2016 Puerto Rico Open Predictions, Picks, Sleeper | Coco Beach

(Puerto Rico Open)

While the World Golf Rankings top-64 (and alternates) are playing in Austin Texas for the World Golf Championships Dell Match Play Championship, many other top players are heading to Puerto Rico for the 2016 Puerto Rico Open in Coco Beach. Let’s take a look at the event that has spring boarded careers and given old veterans a chance to shine again.

The Puerto Rico Open is a tournament that only the hard core golf fan knows about since it buttons up against the Match Play Championship, which will be getting all the TV time on major network and even the golf channel. But for the professionals that make the trip this is still the real deal and for some, a better chance to win a title while the “meat” of the World Golf Rankings are otherwise engaged.

Dates: March 24 -27 2016

Course: Coco Beach Golf and Country Club

Stats: Par 72, 7,569 Yards

Television Coverage (Times):

Thursday: Golf Channel 10:30 – 1:30 PM EST

Friday: Golf Channel 10:30 – 1:30 PM EST

Saturday: Golf Channel 4:30 – 7:00 AM EST, 9:00 PM -12:00 AM EST

Sunday: Golf Channel 5:00 – 7:00 AM EST, 9:00 PM -12:00 AM EST

Purse: $3 million total purse, $540,000 winner share

2016 Puerto Rico Open Predictions, Picks, Sleeper | Coco Beach Swing Holes

Hole No. 15 – Par 5, 600 Yards

Before you sit back and debate whether the top professionals can get home in two let me crush that thought with the following point. This hole almost always plays into the wind which makes it a three shot hole for almost the entire field. Couple that with a waste area to the right that will swallow up a ball and the bunkering to the left to make for a challenging tee shot. The green is a bit of an optical illusion so the caddies will have to remind the professionals to take enough club to get to the green in proper position.

Hole No. 17 – Par 4, 411 Yards

This hole is more about the tee shot and the moment more than anything else. Players may be pressing at this point in the round knowing that only the 18th remains and this hole is guarded off the tee by large bunkers down the left side and water down the right. If the players can navigate the tee shot and take a short mental pause, a short shot will be left to try and make birdie before the home hole comes into play. They should not get ahead of themselves since the green has a reasonable bunker complex that can change the game with a lapse in judgement. Focus on 17 is more than anything since execution will come with this quality of players.

Hole No. 18 – Par 5, 630 Yards

Irony here is that this par-5 is 30 yards longer than the 16th but the chances of getting home in two here are infinitely greater. Unlike 16, this hole plays down wind and the island wind cannot be dismissed. The players will either play a cut off the left rough or a draw from the center to the left side to avoid the bunkers down the right. With the tournament in the balance, players will be playing an approach that is better to be short than long but with adrenaline flowing that can be a challenge. The drama will come built in at the 18th.

2016 Puerto Rico Open Predictions, Picks, Sleeper | Coco Beach Selections

Let’s take a look at three players that I would predict to be right in the hunt at the Puerto Rico Open. Two players will seem more logical than the other but I am adding a player that just might surprise, basically a sleeper for success at the 2016 Puerto Rico Open Predictions, Picks, Sleeper | Coco Beach

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