Golf: PGA Tour – Puerto Rico Open
Venue: Coco Beach Golf Course, Puerto Rico
Dates: Thursday 20th – Sunday 23rd February 2020
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 the WGC Mexico Championships, 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 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:
Young Norwegian Viktor Hovland continues to impress on the PGA Tour and at the tender age of 22, looks to have a very bright future. He hasn’t been in great form thus far in 2020 but he should be in contention this week.
Swede Alex Noren has struggled for form over the past 12 months but he has an excellent game that will be well suited to the conditions in Puerto Rico and he could be one to watch.
With 2 top 10 finishes from his last 4 starts, Englishman Tom Lewis looks to be gaining momentum with his push up the rankings and he will fancy his chances in this field this week.
2013 Puerto Rico Open champion Scott Brown put in a fantastic showing at the Genesis Invitational last time out (finishing 2nd) and he looks to be the value pick this week.
2015 Puerto Rico Open runner up Emiliano Grillo has been enduring a rotten spell of form but a return to familiar surroundings could give the talented Argentine a much needed boost.
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:
Young American Maverick McNealy has enjoyed a superb start to the season, underlined by his showing at the AT&T Pebble Beach (5th placed finish) and he could get off to a flyer here.
Patrick Rodgers has started the season in fine style, only missing one cut in 2020 and the 27-year-old looks set to continue his rise up the rankings this season and a fast start here is sure to help.
Scot Martin Laird has made his last three cuts on the tour with ease and he will be looking to continue his habit of getting off to fast starts this week in Puerto Rico.
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 Davis continues to grow in stature on the PGA Tour and he will be keen to showcase his talents here in the Puerto Rican sunshine.
2014 Puerto Rico Open Champion Chesson Hadley finished in the top 20 last time out at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and he could be one to watch in a congested field.
Emerging American Beau Hossler finished 9th at the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year and he will be keen to kick on in a far easier field this week here in Puerto Rico.
BetXChange Best Bets:
Outright Winner: Scott Brown – 21.00
1st Round Leader: Maverick McNealy – 28.00
Top Ten Finish: Cameron Davis – 2.70
