Chandler Blanchet shot a 9-under 62 at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda, to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
Blanchet, a PGA Tour rookie playing on his card from the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour, carded a 9-under 62 that included eagles on the par-5 7th and 17th holes, according to scorecards from ESPN and Fox Sports. He added six birdies against one bogey to open a one-shot lead over the group tied for second.
One shot back, Kohles, Silverman, Walker and Conners each posted 8-under 63 to share second, per PGA Tour leaderboards tracked by Fox Sports and ESPN. Kohles' round included a stretch of six straight birdies, according to Golf Channel. Silverman and Walker were both bogey-free, the same report said.
Two tiers back, Hughes, Byrd, Kim, Grillo and Novak carded 64 to sit at 7 under, according to the same leaderboards. The round is complete, with Blanchet's 62 standing as the low score of the day; I've learned not to read too much into who's on top after one round, but a one-shot cushion going into Friday still counts for something.
The Butterfield Bermuda Championship carries a $6 million purse this week, the same total as 2025, with the winner's share set at $1.08 million, according to GolfMagic and PGATour.com's published payout breakdowns.
Port Royal Golf Course has hosted the Bermuda Championship every year since the event's debut in 2019, playing to a par of 71 at 6,828 yards (6,244m), according to Rotowire and Wikipedia. The course's signature hole is the 16th, a 235-yard (215m) par 3 that plays from a cliff tee over the Atlantic Ocean. Ernie Els, after playing it, said "that could easily be the toughest hole you'll ever play in your life," according to PGA Tour's course coverage.
Brendon Todd won the inaugural event in 2019, closing at 24 under (260) to set the tournament's 72-hole scoring record, according to Wikipedia and thegolfnewsnet.com. Brian Gay won a playoff in 2020. Lucas Herbert took the title in 2021, and Seamus Power won in 2022. Camilo Villegas matched Todd's scoring record in 2023, also finishing at 24 under (260), the same two sources show. Rafael Campos won in 2024.
Adam Schenk won last year's edition for his first PGA Tour title, in his 243rd start on tour, beating Chandler Phillips by one shot after a final-round 71. He finished at 12 under (272), carding rounds of 69, 65, 67 and 71, and earned the $1.08 million winner's share from that year's $6 million purse, according to ESPN Africa and Rotowire.
Blanchet is a 2026 PGA Tour rookie, having earned his card through the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour, where he won twice, the Price Cutter Charity Championship in July 2025 and the Korn Ferry Tour Championship that October, according to PGA Tour's Korn Ferry Tour coverage and Rotowire. He has no PGA Tour win yet; his best finish this season is a solo second at the Puerto Rico Open in March, behind Ricky Castillo, according to GolfToday and Rotowire. He played college golf at the University of West Florida, according to UWF's athletics site and Golf Monthly.
One shot back, three of the four chasers have never won on the PGA Tour; Conners is the exception. Kohles took two Korn Ferry Tour titles in 2023, the Astara Chile Classic and the HomeTown Lenders Championship, the latter a sudden-death playoff win over Silverman, who is tied with him at 8 under this week, and Kohles was named that tour's Player of the Year for the season, according to PGA Tour's Korn Ferry Tour coverage. Silverman's best PGA Tour finishes are a tie for third at the Bank of Utah Championship and fourth at the Procore Championship, both in 2024, per PGA Tour betting profiles and Rotowire.
Walker was a rookie on the PGA Tour in 2025. His best finish that season came in October, a tie for third at the Sanderson Farms Championship, where he closed with a 69, and he also tied for sixth at the Players Championship, according to Golf.com and Rotowire.
Conners has two PGA Tour wins, both at the Valero Texas Open, in 2019 and again in 2023, when he won by one stroke over Sam Stevens. His best major finish is a tie for sixth at the 2022 Masters, according to Wikipedia and a wire report carried by Fox Sports.
The top 70 players after the 2026 FedEx Cup Playoffs have already locked in their 2027 PGA Tour cards, according to thegolfnewsnet.com.
Chandler Blanchet leads outright at 9 under (62) after the first round, one shot ahead of the group tied for second, per PGA Tour and ESPN leaderboards.
The Butterfield Bermuda Championship is being played at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda.
The purse is $6 million, the same total as 2025, with a winner's share of $1.08 million, according to GolfMagic and PGATour.com.
Ben Kohles, Ben Silverman, Danny Walker and Corey Conners are tied for second at 8 under (63), one shot behind leader Chandler Blanchet, per PGA Tour leaderboards.
Brendon Todd set the 72-hole scoring record at 24 under (260) when he won the inaugural event in 2019. Camilo Villegas matched that mark in 2023. No one has beaten it, according to Wikipedia and thegolfnewsnet.com.
For another PGA Tour first-round recap, see St. Jude Rd 1: Five Share Lead, McIlroy Stumbles to 74.
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