While the stars of the game head to Mexico for the WGC event this week, the lesser lights of the PGA Tour get the chance to shine over in Puerto Rico when the Puerto Rico Open returns after missing the schedule last year.
D A Points has had to wait a couple of years to defend this title but he is in the field ready to attempt to hang onto the crown. In truth the field is a bit up in the air here so he would have every chance of keeping the title.
Recent Winners
2017 – D A Points
2016 – Tony Finau
2015 – Alex Cejka
2014 – Chesson Hadley
2013 – Scott Brown
2012 – George McNeill
2011 – Michael Bradley
2010 – Derek Lamely
2009 – Michael Bradley
2008 – Greg Kraft
The Course
We are back at the Coco Beach Golf and Country Club for this tournament. The track here is a par 72 which measures 7,506 yards so it is a fairly long course but it isn’t necessarily length which is the important thing around here, despite this tournament being the only one which Tony Finau has won.
More important than that is the ability to play in the wind given the exposed nature of the course. I always think this is a ball strikers course where hitting greens have running putts at the hole is the order of the day. Given how windy is it around here the greens are often slow which can see ordinary putters contend.
The Field
Daniel Berger wouldn’t normally be in this field but injury and a loss of form means that he has missed out on Mexico and will look to get his career back on track here. Former US Open winner Graeme McDowell is also in the field this week while Peter Uihlein will look to justify his hype over these four days too.
Some relatively big names also teeing it up this week include Aaron Baddeley, Charl Schwartzel, Ollie Schniederjans, Sam Horsfield and Chris Kirk. They are mixed in with some of the up and coming brigade who recently graduated from the Web.com Tour and who will be looking to secure their playing rights for the next few seasons.
Market Leaders
You would expect Daniel Berger to be the favourite in this tournament and he is. He is 14/1 to land the event. If he was in his best form he would lap this lot, but the sheer fact he is in this event highlights the fact that he is not on top of his game so with that in mind, while I totally respect him, he can’t possibly be for me over these four days.
Two men share second favouritism this week. They are Peter Uihlein and Graeme McDowell, both of whom head across the border looking to revive their careers and get it back on track after a disappointing time of it. McDowell is another who if near his best could scoot clear of the field here. Uihlein flatters to deceive too much for my liking so even at 18/1 neither of these are on my radar.
Scott Brown will tee off as a 22/1 shot and there is an awful lot to like about him, much of which I’ll expand on below but needless to say he should be on the shortlist of most given his record around this track and the weakness of the field. He arrives in Puerto Rico as a leading player in my eyes it must be said.
Aaron Baddeley is a 25/1 poke. We know he can play in the wind and we know he’s a wonderful putter so there is plenty to list about him as well. Whether he can go with some of the young guns in this event remains to be seen but he is another one who offers much better value than the top three in the betting and who shouldn’t be ruled out. It is 28/1 bar.
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Main Bets
As I eluded to above, Scott Brown is one of my main bets this week. He ticks every box going. I actually backed him here in 2017 when he ran well but didn’t win or place. He did win here in 2013 and in a field this weak that winning feeling is going to stand him in good stead. He warmed up for this tournament with a top 10 at Torrey Pines which is probably the standout piece of form in the field and given that he has five top 20s here he looks like a leading player to me.
Corey Connors leads the PGA Tour in proximity to the hole this season and that is a statistic that should count for something over the course of the week. He is eighth in greens in regulation on the tour as well so if he can find a hot putter for a few days then there is no reason why he can’t take this tournament down. He was third in the Sony Open so he can handle the wind and second in Sanderson Farms so he has already run hot in a second tier event. I think he can go well here.
Outsiders
Home advantage has got to count for something with a number of this field playing the tournament for the first time. Those who aren’t are largely past it so Rafael Campos is worth a chance here. Just a month ago he won in the Bahamas on the Web.com Tour so he is clearly hitting the ball well and isn’t someone who shirks playing in front of home crowds. He has been in the top 10 in the last two stagings of this event. At 66/1 I’ll pay to see where he gets to this week.
Whee Kim sits ninth in proximity to the hole on the PGA Tour and that should stand him in good position for a launch at the title this week too. He was in the top 10 in Mexico towards the end of last year and last season was runner up in Canada and Las Vegas as well as running hot in Korea. He doesn’t arrive here in particularly great form having missed his last seven cuts on the PGA Tour but this is the third year in a row that he has gone cold over the recent run of tournaments. In 2017 he ended the slump with a top five here and at 70/1 I’ll back him to do likewise here.
Tips
Back S.Brown to win Puerto Rico Open (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 23.00 with Betfred (1/5 1-6)
Back C.Conners to win Puerto Rico Open (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 34.00 with Betfred (1/5 1-6)
Back them here:
Back R.Campos to win Puerto Rico Open (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 67.00 with Coral (1/4 1-5)
Back him here:
Back W.Kim to win Puerto Rico Open (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 71.00 with 888sport (1/5 1-6)
Back him here:
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