The first alternate field event of the season is also a great opportunity for the 120 players assembling for the Puerto Rico Open. Those not getting an invite to the API can still secure 300 FedExCup points, an exemption into next week’s THE PLAYERS Championship and nearly $700k of a record prize pool. Nate Lashley, already guaranteed a spot in THE PLAYERS, is the outright favorite and perhaps the most recognizable name in the rather obscure field that consists of a number of Korn Ferry Tour grads. Recent Tour winners Erik van Rooyen, Richy Werenski and Andrew Landry are also scheduled to peg it up at Grand Reserve Golf Club. There’s never been a back to back winner at the PRO and that continues this year with defending champ Ryan Brehm in Orlando. A wide open field presents plenty of value in matchups as long as we nail the right players, so let’s take a look. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of matchup betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Puerto Rico Open Matchup Odds
Brandon Harkins +134 vs. Scott Piercy -168
Erik Van Rooyen -111 vs. Akshay Bhatia -119
Cameron Percy -135 vs. Andrew Novak +105
Ryan Gerard +107 vs. Sam Stevens -137
MJ Daffue -117 vs. Dylan Wu -113
Harry Hall -147 vs. Harry Higgs +117
Rafael Campos -136 vs. Roberto Diaz +106
Michael Kim -134 vs. Carl Yuan +104
Tano Goya +104 vs. Augusto Nunez -134
Ryan Armour -135 vs. Josh Teater +105
Brice Garnett -118 vs. Matthias Schmid -112
Chris Stroud -124 vs. Hank Lebioda -106
Vincent Norrman -118 vs. Henrik Norlander -112
Austin Cook -109 vs. Austin Smotherman -121
Jason Dufner -103 vs. Sean O'Hair -127
Fabian Gomez -205 vs. Sangmoon Bae +161
Jim Herman -130 vs. Scott Brown +100
Kevin Roy -130 vs. Brent Grant +100
Kyle Stanley -146 vs. Nick Watney +116
Zecheng Dou -178 vs. Seung-Yul Noh +141
Scott Harrington -140 vs. Max McGreevy +110
Tommy Gainey +165 vs. Grayson Murray -210
Need to Know
Those returning for another twirl around Grand Reserve Golf Club can expect much of the same from previous visits. The stock par-72 that stretches to just over 7,500 yards at the tips hasn’t changed much since hosting for the first time in 2008. Some current big name players used this as a springboard with Tony Finau (2016) and Viktor Hovland (2020) past winners. While the course boasts yardage, the number is a bit deceiving with two par 5s playing over 600 yards. Those three-shot holes negate any distance advantage and shorter hitters can just play their game, opening up the field. Nine of the previous 14 winners were first timers, another betting angle we can explore in what is a wide open field.
Puerto Rico Open Matchup Picks
Erik Van Rooyen -111 vs. Akshay Bhatia
One of the bigger names in the field, van Rooyen has had success in similar alternate field events with his lone Tour victory coming a few years back at the Barracuda Championship. He’s struggled a bit this season but showed flashes of what he can do with a closing 62 for a share of sixth at the American Express in January. He has three international wins on his resume and he’s a fine player with an all-around game that fits this layout.
Dylan Wu -113 vs. MJ Daffue
Trending in the right direction, it might be the perfect time to back Wu. His two best finishes of the season came in his last two starts with a T29 at Pebble Beach and most recently a top-10 at the Honda Classic. And it’s hard to overlook the record-tying 61 he shot in Round 3 of the AMX. He’s advanced metrics are also trending making Wu a trendy pick in this matchup.
Max McGreevy +110 vs. Scott Harrington
A quick look at McGreevy’s results shows exactly why he’s a big underdog in this matchup. Max has a MC in seven straight starts last earning a payday at the Houston Open in November. So, why back a guy who’s in a rut? Well, you have to buck trends every once in a while to hit a winner and McGreevy has experience in this event with a runner-up last season, though he lost by six shots. Still, he was better than 118 other players and displayed consistency that could easily carry him to a matchup win this week.
Andrew Novak +105 vs. Cameron Percy
This is a perfect opportunity for a player like Novak, and if I know that you bet he knows it. Novak also enters playing his best golf of the season with back to back top-30 showings. In addition he has a T17 at the Bermuda Championship and T12 at the Sony Open. This is a good spot for him to pick up valuable FedExCup points with him ranked just outside the top-100 in the standings. That should be motivation for a solid showing.
Rafael Campos -136 vs. Roberto Diaz
You can’t overlook the value of a home game and this is the biggest tournament on Campos’s calendar. The native of Puerto Rico sustained an elbow injury a few years ago and has yet to return to prior form. That hasn’t prevented him from showing up in this event with five straight paydays going back to 2016, with three of those ending in a top-10. I typically don’t back players at this price since I’m always looking for value, but Campos is the value and I’ll bit the bullet.
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