Tour Pro Hits Pitching Wedge Mere Feet In Front Of Him As Players Battle Insane Wind And Rain At PGA Tour Event

Players faced some challenging conditions as they prepared for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship

The Butterfield Bermuda Championship flag and insets of Jake Peacock
Players faced challenging conditions preparing for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship
(Image credit: Getty/Instagram @philshomocoaching)
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The penultimate of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Fall events, the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, takes place at Port Royal this week, but to say preparations have been disrupted by strong winds and heavy rain would be an understatement.

Videos posted to Instagram show three players in the field, defending champion Rafael Campos, Luke Clanton and Jake Peacock, preparing for the tournament, where they spend the time battling the elements.

In the case of Campos and Peacock, a video shared by Grow The Grind sets the tone with Clanton’s golf bag tipping over in the wind before following the pair as they attempt nine holes at the course.

Remarkably, even that footage didn’t quite show the severity of the inclement weather, with another video, shared by coach Phil Shoma, documenting Peacock’s attempts to hit his ball into the wind at the range with a pitching wedge.

The former University of South Florida player Monday qualified for the event for his maiden PGA Tour appearance, but the conditions must have left him questioning his life choices as he stepped onto the range.

He attempted a full swing with his club, which would typically result in a distance of around 145 yards. However, instead, following his shot, Peacock, who has been playing on the PGA Tour Americas this year, first lost sight of the ball in the grey skies before it reappeared rolling back towards him.

So, what kind of weather can players expect when the action gets underway? The outlook suggests unsettled weather at best.

Rafael Campos with the Butterfield Bermuda Championship trophy

Rafael Campos is the defending champion

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Thursday could have gusts of wind of up to 30 mph, but at least it should stay dry. On Friday, players can expect slightly calmer conditions but overcast skies before the heavier wind and rain returns on Saturday, finishing with partly cloudy skies but more 30 mph winds on Sunday.

Michael Brennan, who won the Utah Bank Championship last month, is the highest-ranked player in the field, at 40th, while there is a $6m purse to compete for, with $1.08m going to the winner.

Judging by the conditions in the build-up and the forecast for the tournament, whoever does lift the trophy on Sunday evening will have earned it.

Mike Hall
Mike Hall
News Writer

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 


He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 


Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 


Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.

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