Austin Smotherman prepped for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship by playing in a member-guest last week. Arjun Atwal played in his home club’s weekly Friday game. It may not sound like the typical way to get ready for a PGA Tour event but there’s no arguing with their results. On a day when the wind off the Atlantic Ocean decided to lay down and the conditions were ripe for scoring, Smotherman shot a career-low 9-under 62 at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda, to share the first-round lead with rookie Harrison Endycott, who bogeyed his first two holes but rallied with two eagles. They are a stroke better than six golfers, including Atwal, who wasn’t even in the field when he woke up Thursday morning, and Adam Schenk, who drove to the airport without his clubs and had to re-book his flight.
“We got blessed today with a beautiful day on the island,” said Smotherman.
