Twelve months ago, Adam Schenk stood on the 18th green at a wind-battered Port Royal and finally shed the ‘winless’ label. It took him 243 starts to claim his first PGA Tour title. Now, the Indiana native returns to Bermuda as the defending champion, but the year since hasn’t followed a fairy-tale script. Ahead of his title defense, Schenk was asked point-blank what had gone wrong, and his answer was refreshingly blunt.
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“Yeah, pretty kind of two or three years, not great results after my best year ever making East Lake. But I still believe. I’ve been working hard. Figured out some stuff the last couple of months, especially the last couple of weeks, so I’m excited going forward. I’m able to swing the club a little freer, not have to worry about some of the misses, which has been very freeing,” he told reporters.
“Golf’s not been great, but everything outside of golf’s been phenomenal.” Schenk also credited his family for bringing him peace during a difficult stretch.
“I still care a lot about golf and the results and the scores that I’m posting. They’ve been pretty abysmal this year, if that’s even a word. But I feel like I’m getting back on the right track, and this would be a great week to start that trend.”
Schenk was speaking ahead of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, which runs from October 22 to 25 at Port Royal Golf Course. The tournament has a $6 million purse, with $1.08 million going to the winner. And Schenk is back to defend the title that changed his career.
Schenk’s struggles since his best season
When Schenk referred to his “best year ever,” he was talking about 2023, when he reached the Tour Championship at East Lake. He also came close to winning that season, losing in a playoff to Emiliano Grillo at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial. It was his best season in eight years on the PGA Tour.
Since then, however, his results have slipped, and even his 2025 Bermuda victory did little to change that trend.
In 2026, Schenk has missed 16 cuts in 24 starts, with one coming from a withdrawal. Two of those came at the start of the season, at the Sony Open and The American Express. He did not make a cut until the Farmers Insurance Open in February, where he tied for 11th. That remains his best finish of the year.
Since then, the missed cuts have continued, including at THE PLAYERS Championship, the Valspar Championship, and the PGA Championship, all events he qualified for through his Bermuda victory.
A major problem has been inconsistency. At the Charles Schwab Challenge, for example, Schenk opened with a 66 before closing with a 79 to finish tied for 74th. He subsequently missed the cut at the John Deere Classic and the ISCO Championship before finishing at two-under at the 3M Open, also missing the cut.
His statistics help explain the struggles. Heading into Bermuda, Schenk ranked No. 150 on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and No. 148 in Strokes Gained on Approach. In plain terms, his driving and iron play have been letting him down, leaving him with little room to recover with his putter.
Another setback this year was a back injury. In August, Schenk withdrew from the Wyndham Championship during the second round with a lower-back injury. He did not return until the Biltmore Championship in mid-September. The injury cost him time, although it came after his missed cuts had already begun to pile up.
Can Bermuda offer a fresh start?
Despite a difficult season, if there is a course where Schenk could turn things around, it is Port Royal.
Schenk told reporters that this is his fourth visit to Bermuda and that he enjoys the course even more when the wind picks up. The layout is relatively short, but the conditions can make it a challenge. Schenk believes his ability to keep the ball low with a slight draw gives him an advantage.
“I know how to play this golf course in the wind,” he said, adding that he feels quietly confident heading into the week.
His previous results offer some encouragement. Before his victory last year, Schenk finished tied for 26th in 2021 and tied for 29th in 2023. The forecast also suggests another windy week at Port Royal, potentially playing into his strengths.
He is even sticking with the one-handed putting stroke from the fringe that he picked up last year. After a season he describes as “abysmal,” Schenk will hope the same conditions that helped him become a PGA Tour champion can help him find his form again.