The Puerto Rico Open Preview

Written by @Matt_Cee for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!


The Puerto Rico Open | Thursday 06 March – Sunday 09 March | The Trump International Golf Club

Whilst focus this week will be on the WGC tournament, those players who don’t find themselves in the Top 50 will make the journey to play in the Puerto Rico Open. The tournament has been around for a number of years and due to the lack of well-known players who participate, almost every instalment has been won by a relatively unknown player. This means there is some real value available here. The course measures in at over 7,500 yards and suits the bombers as the fairways are wide and forgiving. The relatively easy design does contain some surprises though and most of the time these come in the form of well situated water hazards, which could come into play if the wind blows, which is always a threat here. So who will win this one? Let’s have a look.

To Win Outright
Matt Jones  20/1
Chris Stroud  20/1
George McNeill  25/1
Emiliano Grillo  28/1
Brooks Koepka  28/1

VALUE BETS
Andres Romero (35/1 a win, 77/10 a place)
Argentinian Andres Romero is the first player to catch my eye as he really impressed in last week’s Honda Classic. A T12 finish there against stiffer competition shows he has what it takes to go close. He also seems to enjoy the course as he finished inside the top ten here last year. He’s known for his ability to hit it long so won’t have a problem making birdies and if he can string together a decent four rounds, he will go far. Each way is the bet for me.

George McNeill (25/1 a win, 11/2 a place)
It’s amazing to see George McNeill so close to the top of the betting but against this field he deserves to be there. He won here in 2012 but failed to impress last year during what was, overall, a dismal season. Don’t let that worry you too much because a sixth place finish at the Northern Trust Open shows he is back to his best and eager to claim his second victory here. Each way is the bet for me again.

David Hearn (33/1 a win, 73/10 a place)
David Hearn will be looking at this field and thinking that he can claim his maiden Tour victory and I feel that he has a real chance. The Canadian has been around for a while and has competed here in the past, his best finish being a top ten which he managed last year. A sixth at the Honda Classic shows he has the form to go far in this one. Again, each way is the bet.

TOP BET: Brian Stuard (28/1 a win, 62/10 a place)
Based on his current and course form, Brian Stuard looks the best of the lot here for me and at 28/1 the price is certainly right. In last year’s instalment of the competition he finished fourth and he will be confident that he can improve on that considering that he’s on a bit of a hot streak at the moment. So far this season has been good for Stuard and he could make it one to remember with a victory here.

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