BlogPuerto Rico Open Preview and Picks

Things you need to know about the Puerto Rico Open

This will be the 17th Puerto Rico tournament that got started in 2008. This has always been a tournament about second-tier players, giving opportunities to those who didn’t qualify for the Arnold Palmer Invitational plus allowing between 40 to 50 Korn Ferry Tour players to this event. This is a perfect way for a bottom-tier player to get himself full status with a win. Unfortunately, the winner gets about anything given to a regular winner except for one crucial invite and that is to the Masters. Augusta won’t invite the winner in Puerto Rico this week. Another snub: the Ryder Cup list won’t include money earned this year.

Course information:

• Grand Reserve Country Club
• Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
• 7,506 yards     Par 36-36–72

Don’t let the name fool you. Nine years ago, this course was named Trump International. But that was in name only. Trump just managed things, and when the property went into bankruptcy, so did the Trump name. The course has a 77.7 rating and a slope rating of 135 from the championship tees. It is public and also sells local memberships.

• Last year, Grand Reserve had a scoring average of 70.07 and was the 37th hardest course on the PGA Tour.
• In 2023, Grand Reserve had a scoring average of 71.25 and was the 28th hardest course on the PGA Tour.
• In 2022, Grand Reserve had a scoring average of 71.34 and was the 23rd hardest course on the PGA Tour.
• In 2021, Grand Reserve had a scoring average of 71.23 and was the 28th hardest course.
• In 2020, Grand Reserve had a scoring average of 70.64 and was the 31st hardest course on tour.

The hardest it ever played was in 2015. This course was the 13th hardest on the PGA Tour, with a 72.570 average (high average due to high winds all four days).

The course is part of a 36-hole complex built in 2004 by Tom Kite. The championship course, the lakes and ocean nines, is used for the championship. The 18-hole is flat, with 13 of the 18 holes having water in play for the professionals. There are 62 bunkers, and the greens are 6,000 square feet, which is average size. The course has a special grass, SeaDwarf Paspalum, which is a lot like Bermuda but can tolerate salt and takes a low quality of water to survive. The course is very tough for the average player, while it’s manageable for the pros who will play it this week. Since the course opened, it’s become the best course in Puerto Rico. What makes this course play tough is the weather. If it’s windy, then the course will play tough.

This year the weather is not good.  It’s nice on Monday, but rain will affect the course on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  The good news with the rain there will be low winds as it won’t get above 10 mph.  Saturday and Sunday will be partly cloudy, with winds at 12 mph.  Temperatures will be 84 each day.  So expect super low scores for this week.

How are we going to pick some winners for this week? First, those that play well in this event:

On paper, the field doesn’t look very strong, but we need to watch several people this week.

In looking at Players who do well at Grand Reserve, our defending champion, Brice Garnett, has played in this event eight times, made the cut eight times, and finished in the top ten three times, including last year’s victory. Garnett has played in five PGA Tour events this year, making all five cuts, and his best finish was T-11th at Cognizant.

Aaron Baddeley has played in Puerto Rico five times and made five cuts, including a T-2nd in 2019 and T-8th in 2016. Baddeley has been a lifelong journeyman in Golf. He is 43 years old and has been a member of the PGA Tour since 2000. It is hard to believe that Baddeley has played in 597 PGA Tour events and has won on the PGA Tour four times. In 2025, he played in four events, making three cuts. His best finish is T-32nd at the Farmers.

Martin Laird is 42 years old and has been a member of the PGA Tour since 2005. He has played in 471 PGA and Korn Ferry events and won five times, the last being the 2021 Shriners Hospitals in Las Vegas. He has played at the Puerto Rico Open three times, being T-6th in 2020 and T-10th last year.

Jim Herman has played in Six Puerto Rico Opens and made six cuts. His best finish was T-7th in 2022. In 2023, he was T-44th, and last year, he was T-49th. He has played twice on the Korn Ferry tour and missed the cut in both events. Still, he may be someone who could do well this week.

Kyle Stanley has played in six Puerto Rico Opens, making five cuts. He was T-3rd in 2020, T-16th in 202, T-54th in 2023, and T-61st last year. Buyer beware: He hasn’t played since the Albertson Boise Open last August. He WD and finished the year making a check in just one event in his last ten starts.

Henrik Norlander may be a guy to watch. He has played in five Puerto Rico Opens, making the cut in all five. He was T-15th in 2023 and last year. He did finish T-13th at the Mexico Open, but that is the only spot of hope since it has been his only check in his last five starts.

Vince Whaley played in Puerto Rico three times, finishing T-9th in 2020, T-15th in 2021, and T-18th last year. In 12 rounds at Grand Reserve, he has never been over par and has broken 70 six times. His career-best was 65 in his final round in 2020. He has made four cuts in six starts on the PGA Tour in 2025. His best finish was T-32nd at the Farmers and last week at the Cognizant.

Korn Ferry Players:

Off the bat, watch Pierceson Coody. He played in Puerto Rico last year and finished T-32nd. The three Korn Ferry starts this year were T-7th at Atlantis Paradise Island, T-9th in Panama, and T-2nd at Astara. He missed the cut at the Farmers, and Cognizant in his two PGA Tour starts.

Russell Knox has played in three Puerto Rico Opens but only made one cut T-39th in 2013. In four, Korn Ferry Starts were T-9th at Atlantis Paradise Island and T-2nd at the Abaco Classic, both courses on the water in the Bahamas.

I also need to watch Blades Brown, who turned professional in December at the age of 17. Before turning professional, he was No. 1 on the Rolex AJGA Rankings and named 2024 AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year. He earned medalist honors at the 2023 U.S. Amateur and 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur and is making his third start as a sponsor exemption this season: The American Express (missed cut) and (T-34th) at the Mexico Open.

DraftKings tips

It’s back to a regular tournament, and I will say this. With the field the way it is, and the course playing easy, one of the most critical items you should think about is picking six guys that will make the cut. This will be one of the hardest event in 2025 to pick players who will participate in four rounds. So make extra sure about your picks and remember the tour is now in Puerto Rico, and players that have done poorly out west may suddenly find their game on seashore paspalum heat, humidity, and wind.

*Here are the very costly guys:

• Niklas Norgaard – $10,200
• Ryan Gerard – $10,000
• Kevin Roy – $9,600
• Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen – $9,500
• Bud Cauley – $9,400
• Chan Kim – $9,300
• Adam Schenk – $9,200
• Patrick Fishburn – $9,100
• Matt Wallace – $9,000

What makes this event so challenging is that a good amount of the players in the field, the average betters, have never bet on them. We also had to be careful; names we recognize, like Jason Dufner, Ryan Armour, Scott Brown, Bill Haas, and Jim Herman, are struggling, which is one of the reasons they are playing in Puerto Rico instead of Bay Hill. So the key is to find guys that aren’t playing badly. Also, players that do well on a course with lots of wind.

One essential aspect in picking players is those that make the most cuts.

Here is a list of some of the players that make the most cuts in this event:

• Brice Garnett has made 8 cuts in 8 starts
• Jim Herman has made 6 cuts in 6 starts
• Aaron Baddeley has made 5 cuts in 5 starts
• Henrik Norlander has made 5 cuts in 5 starts
• Joseph Bramlett has made 4 cuts in 4 starts
• Vince Whaley has made 3 cuts in 3 starts
• Adam Schenk has made 3 cuts in 3 starts
• Sean O’Hair has made 3 cuts in 3 starts
• Jimmy Walker has made 3 cuts in 3 starts
• Chris Stroud has made 8 cuts in 9 starts
• Bill Haas has made 5 cuts in 6 starts

Right off the bat, we must decide on Niklas Norgaard at $10,200. First off don’t get confused with DraftKings calling him N. Moller, he is know as Niklas Norgaard, who is playing for the first time in Puerto Rico.  He graduated last year via the DP World Tour. He was T-4th at Dubai, and his best PGA Tour start is T-25th at Cognizant.  Good player but the price is way too high, pass on him.  Ryan Gerard at $10,000 was T-11th in his only Puerto Rico in 2023.  Has played in five PGA Tour events in 2025, made the cut in all with a best finish of T-15th at the Farmers.  He would be a great pick at $8,000, but I am taking a pass at $10,000.  Same with Kevin Roy at $9,600, was T-33rd in his only Puerto Rico start in 2023.  Same story has some good finishes in Bahamas and Bermuda, but in five starts his best finish was T-17th at Mexico so take a pass on him.  Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen at $9,500 is also a maybe. Playing in Puerto Rico for the first time, he has three good finishes on the DP World Tour this year, T-8th at the Australian PGA, T-10th at Dubai and 2nd at Qatar.  Can it translate to Puerto Rico, think it can.  Bud Cauley at $9,400 has only played once in Puerto Rico, T-29th ten years ago.  Only played in three events in 2025, making the cut in all three his best finish is T-21st in Phoenix.  At his high price it’s not enough to pick him.  Nothing to write home about Chan Kim at $9,300, made two cuts in Puerto Rico but nothing special.  He did finish T-6th last year at Puntacana, has been ok on tour with a best finish of T-17th in Mexico.  Still not worth his price.  Adam Schenk at $9,200, has made three of three Puerto Rico cuts, best T-14th in 2020.  Has worked hard in 2025 and was T-6th at the Sony.  I think he is worth the gamble for this week. Patrick Fishburn at $9,100 is also worth taking, he was T-42nd last year in his only Puerto Rico start.  Has played well since the summer with four top tens.  In 2025 started well with a T-6th at Sony but struggled afterwards, was T-48th last week at Cognizant.  Matt Wallace at $9,000, is also worth a pick; missed the cut in his only Puerto Rico start in 2021.  That, he won in Corales Puntacana in 2023, and has struggled in 2025 but is worth a gamble.

*Players in that $7,500 to $8,900 price range, which ones are worth the money?:

The winner will come from this batch of players. I like Pierceson Coody at $8,900, who was T-32nd in Puerto Rico last year and played well in events by an ocean.  On the Korn Ferry tour in 2025 was T-7th in the Bahamas, T-9th in Panama, and T-2nd at Astara. Usually, I would not pick the defender in this event, but Brice Garnett, at $8,800, has such a good record in Puerto Rico, never missing a cut.  Like that, his last start, he was T-11th at Cognizant.  Rico Hoey at $8,500 is a great pick, was T-32nd in Puerto Rico last year and T-25th last year at Cognizant.  Matti Schmid at $8,200 was T-10th last year in Puerto Rico and T-33rd in 2023.  He was T-18th last week in Cognizant.  Vince Whaley at $7,800, is a good bet; they made three of three cuts in Puerto Rico and is in the top 20.  He could be the surprise of the week, always plays well in events by an ocean, was T-5th last year in Bermuda and T-8th at the RSM.  They played ok in 2025 and were T-32nd last week in Cognizant.  Hayden Springer at $7,800 was T-3rd last year in Puerto Rico and 6th at this year’s Farmers.  Joseph Bramlett at $7,700 in four for four in making Puerto Rico cuts, a bit of a struggle in 2025, was T-29th last week in Argentina.  Also, like Ben Kohles at $7,700, he was T-6th last year in Puerto Rico and played inconsistently in 2025, but he is still worth the gamble.  Wesley Bryan at $7,600, is another of those who play well on courses on oceans.  He was 6th in 2023 in Puerto Rico and 2nd last year in Corales Puntacana. Henrik Norlander at $7,500 has played in five Puerto Rico Opens making the cut in all five, he was T-15th in 2023 and last year.  He did finish T-13th at the Mexico Open, but that is the only spot of hope since it has been his only check in his last five starts.

Are there any “Bargains” out there?

I like Carson Young at $7,400; he was T-3rd at Puerto Rico in 2023 and played Ok in 2025 with a best finish of T-29th at the American Express.  Taylor Montgomery at $7,300 is an incredible price for a guy who is the best putter on tour and played well last week in Cognizant until he shot a final-round 73.  Adrien Dumont De Chassart at $7,300 was a big surprise last year, finishing T-6th in Puerto Rico.  He was also a surprise in Bermuda, finishing T-3rd, and you have to think at worst, he makes the cut.  Dylan Wu at $7,200 was T-15th this year in Atlantis Paradise Island and T-2nd at Panama.  Blades Brown at $7,000 is a leap of faith, is making his third start as a sponsor exemption this season: The American Express (missed cut) and (T-34th) at the Mexico Open.  Martin Laird is $7,000 and has played at the Puerto Rico Open three times, was T-6th in 2020 and T-10th last year.  Russell Knox at $6,900 has played in three Puerto Rico Opens, only made one cut T-39th in 2013.  In four Korn Ferry Starts was T-9th at Atlantis Paradise Island and T-2nd at the Abaco Classic, both courses on the water in the Bahamas.  Aaron Baddeley at $6,900 has played in Puerto Rico five times and made five cuts, including a T-2nd in 2019 and T-8th in 2016.  Baddeley has been a life-time journeyman in Golf, he is 43 year-old and been a member of the PGA Tour since 2000.  It is hard to believe that Baddeley has played in 597 PGA Tour events and won four times on the PGA Tour.  In 2025, he played in four events, making three cuts. His best finish was T-32nd at the Farmers.

Here are some of the secrets of what it takes to play well at the Puerto Rico Open:

Key stat for the winner:

• So, what key stats are vital at Grand Reserve? Players that hit it long tend to do better, but the course is a bomber’s paradise. Because of the high winds that hit the course, hitting greens is tough. Last year it was T-32nd in Greens in Reguation, last year it was 30th in Greens in Regulation, in 2022 was 25th and in 2021 23rd hardest in greens hit. In 2020 was 26th in 2019, it was 18th, in 2017, it was 49th, in 2016, it was 26th, in 2015, it was the 20th hardest, while in 2014, it was the 38th hardest. Nothing else stands out in looking at all the stats other than driving distance.
• There is no rhyme or reason for winning this event. Since it’s a second-tier event, it combines PGA and Korn Ferry tours. So, there are no absolute favorites because there are no true marquee players. One thing of the past winners, very few of them achieved significant success on the PGA Tour, so this is, for many, just a stepping stone to getting full-time access to the PGA Tour. Yes, Tony Finau won in 2016 and has won many times since on the PGA Tour. In 2020 Viktor Hovland broke the mold by winning in Puerto Rico and winning again on the PGA Tour at Mayakoba. In 2021, Branden Grace won and played well on the PGA Tour before going over to LIV Golf. But 2022 champion Ryan Brehm has struggled and finds himself playing in Puerto Rico this year.  The same with 2023 winner Nico Echavarria who has struggled since last year and returns to defend his title.  The good news is that Echavarria played well in Mexico and Cognizant.  Last year Brice Garnett won, he was a regularly in Puerto Rico and always played well, proving that with his win last year.
• Since 2013, they collected stats, but it is hard to find what type of player wins. So the key is to look at two things: first, past results on this course and how they are playing going into the event. One thing about the winners is that they hit many greens; eight of the last eleven were in the top ten in Greens in Regulation. Last year’s winner, Brice Garnet, was T-10th, hitting 55 of the 72.  The previous year, Nico Echavarria was T-2nd, hitting 56 of 72 greens.  The year before, Ryan Brehm was T-11th, hitting 53 of 72 greens. The year before that, Branden Grace was T-3rd in greens hit.
• Will a newcomer win this week? Probably. It’s more about a player being in the right place at the right time.