Corales Puntacana Championship
Many of the PGA Tour’s top players are in South Carolina for the RBC Heritage “signature event,” while the entire field is also in the Dominican Republic for the alternative event, the Corales Puntacana Championship.
Nikolaj Hojgaard (16-1), last year’s runner-up at Corales Punta Cana, was hoping to get his first taste of competing for a major championship at the Masters, but five straight bogeys on the back nine of Saturday’s third round squandered his chance and he had to settle for a tie for 16th place.
Alex Noren (14-1) has continued to perform well but didn’t quite qualify for the Masters, but he did finish in the top 20 in four consecutive tournaments this week.
Billy Horschel (20-1) has finished in the top 12 in three of his past five starts.
Aaron Lai (22-1), 2017 Corales Punta Cana winner Nate Lashley (28-1), Kevin Yu (30-1), Doug Ghim (30-1), Davis Thompson (33-1) and Victor Perez (33-1), who was eliminated from the RBC Heritage Aon Swing 5, make up the second group in the market.
Event
The Corales Puntacana Championship began as a Web.com (now Korn Ferry) Tour event in 2016. The event was elevated and transitioned to the PGA Tour as an alternate event in 2018. Now that the event has reverted to alternate event status, there is no longer an invitation to the Masters for the winner, but 300 FedEx Cup points and a two-year PGA Tour exemption are on the line this week.
field
Field Updates
Eric Burns OUT (RBC Heritage Aon Swing 5), Harry Higgs IN from the alternate list. Kramer Hickok OUT on W/D. Davis Riley OUT on W/D. Russell Knox IN from the alternate list. Chesson Hadley OUT on W/D. Bill Haas IN from the alternate list. Alejandro Tosti OUT (RBC Heritage Aon Swing 5), Ryan Armour IN from the alternate list. Cameron Champ OUT on W/D. Jason Dufner IN under his own number. Kevin Kisner OUT (RBC Heritage sponsor exemption); Phillip Knowles OUT on W/D. Jonathan Byrd and Robert Streb IN from the alternate list. William McGirt and Herman Weib Sekne IN on sponsor exemption. Matt Kuchar OUT. Sung Kang IN from the alternate list.
course
Corrales Golf Club in Punta Cana is located in the province of La Altagracia, on the southeastern tip of the Dominican Republic. The course was designed by Tom Fazio in 2010 and is the second longest course on the PGA Tour at 7,670 yards, par 72. It is the second longest course between the inland and coastal sections and is an easy and flat course (a rarity for a Fazio design). Although winds can sometimes limit scores, Corrales is a very manageable course and birdies should be plentiful. The course away from the coast features water hazards on six holes. Six holes, including holes 16-18, are on the coast and are known as the “Devil’s Elbow.” The entire course is turfed with Supreme Papusalum, a grass that is becoming more and more popular on courses, especially in the south, due to its low maintenance and irrigation needs. The fairways are wide and forgiving, and the sticky, smooth greens (averaging 6,000 square feet) roll relatively slowly, at 11 on the Stimpmeter. This course really doesn’t favor any one player; it’s reachable for both heavy hitters and good ball-strikers, but it’s determined mainly by the player who gets on a roll at the right time with the putter.
The outbound nine holes require a serious score. The front side of the golf course is a breeze, with the longest par 4 being 465 yards and the two par 5s only 565 yards (4th) and 515 yards (7th). The inbound nine holes are tougher, with both par 5s over 600 yards and the final one, Devil’s Elbow, offering much stiffer resistance.
Affiliated courses include El Camaleon, Grand Reserve, Plantation at Kapalua, Kiawah Island and Vidanta Vallarta.
Recent History/Winners
2023: Matt Wallace (-19/269); 28-1
2022: Chad Ramey (-17/271); 50-1
2021: Joel Dahmen (-12/276). 50-1
2020: Hudson Swafford (-18/270); 200-1
2019: Graeme McDowell (-18/270); 40-1
2018: Bryce Garnett (-18/270); 66-1
2017: Nate Lashley (-20/268); 28-1*
2016: Dominic Bozzelli (-24/264); 90-1*
*Web.com Events
choice
Nate Lashley (28-1, BetMGM)
Lashley won the Korn Ferry Tour’s Corales-Punta Cana event in 2017. He also has fourth-place finishes, 15th-place finishes and two top-30 finishes.
Additionally, he also had a strong showing at another coastal event in Puerto Rico with a line of 8-7-3-MC.
He ranks sixth in Strokes Gained: Total among this field over the last 36 rounds.
Victor Perez (33-1, BetRivers)
Perez placed sixth at Aon Swing 5, which cost him one spot at the RBC Heritage.
He finished third at the alternate Puerto Rico Open tournament last month.
His last win was at the 2023 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on the DP World Tour, which also came on the fairly long Paspalum Golf Course at Yas Links, plus he finished fourth at the 2021 Saudi International, held at the Paspalum-carpeted Royal Green Golf & Country Club.
Sam Stephens (35-1, DraftKings)
Stevens led the tournament after 54 holes last year but ultimately finished third.
He has two top-20 finishes in his past five starts, including at a sister event called the Puerto Rico Open.
Matty Schmidt (55-1, BetMGM)
Schmidt placed third in Bermuda late last year and 10th at the Grand Reserve in Puerto Rico in March.
Since that finish in Puerto Rico, Schmidt has finished T-26 at The Players, T-17 at Valspar and T-21 at Houston.
Peter Quest (66-1, BetRivers)
Quest, who has the longest drive and is the best putter in the field, made a few appearances on the PGA Tour last year, earning a top-four finish at Rocket Mortgage and then three top-20 finishes, which caught his attention.
He had struggled on the Korn Ferry Tour this year, but things turned around two weeks ago with a 10th-place finish at the Valero Texas Open.
Alex Fitzpatrick (80-1, BetRivers)
As a child, Fitzpatrick frequently vacationed in Hilton Head with his family, including his older brother, Matt, who is there this week defending last year’s RBC Heritage title.
He’s been off a bit of form in 2023, having won his first professional event on the Challenge Tour and competing for wins on the DP World Tour multiple times, but he’s still got top-20 finishes or better in five of his last nine starts worldwide since December and will no doubt be keen to join his big brother on the PGA Tour.
Placement markets, matchups and other futures will be posted Wednesday at VSiN.com/picks.
