Adam Hadwin of Canada counteracted a double bogey with a late eagle and held onto the lead at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship on Friday in Southampton, Bermuda.
Play was suspended late Friday afternoon due to darkness, with six players one or two holes away from completing their second rounds. They’ll finish up Saturday morning, before the third round goes off the first and 10th tees at Port Royal Golf Course.
Hadwin posted an eagle and a birdie during his final four holes to shoot a 5-under 66, moving to 11-under 131 for the event. That was good for a one-shot lead over Chandler Phillips (second-round 64) and Braden Thornberry (65) at the halfway point of the tournament.
“I’m making the 5- to 7-footers for par, making the putts from 10 to 12 feet when I hit good shots into holes,” Hadwin said Friday. “That’s been missing. … It’s just nice to see the ball rolling into the hole a little bit more. I think the more it does that, it kind of frees up everything else as well, you don’t have to be as perfect. So far it’s been pretty good.”
Hadwin, 38, is trying to salvage his least successful year on the PGA Tour. He entered the week No. 147 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings, and only the top 100 at the end of the fall will be guaranteed their tour cards for 2026. A win, of course, would give Hadwin a two-year exemption as he seeks to remain a fully exempt PGA Tour member for the 12th straight season.
Hadwin began his round on the back nine and had a lost-ball penalty at the par-3 13th that led to a double bogey. But after playing the first nine holes in even par, he notched three birdies on the front nine along with dunking an eagle at the par-4 sixth.
“I got aggressive,” Hadwin said. “I thought with sort of that back right middle pin, the bunkers were no issue in the cover with the slight wind change today and I thought just push it up there and get within 50, 60 yards of the green and just kind of pitch back up to that pin.
“… It came off perfectly, the pitch shot did. I mean, again, you’re a little bit lucky to kind of make it, but I did exactly what I wanted to do.”
Phillips is in a spot similar to Hadwin entering the week at No. 139 in the points race. He overcame an opening bogey by notching an eagle at the par-5 17th hole along with six birdies.
“I don’t press too much,” Phillips said. “I’m just one of those guys that’s just like, I’m just going to take what the course gives me and if it’s good, it’s good. If it’s bad, you know what, get me out of here, you know? It’s just kind of one of those things.”
Tied for fourth are Noah Goodwin (67) and Max McGreevy (64) at 9 under par. Adam Schenk shot a 65 Friday and is alone in sixth at 8 under.
Missing the projected cut line of even par were defending champion Rafael Campos of Puerto Rico (1 over), Frenchmen Victor Perez (1 over) and Matthieu Pavon (4 over), and Cameron Champ (8 over).
–Field Level Media
