2025 Puerto Rico Open Predictions

The PGA Tour continues on this week as it visits the Championship Course at Grand Reserve Golf Club for the 2025 Puerto Rico Open. Designed by Tom Kite, the Championship Course at Grand Reserve Golf Club will play as a stout par 72, 7,506 yard layout this week. For this year’s edition, the two nines have been switched, with the front nine being the old back nine and the back nine being the old front nine.

This event serves as one of the most intriguing on tour since it is being held opposite the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. The field boasts a mix of players who are playing well, but not well enough to qualify for the Signature Event, up and coming studs, wily veterans and field fillers who make you think, fuck, I completely forgot this guy ever even existed. All of these folks will battle head to head on a lengthy, seaside course. Despite its length, the course is gettable, with six of the last seven winners finishing at -19 or better for the week. The course is clearly scoreable, but no walk in the park, with tricky paspalum grass challenging the players, as well as water and sand lurking around every turn. And if the winds pick up, lord help us all. Par won’t do players much good this week. They will need to keep their foot on the gas if they want a chance to win come Sunday. Give an edge to the long hitters this week, but the player who heats up the most on the greens will ultimately walk away with the title.

Despite the star power all teeing it up in Florida this week, the Puerto Rico Open still boasts some interesting names taking to the course, including Patrick Fishburn, Ryan Gerard, Chan Kim and Adam Schenk, as well as Joseph Bramlett, Wesley Bryan, Chris Gotterup and Ben Kohles, just to name a few.

The Puerto Rico Open was first held in 1956, but did not become an official PGA Tour event until 2008. Michael Bradley is the only player to win this event more than once, taking home the victory in both 2009 and 2011.

Last year’s edition was won by Brice Garnett, who bested Erik Barnes on the fourth playoff hole to pick up his second career PGA Tour victory, ending a six year winless streak in the process. Victor Perez, Hayden Springer and Jimmy Stanger all finished T-3, one stroke out of the playoff.

Player to Fade:

Brice Garnett is the defending champ here, but I don’t love him for a back-to-back success story. His game has its moments of feeling unstable, and while everyone can have a solid tournament, I don’t think he shows enough to do it again. His short game seems to fluctuate and get him in some trouble, and I think the past five events show his ups and downs.

Dark Horse:

Matti Schmid is considered a long shot in the betting world, but he definitely has the game to make a run for a solid finish. He had an 18th place finish at the Cognizant Classic and has had a good track record in Puerto Rico. A lot of people don’t have faith in him, but you could make a lot of money off of him this week!

Top 10:

Ryan Gerard finished 11th here a couple years ago and has three finishes of 25th or better in his last three starts. I feel like this event is perfect for him to claim a top ten with a less intense field. His game should set up well at this course, as long as he gets that putter rolling day one. 

Winner:

Niklas Nørgaard Moller is my favorite for this event. He is a long-hitter, and as a PGA TOUR rookie, he has game! He started the season with a T-4 in Dubai and fought for a T-25 at PGA National. He doesn’t let his power overshoot his accuracy, and this is exactly what a winner needs this week.