While most of the focus is on the World Golf Championship-Mexico Championship this week, the PGA will also host the Puerto Rico Open at the Coco Beach Golf and Country Club in Rio Grande. This will be the 11th edition of this event after last year’s renewal was postponed due to Hurricane Maria.
A year ago the Puerto Rico Open was an unofficial pro-am event that was won by the team of George McNeill and Cheyenne Woods. When officially designated by the PGA, the Puerto Rico Open has been played opposite another event and this year’s it’s the WGC-Mexico Championship. While this tournament won’t feature as many big names as the event being played in Mexico, there will still be some excellent opportunities to make money betting.
Event Details
Event: Puerto Rico Open
Category: PGA
Date: February 21st-24th, 2018
Location: Coco Beach Golf and Country Club, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
Past Five Winners
2017: D.A. Points -20
2016: Tony Finau -12
2015: Alex Cejka -7
2014: Chesson Hadley -21
2013: Scott Brown -20
Daniel Berger +1250
Berger is listed as the betting favorite to win outright this week for some obvious reasons. First of all, he is the most recognizable name in a relatively weak field with so many of the world’s best playing in Mexico. Second, he is entering this tournament with a sense of urgency after falling out of contention over the past year. Berger has an opportunity to get his career back on track but he’s going to have to do it at a course where he has never played before.
Peter Uihlein +1600
Uihlein has what it takes to contend at this week’s tournament if he can find a way to put it all together for a full four rounds. He’s posted some low rounds, like a 65 at the Desert Classic, a 69 at the Genesis Open and a 63 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. However, he’s typically included some scores in the mid-70’s on those cards too.
Uihlein has put together some strong performances in recent years including a couple of top-six finishes. This could be the place where he breaks through and gets that elusive victory against a weak field.
Graeme McDowell +1600
McDowell is another name that jumps off the page in terms of familiarity heading in to the Puerto Rico Open. McDowell, who is coming off a top-20 finish in his last outing, won the Mayakoba Classic five years ago and should contend against a weak field. The value isn’t particularly outstanding. That said, at +1600 odds McDowell should be a fairly popular betting option for this week’s Puerto Rico Open.
Scott Brown +2500
Brown is one of the most intriguing plays on the board because he is still being talked about among the best bets to win and yet he is still available at a decent price, +2500. Brown, who won this event in 2013 with a 20-under score, has finished in the top-20 in five of his six appearances at this event. That course history makes him a very reasonable choice at 25/1.
Matt Every +2250
Brown might be the best betting option at +2500 but he isn’t the only play on the board worth mentioning in that price range. Every, who is a two-time champion at Bay Hill, has put together some strong results of late, including top-15 finishes at the Country Club de Bogota Championship on the Web.com Tour and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. At decent odds, he could be a value option this week.
Sebastian Munoz +5000
One of the interesting aspects of tournaments like the Puerto Rico Open is the fact that the field is so wide open that it’s usually worth it to take a chance on a sleeper pick or two at long odds. Munoz stands out as one of those players that has shown glimpses of late and could be worth a play. He finished in a tie for 10th at the Sony Open in Hawaii and has made the cut in five of his last eight outings. He might be able to put it all together here.
Rafael Campos +4500
Campos is another interesting pick at just shy of 50/1. The first Puerto Rican golfer to win on the Web.com Tour, Campos is a local boy that has potential to surprise. The 30-year-old has produced top-10 finishes in each of his last two starts at this course. His strong history at Coco Beach, combined with his outstanding price tag, makes Campos a sneaky good sleeper pick this week.
Odds To Win 2019 Puerto Rico Open
Daniel Berger +1250
Peter Uihlein +1550
Graeme McDowell +1650
Scott Brown +2050
Aaron Baddeley +2050
Matt Every +2250
Charl Schwartzel +2550
Corey Conners +2550
Sam Horsfield +3250
Ollie Schniederjans +3250
Nate Lashley +3250
Roberto Castro +3250
Sang Moon Bae +3550
Matt Jones +3550
Retief Goosen +4050
Chris Kirk +4050
Cameron Davis +4050
Jonathan Byrd +4050
Dominic Bozzelli +4050
Fabian Gomez +4050
Robert Streb +4050
Kramer Hickok +4550
Hank Lebioda +4550
Rafael Campos +4550
David Heam +5050
Fredrik Jacobson +7050
Ryan Blaum +5050
