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Major winner Danny Willett features in strong Euro Tour raid on the Butterfield Bermuda Championship

The Englishman is one of a host of European Tour winners looking to secure victory on the PGA Tour’s journey west.

It's not often that the top end of the betting in a PGA Tour event is quite so packed by players based on (or very recently based on) the European Tour.
But this week at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship the raiders are definitely sniffing a breakthrough.
Among those leading the charge are two recent English winners on their home circuit.

Earlier this month Danny Willett landed the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and two weeks later Matthew Fitzpatrick claimed the Andalucia Masters - now they find themselves across the Atlantic.

Fitzpatrick finds himself the tournament favourite, followed closely by South Africa's Christiaan Bezuidenhout who is seeking a victory-shaped rubber-stamp of his switch from being based in Europe to the USA.
They are far from alone in seeing this week as a golden opportunity to transform their careers.
Matthias Schwab, Guido Migliozzi, Thomas Detry, Aaron Rai and Lucas Herbert are among the European Tour regulars in attendance - alongside two Americans who have tasted success on the same circuit, David Lipsky and Kurt Kitayama.
In addition to this, three US-based golfers - Ireland's Seamus Power, Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell and Scotland's Russell Knox - are also well fancied to do well this week.

Earlier this week we addressed the chances of McDowell and Knox, Dave Tindall has taken a close look at Fitzpatrick, and tipster Jack Kelliher is very keen on Bezuidenhout.

Let's take a closer look at the rest of the European hopes.

Danny Willett

He didn't enjoy his visit to this course 12 months ago, carding 77-73 to miss the cut.
Better news was tied eighth in the Dominican Republic earlier this year on a course somewhat like this week's.
The big warning with Willett is that he's a bit of a big time Charlie when it comes to wins.
His last four read: The Masters, the DP World Tour Championship, the BMW PGA Championship and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Probably a watching brief in this week's low level event.

Kurt Kitayama

This could be a great chance for the American to settle down on his home circuit because his two wins on the European Tour came on courses similar to this week's test.
He won the 2018 Mauritius Open at a blustery Four Seasons (when carding two 65s before the cut) and he soon after landed the 2019 Oman Open. He opened with a 66 to grab the solo first round lead and confirmed the win in very windy conditions on the final day.
He's also finished fourth in high wind at Le Golf National and made a fast start in gusty conditions at the 2020 Wales Open.

And in his last start? He opened with a 66 for tied fourth on Thursday evening.

In windy conditions a very early or very late tee time can be good - Kitayama has the latter and there is even a chance that play will extend into Friday which may also help his chances of grabbing an early advantage.

David Lipsky

We might like Kitayama's chances in wind, but Lipsky has nothing short of a dreadful record when sniffing a sea breeze.
When he's played links courses on the European Tour he's missed 14 of 15 cuts and never breached the top 50. On other breezy seaside tracks he's only twice made the top 60 in seven tries.
He looks ripe for taking on in Thursday's wind and he plays Taylor Pendrith and Erik Barnes. The former leads the latter 9-5 in first round scores in 2021 and looks the man to back.

READ MORE: Spotlight on: Matt Fitzpatrick in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal

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