For those not gracing Royal Birkdale for the 154th Open Championship, there is the co-sanctioned Corales Puntacana Championship at Corales Golf Course in the Dominican Republic to contest this week.
This is the first year this tournament has been part of the DP World Tour's Race to Dubai and there are several European players who have decided to make the trip to the Caribbean.
Originally a Web.com Tour event for the first two iterations in 2016 and 2017, the Puntacana Championship earned PGA Tour status from 2018 onwards and last year's edition was landed by South African Garrick Higgo.
Winning scores over the last eight tournaments have ranged from -12 to -23, and how hard the wind blows is often a determining factor on how difficult scoring is at this coastal course.
Corales Puntacana Championship Tips Summary
Best Bet - Austin Eckroat to win and each-way @ 33/1
Alternative Bet - Mackenzie Hughes to win and each-way @ 33/1
Alternative Bet - Jacob Skov Olesen to win and each-way @ 35/1
Corales Puntacana Championship Prediction
Best Bet: Austin Eckroat to win and each-way @ 33/1
Being comfortable on coastal courses will provide a big advantage this week and Austin Eckroat fits into this category, evidenced by his victory at the 2024 World Wide Technology Championship.
That tournament was held at the Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal Golf Course, a wind-affected venue, while he was also tied 12th in the 2020 edition played at El Camaleon at Mayakoba.
Eckroat's sole appearance at the Corales Puntacana Championship came in 2023, when he finished three shots off the winner in fifth position, and he returns this year on the back of a solid tied-30th effort at the Scottish Open on Sunday.
One club that has proved to be crucial to success at Corales Golf Club is the putter and it bodes well that Eckroat ranks 11th in putting average on the PGA Tour this season.
The ability to hit plenty of greens in windy conditions is another factor to bear in mind and the American is 22nd in strokes gained approach on the US circuit, while he was 13th in that department at the Scottish Open.
Alternative Bet: Mackenzie Hughes to win and each-way @ 33/1
Another player to consider this week is Mackenzie Hughes, who has hit some form over the past few weeks with tied-10th finishes at both the Charles Schwab Challenge and ISCO Championship.
The 35-year-old Canadian, a two-time PGA Tour winner, finished 59th on his Corales debut in 2016 but he improved dramatically on his return in 2019 when sharing second place.
World number 141 Hughes came back the following year, claiming sole possession of third, and this week's appearance will be his first since that effort in 2020.
Hughes is also a dab hand with the flat stick, ranking sixth in total putting on the PGA Tour, and there have been enough positives of late to suggest he can get in the mix for the victory.
Alternative Bet: Jacob Skov Olesen to win and each-way @ 35/1
One of the DP World Tour contingent to watch this week is Jacob Skov Olesen, who will be making his Corales Puntacana Championship debut.
The 27-year-old Dane will have been disappointed not to qualify for the Open Championship, having made the cut at the Major in the last two years, but he can make up for that by landing his first professional title.
Olesen is a strong putter and he ranks in the top 25 on the European circuit for both strokes gained putting and putts per round, so that raises hopes of a solid showing this week.
The world number 142 has come close to breaking his DP World Tour duck this year, with second, third and two top-fives results on his CV, and this coastal challenge should be right up his street.
Key Tournament Stats
This will be the ninth edition of the Corales Puntacana Championship since it became a PGA Tour event
Corales Golf Club is a par 72 measuring 7,670 yards, with 10 par-fours, four par-fives and four par-threes
The 'Devil's Elbow' is a notoriously difficult finishing stretch from holes 16-18, with two par-fours coming either side of the par-three 17th
Dominic Bozzelli won this tournament in 2016 with a record score of -24
Joel Dahmen claimed the spoils in 2021 when finishing on -12
There has never been a multiple winner of this event
Read more golf betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
