Golf: PGA Tour – Puerto Rico Open
Venue: Coco Beach Golf Course, Puerto Rico
Dates: Thursday 25th – Sunday 28th February 2021
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 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:
Englishman Matt Wallace has been in fine form on the European Tour for the past 12 months and he looks to be one of the favourites in a very open field in Puerto Rico this week.
Ryder Cup hero Ian Poulter can never be discarded in any event he plays and how he would love to pick up a much needed stroke play tournament win here.
2015 Puerto Rico Open runner up Emiliano Grillo has been in solid form of late and a return to familiar surroundings could give the talented Argentine a much needed boost.
Another Englishman vying for glory is Tom Lewis and whilst he hasn’t started 2021 in the best of form, the conditions in Puerto Rico should suit him very well here.
Emerging American Brandon 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.
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:
Belgian Thomas Pieters hits the ball miles, and he should be very much in the mix from the off here in Puerto Rico here.
Patrick Rodgers has started the season in fine style and the 28-year-old looks set to continue his rise up the rankings this year and a fast start here is sure to help.
Another starlet on the Korn Ferry Tour, Lee Hodges could be one to watch this week and he will be desperate to get off to a fast start 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:
South African Branden Grace is a very consistent performer, and few would bet against him being very much in the mix come Sunday afternoon.
South Korean Byeong-Hun An has been in superb form on the PGA Tour of late and he will be relishing the opportunity to test himself here in Puerto Rico.
American Lucas Glover has been finding some of his best form once more on the PGA Tour and he has the credentials to finish in the top 10 this week in Puerto Rico.
BetXChange Best Bets:
Outright Winner: Matt Wallace – 16.00
1st Round Leader: Thomas Pieters – 25.00
Top Ten Finish: Branden Grace – 1.70
