-
If conditions calm, big hitters can thrive on generous fairways
-
Hall [19/1] stands out in mediocre field
-
Take Tosti [40/1] to make PGA Tour breakthrough
Tournament and Course Notes
It's a two-tournament week on the PGA Tour: While the elite of world golf travel to South Carolina, for the RBC Heritage, the remaining Tour members have an opportunity to tee-up in the Caribbean;
The Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic joined the PGA Tour calendar in 2018, so this will be the eighth instalment of this week's event. In the two years prior to being invited on to the top table (2016 & 2017), this week's venue hosted tournaments on the Web.Com Tour (now called the Korn Ferry Tour);
The course at Corales Golf Club was designed by Tom Fazio and opened 15 years ago, and is laid out close to the Caribbean island's east coast;
The undulating fairways are fairly generous, and will offer golf's biggest hitters the opportunity to drive it long and especially if conditions are calm. However, this all changes if the wind picks up;
Putting surfaces are undulating and, like most coastal venues, the ability to scramble successfully will always come in handy if weather conditions deteriorate;
Parts of the course run close to the Caribbean coastline, while water comes into play on seven holes. Both fairways and greens are laid with Supreme Paspalum, which is rare for PGA Tour venues.
Betfair Exchange market for the Corales Puntacana Championship
Six To Watch
With just one golfer ranked inside the world's top 75, this week's tournament will be one of the most open events on the 2025 PGA Tour calendar.
Two players whose Corales course history appears highly favourable are Alex Smalley 17/118.00 and Justin Lower 40/141.00.
Smalley has posted top-six finishes in each of his last two visits, while Lower tied-fourth 12 months ago.
However, since standing on the podium at the American Express tournament in January, Lower's form has dipped considerably (six MCs from eight starts).
Smalley has fared slightly better. He has registered five T20s this season but has also missed four cuts.
Veteran pro Charley Hoffman 33/134.00 might also catch your attention.
The 48-year-old from California is a four-time winner on Tour; he finished fourth at Corales last year and could easily rise to the top in this week's threadbare field.
Good current form is hard to find, as most in-form golfers are probably teeing-up at the RBC Heritage in South Carolina.
With recent history in mind, Keith Mitchell 14/115.00, Harry Hall 19/120.00 and Alejandro Tosti 40/141.00 have better records than most.
Mitchell was a runner-up here in 2018, while Englishman Hall tied-13th at Corales on his only previous appearance in this tournament two years ago.
Tosti, meanwhile, posted a brace of top-12 finishes in Texas recently and will be making his debut in the Dominican Republic.
Betfair Sportsbook latest for the Corales Puntacana Championship
Stroke Averages
Lowest Eight At Corales (2018-24)
Average .... (Rounds)
69.13: Alex Smalley (16)
69.30: Justin Lower (10)
69.50: Greyson Sigg (12)
69.60: David Lipsky (10)
69.69: Kevin Tway (16)
69.70: Ben Martin (20)
69.94: Sean O`Hair (16)
70.10: Henrik Norlander (10)
Min. No. of Rounds = 10
Only those entered this week are included in table
MC* - Missed Additional 54-Hole Cut
Note: List Contains Leading Reserves