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Oliver Betschart may not be a household name in the world of golf yet, but he is destined to make headlines sooner rather than later. In fact, he already is.
Betschart has qualified for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, which will be played November 9-12 at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda. The 15-year-old is a native of the country and will play as a local.
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To qualify, Betschart competed in a 54-hole qualifying tournament held at the Port Royal Golf Course itself. The first 36 holes were played on Tuesday, with the decisive round on Wednesday.
According to Bernews, Oliver Bertschart finished the first day (two rounds) in T9 with a score of 6-over 42, six shots off the lead. However, he played an outstanding third round of -3 to move up to second place overall. His final score was 3-over 57.
This earned Betschart one of the three available spots in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. The other qualifiers were Eric West, who won the qualifying event, and Scott Roy, who tied for second with the rising star.
About his qualification, Oliver Betschart said to The Royal Gazette:
“This has been my goal for the whole year. And now it’s finally true and it’s hard to accept it but I am really excited. … Last year I was up here working with the tournament staff and seeing all the work that goes on and I am really happy to be a part of it this year."
Betschart will be the fifth-youngest player in the PGA Tour in more than 20 years and the youngest since 2014. Only Michelle Wie, Tianlang Guan, Andy Zhang and Lorens Chan were younger.
Oliver Betschart's golf career
Oliver Betschart has been excelling at the local level for a number of years, although the 2022 season was the one that saw him stand out above his age group.
In 2022, Betschart won the Port Royal Golf Club Championship, becoming the youngest player to do so (he was 14 at the time). This and other achievements did not go unnoticed by the local and some international media.
It is no coincidence that Oliver Betschart has made impressive leaps in his development. Step by step, he made his way to the higher junior circuits, including the European one. On this continent, he stood out in 2022 and the current season.
Between May and August 2023, Betschart played five tournaments on the Swiss circuit and one in France, with exceptional results. He finished this period with second place, two third places, and another top 20 position as his best results. His least remarkable performance was the Swiss Golf Junior Tour 3, where he finished T40.
The Butterfield Bermuda Championship is a tournament that has been played in the fall segment of the PGA Tour season since 2019. Its winners have been Brendon Todd (2019), Brian Gay (2020), Lucas Herbert (2021) and Seamus Power (2022).
It is played on the 6,828-yard, par-71 Port Royal Golf Club course, which was established in 1970. The course underwent a Roger Rulewich-led renovation in 2009 that added approximately 300 yards.
