PGA Tour FAIL to fill the field for Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Only 127 players will tee it up at Port Royal Golf Club tomorrow for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, despite there being 500 FedEx Cup points up for grabs.
The PGA Tour has failed to fill the 132-man field this week for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, with all alternate options being exhausted.
After a series of ins and outs where players such as 2019 Bermuda Championship winner Brendan Todd, Cameron Young and Lucas Glover were among the first names to fall.
They were replaced by players who were barely known to the golfing public, but then these alternate players began to withdraw.
The Bermuda Championship is now a full-field event that offers 500 FedEx Cup points, due to the cancellation of the WGC-HSBC Champions in China.
RELATED: ODYSSEY LAUNCH SMALL BATCH OF PHIL MICKELSON'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING PUTTER
The PGA Tour informed Golf.com that they do not intend to fill the five spots that are not filled in the 132-man field.
A reason for the vast number of withdrawals that is easy to point to is the Covid-19 pandemic. And it is a very good reason, despite Bermuda being a luxury paradise and a popular tourist destination.
It may be difficult for the players to get settled on the island and suss out Port Royal and put in sufficient practise to get prepared for the tournament.
It isn't an easy place to get to as we have seen with defending champion Brian Gay, who was bumped off his flight to Bermuda on Monday as a result of an 'overweight plane'.
In terms of Bermuda's Covid-19 policies, players must show proof of vaccination or have undergone a two-week quarantine period.
RELATED: TOM BRADY? TONY ROMO? WHO IS THE BEST GOLFER FROM THE NFL?
The PGA Tour does not require its players to receive their full vaccinations and they reported that over 70% of players were vaccinated by the start of August.
Last-minute additions to the field faced the issue of providing a negative Covid-19 test before arriving at the island. They are then required to be re-tested upon arrival in Bermuda.
As you can see, the hoops that have to be jumped through to play at the Bermuda Championship may have been just too much to tolerate for many of the players.
