The purse of the Bermuda Championships has been bumped up by $1 million, with $720,000 of the $4 million up for grabs to be awarded to the winner of the event at Port Royal Golf Course next month.

Organisers have also announced that the field has expanded from 120 to 132 players, while the FedEx Cup points awarded to the winner have been increased from 300 to 500.

The developments come after the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, an event scheduled the same week as the Championships, was cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Scheduled for October 26 to November 1, the PGA Tour event will also feature standard full-field eligibility, including top-ranked PGA Tour members.

Brendon Todd was the winner of last year’s inuagural event, from a field of 120 professionals, which included five Bermudians.

“The Bermuda Tourism Authority was thrilled last year to secure this pinnacle golf event for five years for the island’s tourism industry and community,” said Victoria Isley, chief sales and marketing officer of the Bermuda Tourism Authority.

“We originally set sights on a PGA Tour partnership due to the significant economic benefit of the event itself — that garnered $22.6 million in total value in its inaugural year in 2019 — and the worldwide exposure to their audience that perfectly aligns with Bermuda’s visitor targets.

“By working with the PGA Tour and Bruno Event Team closely throughout the pandemic, we are proud to collectively step up to host and deliver a full-field event including some of the world’s top golfers in Bermuda.”

Ty Votaw, the PGA Tour executive vice-president, said: “Our players enjoyed a wonderful experience in the inaugural year of the Bermuda Championship and we look forward to continued growth and interest in the event in year two.

“We appreciate the continued collaboration and partnership with the Bermuda Tourism Authority in making the enhancements for the 2020 tournament.”

Sean Sovacool, tournament director, added: “This has been a challenging year and we want to recognise the efforts of the PGA Tour, its tournaments, players and all involved in creating a safe environment for competition.

“Bermuda has done a remarkable job of keeping its citizens safe and we have a great opportunity to showcase that. We are dedicated to producing a successful and safe tournament experience for Bermuda and the PGA Tour.”

All four rounds will be televised on the Golf Channel.