The PGA Tour continues on this week as it visits Corales Golf Course for the 2024 Corales Puntacana Championship. Designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 2010, Corales Golf Course has hosted this event every year since its debut in 2016 and is one of the longest courses on the PGA Tour schedule, playing a brutal 7,670 yards this week.
Corales Golf Course is a long course, but being part of a resort, it also has to be scoreable for the Average Joes who play it the other 51 weeks each year. Corales does a great job of appealing itself to both sides of the spectrum, with wide landing areas off the tee for casual players, while diabolically contoured greens, forced carries and many strategically placed bunkers and water hazards challenge the PGA Tour’s best. With fairways and greens both comprised of paspalum grass, the pros will have to tread lightly as they try and pick their way around the golf course. The winning score has varied from -12 to -24 over the years, with the scoreability of the course all hinging on how fierce the wind is coming off the Caribbean. Staying patient and avoiding the big number will be key to navigating your way around Corales and giving yourself a chance at the win come Sunday.
The Corales Puntacana Championship was first held on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2016 before becoming a PGA Tour event in 2018. The winner’s list is brief and has included a variety of veterans and up and coming players, including Dominic Bozzelli, Nate Lashley, Brice Garnett, Graeme McDowell, Hudson Swafford, Joel Dahmen, Chad Ramey and Matt Wallace, just to name a few.
Each of the above winners has won this event one time each. There are two sets of scoring records for this event since it has been played on both the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour. The 18 hole scoring record for this event on the Korn Ferry Tour is 62, which was shot by both Stephen Jaeger and Scott Harrington in the second round in 2016 and Alexandre Rocha in the third round in 2016. The 18 hole scoring record for this event on the PGA Tour is 63, which was shot by Brice Garnett in the first round in 2018, by Chip McDaniel in the fourth round in 2019 and by Akshay Bhatia in the second round in 2023. The 72 hole scoring record for this event on the Korn Ferry Tour is 264 (-24), which was shot by Dominic Bozzelli in his victory in the inaugural edition in 2016, while the 72 hole scoring record for this event on the PGA Tour is 269 (-19), which was shot by Matt Wallace during his victory here last year.
Last year’s edition was won by Matt Wallace, who birdied 4 of his final 9 holes to beat Nicolai Højgaard by a single stroke. Tyler Duncan and Sam Stevens finished T-3, two strokes back, while Austin Eckroat finished in 5th place, three strokes back.
Alex Noren is listed as a top odds favorite this week, but I don’t see it. He has had some top 20 finishes, but his game just doesn’t look as solid as it should be chasing a victory. I know he has put together some good rounds, but I don’t think he can sustain the movement. With his driver being the biggest struggle of his game, I see this week not being what they are predicting.
Victor Perez is oddly a long shot, but feels so right for an out of nowhere jump this week. His game has been pretty steady and he had a pretty good 2023 season. I think his 7 professional wins have to account for something and I think he is sneaky good. I predict to see him climb the leaderboard this week with ease.
Top 10:
Alex Fitzpatrick has his name waiting on a top ten spot. He is another one that gets overlooked, but he has had many top 25’s, with a T-17 at The Open. His mental approach to the game should be just what he needs to see a top ten. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more of him this year!
Winner:
Billy Horschel has been one of my long-time favorites. He is just… steady. He is the favorite for this event and I could see this happening. It is his first time at this event and I like that for him. He tends to have a streak of playing well as a first time player. His putting can make or break him, but if he gets on a hot streak, watch out Corales.
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