Will Haddrell, Kenny Leseur and Oliver Betschart survived a punishing day at Port Royal Golf Course on Wednesday to secure the three places available at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

The trio coped best with the blustery conditions and some tricky pin placements scattered around the Southampton golf course.

Haddrell, who was the joint-leader overnight, finished as the top qualifier at two-over 144 followed by Leseur (146) and Betschart (147), another with a share of the lead at the halfway stage of the 36-hole Local Qualifier.

Haddrell was tied for first with Leseur heading to the fourteenth hole and managed to break away for good as the lead swapped hands for the third time of the round after the latter made double bogey.

Betschart dropped a shot at the same hole to keep things interesting at the top of the leaderboard with 16-year-old Johnny Bart and past qualifiers Camiko Smith, Jarryd Dillas and Nick Jones still in the hunt.

Bart, Smith and Dillas eventually dropped off the pace, while Jones also came up short despite carding birdies at 16 and 17.

With the finish in sight, Haddrell, Leseur and Betschart parred the last four holes to clinch their spot in the main PGA Tour event, which take place at the same venue next month.

After several near misses, amateur Haddrell is delighted to finally get his chance to play in the big tournament.

“I’ve been in the final group three or four times and missed out on the play-off last year, so it’s about time for me,” Haddrell told The Royal Gazette.

“I was telling myself that I was still a decent golfer and it was my time, so I had to do it. I came through and it feels great.

“I am a little shocked, but I knew I could do it and can’t wait to play in the event in front of friends and family and try to make a cut for Bermuda.

“I finished college golf 20 years ago and played a bit of amateur golf here, but I never really took it too seriously and never thought I’d play in a PGA Tour event.

“We are so lucky being Bermudian to get to enter this event, have this opportunity and I’ve finally done it.”

The 42-year old was flawless on the back nine, which he played at one under after carding his only birdie of the round at the 11th hole.

“The front nine was tough,” he said. “I lost three lost balls so I had to keep my head together on the back nine. I shot one under on the back nine and I’ll always take that around there in that wind, so I’m happy.”

Newly turned professional Leseur is also delighted to have qualified for the main event, in his case for the second time.

“It feels good to be back,” he said.

“It wasn’t too great as I only made three birdies over the two rounds but I limited my mistakes pretty well.

“It’s always tough on the back nine, but I’ve been there plenty of times with the lead or about to lead with a few holes left, so I know what to do.”

Leseur, 21, refused to panic after carding a double bogey at the 14th.

“I hit a bad drive and had to take an unplayable but I kept my head down and hit good shots on the remaining holes,” he said. “I knew where I stood on 17 and knew I just had to go par, par to finish.

“I refocused on myself after the 15th and that was really my first main mistake of the day. Up until to that point I played pretty well, so I wasn’t going to let that one shot ruin the rest of the round. Once I knew where I stood it made me focus even more for the last two holes.”

Also qualifying for a second Butterfield Bermuda Championship was amateur Betschart, who became the youngest Bermudian to compete in the PGA Tour event at the age of 15 in 2023.

“It’s exhilarating and it’s going to be a long month until the event, but I am just going to enjoy it,” he said.

“This is my second time qualifying now so I know what to expect and I’m really, really looking forward to the event.

“There’s definitely a lot of nerves but, like every event, once you get started and get into the rhythm of things it starts to ease up.”

The 17-year-old got his round off to a horrendous start with a triple bogey on the first hole after his third shot into the green ended up in the water hazard.

“It wasn’t the start I was hoping for,” said Betschart, who held a share of the lead with Haddrell, Leseur and Smith through nine holes.

“But I knew there was still a lot of golf to play and brought it back from there. I just stayed consistent through the round and that’s what got me through.”

Daniel Augustus, who started the day in a qualifying position, also got off to a disastrous start with a quadruple bogey on the second hole. He also had two double bogeys on his card, eventually finishing tied for eighth

Amateur Jarryd Dillas recorded the lowest round on day two of one-over 72, which included three birdies.

Past qualifier Damian Palanyandi, who was six shots off the lead at the halfway stage, did not play in the second round after withdrawing through injury.