Eight amateurs teed it up at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Three of them were still there on the weekend, and two of them finished inside the top 20 of a PGA Tour event.
BYU's Kihei Akina and Tennessee's Rudy Sautron tied for low amateur honors at T-17, both at 10-under 203, after the PGA Tour made the event official at 54 holes. High winds wiped out Sunday's final round at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, with gusts topping 40 mph, and with more weather in Monday's forecast the Tour called the results final through three rounds. Austin Smotherman and Seamus Power, tied at 16 under, will settle the title in a sudden-death playoff Monday morning.
Miles Russell, the 17-year-old world No. 6 who returned to Bermuda on a sponsor's exemption, made the cut on the number and finished T-64.
Akina keeps it going
Akina has made a habit of this. Three weeks ago the BYU sophomore finished ninth at the Bank of Utah Championship at 20 under, his first top-10 on the PGA Tour. In Bermuda he opened 66-67 to sit inside the top 20 at the halfway mark, then held his ground in Saturday's wind with a 1-under 70.
That's two straight PGA Tour starts inside the top 20 for a college sophomore.
Sautron's best round came last
Sautron, a University of Tennessee player from Réunion, the French island in the Indian Ocean, earned his invitation by winning the Monroe Invitational in July. He set the tournament record there at 19 under and won by seven.
At Port Royal he got better every day. After opening 69-67, he posted a 4-under 67 on Saturday, the best amateur round of the third round, to climb into the tie with Akina.
Russell gets his Bermuda weekend
Two years ago, at 15, Russell shot 73-74 and missed the cut at Port Royal. This time he opened with a 67 and followed with a 70 to finish 36 holes at 5-under 137, right on the cut line.
Saturday was tougher. Russell shot 2-over 73 in the wind and finished at 3-under 210. It's still another pro weekend in a year that has included his first PGA Tour cut at the Puerto Rico Open, a T-39 at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills and a spot on the 2026 USA Walker Cup team.
The amateurs who missed
Mason Howell, also in on a sponsor's exemption, rebounded from an opening 72 with a 68 but finished at 2-under 140, three shots outside the cut. Nixon Lauritzen, who earned his spot by winning the Golfweek National Invitational, and Jay Leng both finished at 3-over 145.
Austin Lemieux, who Monday-qualified with a 66 in Florida for his first PGA Tour start, shot 72-74. Virgilio Paz, who earned his start by winning the Bermuda Open, shot 78-73.
Amateur results
| Pos. | Player | Scores | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-17 | Kihei Akina | 66-67-70 | 203 | -10 |
| T-17 | Rudy Sautron | 69-67-67 | 203 | -10 |
| T-64 | Miles Russell | 67-70-73 | 210 | -3 |
| MC | Mason Howell | 72-68 | 140 | -2 |
| MC | Nixon Lauritzen | 71-74 | 145 | +3 |
| MC | Jay Leng | 71-74 | 145 | +3 |
| MC | Austin Lemieux | 72-74 | 146 | +4 |
| MC | Virgilio Paz | 78-73 | 151 | +9 |
Port Royal played to a par of 71. The 36-hole cut fell at 5-under 137.