Golf: PGA Tour – Puerto Rico Open
Venue: Coco Beach Golf Course, Puerto Rico
Dates: Thursday 2nd – Sunday 5th March 2023
Tournament Preview
Following on from the West Coast Swing, the PGA Tour rolls on to Rio Grande for the Puerto Rico Open. Despite having to fight for notoriety in the golfing calendar with WGC events, the Puerto Rico Open has once again attracted a strong field. The event has been played on the PGA Tour since 2008 and finally looks to have established itself as one of the big events on the tour. Previous winners of the event include Tony Finau, Scott Brown and Alex Cejka, testament to the events status as a breeding ground for the next generation of golfers. With a $3.8 million prize fund and over $500,000 on offer for the winner, there is plenty to play for in Puerto Rico this week.
Betting Preview
Outright Winner
The field in Puerto Rico is strong with some of the biggest names from America, Europe and beyond all chasing a slice of glory:
It has been a strong start to the season for Nate Lashley, who continues to churn out the performances on the PGA Tour and he starts as the favourite here.
It hasn’t been a great start to the 2023 season for Scott Piercy but he is an experienced campaigner, who will relish the playing conditions here in Puerto Rico.
Emerging American Dylan Wu should be one to watch in a very unpredictable field this week and the Puerto Rico Open is known as a breeding ground for the next generation of tour winners.
South African Erik van Rooyen is a very clean ball striker and in an open field here in Puerto Rico he could be in contention from the outset.
American Ben Martin produced a stunning performance to finish in the top 5 at the Honda Classic last weekend and he will be trying to take this form onto Puerto Rico here.
1st Round Leader
The whole field here in Puerto Rico will believe they can get off to a strong start and if they do so they could set themselves up for the week ahead:
Experienced American Jason Dufner can mix it with the biggest names on the tour on his day and a fast start could be on the cards in Puerto Rico this week.
Unfulfilled potential is always the tag levelled at Nick Watney, but the American is starting to show signs of his best form in 2023 and he could be one to watch this weekend.
Top 10 Finish
With so many good players assembled here in Puerto Rico, getting into the winning enclosure could be tough but there are plenty of candidates to finish in the top 10 come Sunday:
Australian Cameron Percy is another player that was in fine fettle at the Honda Classic last weekend, and he could be challenging for a top 10 spot this weekend.
Young American Akshay Bhatia is one of the most exciting young talents on the PGA Tour and how he would love a top 10 finish here in Puerto Rico.
2023 Puerto Rico Open betxchange.com Best Bets:
Outright Winner: Nate Lashley – 18/1
1st Round Leader: Jason Dufner – 55/1
Top Ten Finish: Cameron Percy – 29/10
