2025 Corales Puntacana Championship Predictions

The PGA Tour has a double feature this week, as it also visits Corales Golf Course at Puntacana Resort for the 2025 Corales Puntacana Championship. Corales Golf Course was designed by Tom Fazio, opened in 2010 and has served at the host of the Corales Puntacana Championship since its debut in 2016. This week, Corales Golf Course will serve as a stout test, playing as a Par 72, 7,670 yard layout, one of the longest courses on the PGA Tour schedule.

Corales looks quite daunting at first glance, but it is still a very scoreable course. It’s a resort course for the amateurs when the pros aren’t playing it, as it boasts plenty of wide fairways, but it still packs a punch for the pros, too, with challenging green complexes, sand and water as far as the eye can see and some knee-knocking forced carries to challenge the most steely of players. Being able to hit the ball far will really come in handy this week given the course’s length, but Corales is still a shotmaker’s golf course at the end of the day, rewarding those most in control of their game all the way through the bag. Players will have to navigate their way around the tricky paspalum grass and potentially gusty Caribbean wind conditions if they want to score, which is certainly doable, with the winning score being -17 or better in eight of the nine previous editions. Ultimately, just staying patient, taking advantage of your birdie holes and just avoiding catastrophe around the course will be key to having a chance at victory come Sunday.

Despite being held opposite the RBC Heritage, the Corales Puntacana Championship has a nice blend of players in the field, ranging from future stars to wily veterans. Among the up-and-comers teeing it up this week are Pierceson Coody, Chris Gotterup, Harry Hall, Rico Hoey, Aldrich Potgeiter and Alejandro Tosti, while the veterans are headed by Charley Hoffman, Mark Hubbard, Russell Knox, Luke List, Ben Martin and Danny Willett, just to name a few.

The Corales Puntacana Championship was first held on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2016 before becoming a PGA Tour event in 2018 and has yet to produce a repeat winner in its existence. The winner’s list includes a variety of players at various stages in their career, with Dominic Bozzelli, Nate Lashley, Brice Garnett, Graeme McDowell, Hudson Swafford, Joel Dahmen, Chad Ramey, Matt Wallace and Billy Horschel all finding victory here,

Last year’s edition was won by Billy Horschel, who came from deep on the final day and posted a nine under par 63 to win by two strokes over Wesley Bryan. Kevin Tway finished in third place, four strokes off the pace, while Charley Hoffman and Justin Lower finished T-4, five strokes behind.

Player to Fade:

Matt Wallace was the winner here in 2023, and I just don’t see much coming from him here for the 2025 season. He is circulating in the odds circle as playing decently well because he has before, but I don’t see it. He has missed numerous cuts in 2025 and has had nothing inside of the top 20. His overall confidence seems to be lost, and I just don’t think he is going to preform this week.

Dark Horse:

Rico Hoey is considered a long shot with his odds, but he had 4 top 10 finishes in 2024 and definitely has the game to make a run here. Off the tee, Rico is so solid, and that is what he will need here at Puntacana. Being confident to set himself up for a good approach shot will be all he needs to wow the field. I see him being young and fresh and ready to make moves out there.

Top 10:

Keith Mitchell is the favorite, but I see him more as a top 10 player. He has been playing solid golf and, frankly, is due to hit a top 10. I don’t see him as the favorite, as he hasn’t won since 2019, and has his up and downs with his iron game. This course isn’t one to slack with, as it can be very demanding through certain stretches. If he can regain some confidence, I think he for sure makes the top 10.

Winner:

Alex Smalley is favored to play well, and I think he definitely could make his move this week. He has had a great season, and with a smaller field, this could be his time! This course can be tough, as it sits ocean front, and if the wind strikes up, he will need to stay in the zone to pull it off, but he has the game to do so.