American Kevin Hall shot an incredible bogey-free round of 64 to win the Butterfield Bermuda APGA Championship at Port Royal Golf Course yesterday.

Hall, who is the first deaf golfer to play on the APGA Tour, produced seven birdies to finish the tournament two under and beat overnight leader Chase Johnson by two strokes. He secured qualification for the 2025 Butterfield Bermuda Championship and the first prize of $15,000.

The 42-year-old, who went into the final round five shots off the lead, sank birdies on the 3rd, 5th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th and 14th holes to surge eight places to the top of the leaderboard.

“I’m really excited as yesterday wasn’t a wonderful day for me,” Hall told The Royal Gazette.

“A lot of it had to do with the weather because I had a hard time with the speed of the greens, but I came back today and focused on my game, made adjustments by making my putting a little bit firmer and I pulled it off.

“Because of the wind and the way the course was playing, I was focused on keeping the ball in front of me. I had a good feel with my putter so if I gave myself the opportunity, I felt like I could make it.”

In the coming months, Hall will keep his fingers crossed that the dates for the PGA Tour event in Bermuda do not conflict with the Deaflympics in Japan.

“I’m going to represent the US in next year’s Deaflympics in Japan,” Hall said.

“We just have to make sure the dates fall in line as there might be a clash but we’re not sure yet. Representing the US as a deaf person is huge for me. I’ll be one of three players and that’s been on my bucket list for a very long time.”

Johnson, who finished with an even-par 71, had to settle for runner-up for the second year in a row, with the 28-year-old Floridian pocketing $7,500.

“I believe I played really well, but unfortunately I didn’t make the putts that I made yesterday,’’ he said.

“I was a little bit too aggressive with a birdie chance on the 14th, and from 20 feet, I hit five feet behind and it leapt out coming back. I also pulled it into the water on the famous 16th hole here, so the ocean got me on that one.

“I missed an eagle putt on the 17th and I wasn’t able to birdie 18. I knew I had to hole it from the fairway on the 18th and I hit it to 30 feet, it was a good shot, but just not good enough.

“You can never be upset if someone beats you. I didn’t really give it away, he came and took it.

“I tried to take advantage of the par-five holes, unfortunately, that incident on the 18th yesterday came back to haunt me. If we had found that ball on time, it could have been a different story.”

Of the three Bermudians in the field of 20, Adam Perry finished highest and was tied for fourteenth. The 21-year-old, who recently turned professional, took home $1,500.

“It’s exciting to be the best Bermudian at this event and I’m happy with an even-par in better conditions,” Perry said.

“I was just let down by my performance yesterday, but this event was a learning experience for me.

“I appreciate the invitation, it gives me a lot going into events such as the Bermuda Goodwill coming up. I enjoyed playing with foreign players, it’s not that often that I get to compare my game against foreign people on home soil.”

Scott Roy finished nineteenth at 17 over to pick up $1,000 in his maiden APGA event.

“I still struggled with my balance in hitting shots, but I believe I played better today,” the 44-year-old said.

“This was my first time playing in the APGA, it’s a great organisation and I like what they’re doing. I met a lot of great guys out there that are trying to make it on tour and doing their thing, which was a lot of fun to see.”

Quinton Sherlock Jr, also appearing on the APGA Tour for the first time, was twentieth and pocketed the same amount as Roy.

“I putted better, felt more comfortable and confident on the greens, but I just couldn’t put the pieces together,” he said.

“I take it like that and I’m happy that I teach golf for a living. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to play in this APGA, I loved the experience and I like to play competitive golf, even though sometimes it gets frustrating when things don’t go your way.”