherman, who had the honor throughout, two-putted from 14 feet for the victory.<\/p>\n
Austin Smotherman began this month with zero PGA Tour wins. He now has two PGA Tour wins.<\/p>\n
“Stop it.” \ud83d\ude02 pic.twitter.com\/d5yIAymbm9<\/a><\/p>\n