Puerto Rico Open

The Puerto Rico Open is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour that was first played in 2008. It is the only PGA Tour event ever held in Puerto Rico. The tournament is played at the Coco Beach Golf Course (previously Trump International Golf Club Puerto Rico) which was designed by Tom Kite. From its inception through 2015, it was played in early March as an alternate event to the WGC-Cadillac Championship, but in 2016 it moved to late March, opposite the WGC-Dell Match Play. All four rounds are broadcast on the Golf Channel.[1]

This article is about the golf tournament. For the WTA tennis tournament, see Puerto Rico Open (tennis).
Puerto Rico Open
Tournament information
LocationRío Grande, Puerto Rico
Established2008
Course(s)Grand Reserve Country Club (2021)
Par72
Length7,569 yards (6,921 m)
Tour(s)PGA Tour
(alternate event)
FormatStroke play
Prize fund$3.0 million
Month playedMarch
Tournament record score
Aggregate267 Chesson Hadley (2014)
To par−21 Chesson Hadley (2014)
Current champion
Viktor Hovland
Río Grande
Location in Puerto Rico

The winner of the Puerto Rico Open earns 300 FedEx Cup points and 24 OWGR points, compared to 550 FedEx Cup and 70-80 OWGR points for World Golf Championships. As an alternate event, the winner does not earn a bid to the Masters, but still receives a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour (compared to three for a WGC event) and entry into the PGA Championship as a Tour winner. In 2015, the prize fund was US$3 million with $540,000 going to the winner.

The Puerto Rico Open is allocated eight additional sponsor exemptions. Four of these are designated for players from Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. The other four additional exemptions are unrestricted.[2]

For 2018 only, the Puerto Rico Open was an unofficial event as a fundraiser for relief efforts after Hurricane Maria, and was played at TPC Dorado Beach.[3]

The event had been considered to have an unofficial "curse" on the PGA Tour, as no winner of the event had ever gone on to win another tournament. The only exception to this was Michael Bradley who won the Puerto Rico Open for a second time in 2011, after winning his first in 2009, but has not won any other event since.[4] However, Viktor Hovland broke the "curse" when he went on to win the Mayakoba Golf Classic in December 2020, having won the Puerto Rico Open earlier in the year.[5]

History

A Puerto Rico Open was played between 1956 and 1967. It was a fixture on the PGA-sponsored Caribbean Tour until 1965, after which sponsors rescheduled the event to later in the calendar year.[6] The Puerto Rico Open was revived as a stop on the Tour de las Américas 2004 and 2005, before being reincarnated as a PGA Tour event in 2008.

Winners
YearPlayerCountryScoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-upWinner's
share ($)		Purse ($)
Puerto Rico Open
2020Viktor Hovland Norway268−201 stroke Josh Teater540,0003,000,000
2019Martin Trainer United States275−153 strokes Aaron Baddeley
Daniel Berger
Roger Sloan
Johnson Wagner		540,0003,000,000
Puerto Rico Open Charity Day
2018Unofficial pro-am event won by team with George McNeill and Cheyenne Woods
Puerto Rico Open
2017D. A. Points United States268−202 strokes Bryson DeChambeau
Retief Goosen
Bill Lunde		540,0003,000,000
Puerto Rico Open at Coco Beach
2016Tony Finau United States276−12Playoff Steve Marino540,0003,000,000
Puerto Rico Open
2015Alex Čejka Germany281−7Playoff Jon Curran
Emiliano Grillo
Tim Petrovic
Sam Saunders		540,0003,000,000
Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com
2014Chesson Hadley United States267−212 strokes Danny Lee630,0003,500,000
2013Scott Brown United States268−201 stroke Fabián Gómez
Jordan Spieth		630,0003,500,000
2012George McNeill United States272−162 strokes Ryo Ishikawa630,0003,500,000
2011Michael Bradley (2) United States272−16Playoff Troy Matteson630,0003,500,000
Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular
2010Derek Lamely United States269−192 strokes Kris Blanks630,0003,500,000
2009Michael Bradley United States274−141 stroke Jason Day
Brett Quigley		630,0003,500,000
2008Greg Kraft United States274−141 stroke Jerry Kelly
Bo Van Pelt		630,0003,500,000

    Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.

    Tour de las Américas event
    YearVenuePlayerCountryScoreTo parMargin of
    victory    		Runner(s)-upRef
    American Express Puerto Rico Open
    2005Costa Caribe G&CCDaniel Barbetti Argentina268−20Playoff Eduardo Argiró[7]
    2004Costa Caribe G&CCRodolfo González Argentina282−61 stroke Eduardo Argiró
    David Morland IV    		[8]
    Earlier events
    YearVenuePlayerCountryScoreTo parMargin of
    victory    		Runner(s)-upRef
    1967Dorado Hilton H&CCChuck Courtney United States280−82 strokes Art Wall Jr.[9]
    1966Dorado Hilton H&CCRamón Sota Spain284−42 strokes Bill Collins[10]
    1965Dorado Hilton H&CCHowell Fraser United States288E1 stroke Al Besselink
    Art Wall Jr.    		[11]
    1964Dorado Hilton H&CCArt Wall Jr. United States289+1Playoff Jay Dolan[12]
    1963Berwind CCCharlie Sifford United States277−76 strokes George Knudson[13]
    1962Berwind CCGeorge Knudson Canada280−42 strokes Al Geiberger
    Tony Lema
    Don Whitt
    Henry Williams Jr.    		[14]
    1961Berwind CCBilly Maxwell United States273−117 strokes Roberto De Vicenzo[15]
    1960Berwind CCJoe Jimenez United States280−4Playoff Stan Leonard[16]
    1959Berwind CCPete Cooper United States282−65 strokes Porky Oliver[17]
    1958Berwind CCBob Toski United States288E2 strokes Ernie Vossler[18]
    1957Berwind CCChick Harbert United States281−72 strokes Roberto De Vicenzo[19]
    1956Fort BuchananAntonio Cerdá Argentina144[lower-alpha 1]E5 strokes Herman Barron
    Dick Ferguson    		[20]
    1. Tournament reduced to 36-holes after the opening day's play was abandoned because of rain.

    References
    1. "PGA Tour adds Puerto Rico Open to '08 schedule". PGA Tour. April 9, 2007. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
    2. "2015–16 PGA Tour Player Handbook & Tournament Regulations" (PDF). October 5, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 12, 2016.
    3. "Puerto Rico Open back on PGA Tour schedule in 2019 after Hurricane Maria cancels 2018 plans". ESPN. Associated Press. December 21, 2017.
    4. Myers, Alex (February 18, 2020). "Why PGA Tour pros might want to think twice about winning the Puerto Rico Open". Golfworld.
    5. Woodward, Adam (December 6, 2020). "Viktor Hovland breaks PGA Tour's 'Puerto Rico Open Curse'". Golfweek.
    6. "Citrus Open tops winter golf tour". Fort Pierce News Tribune. Fort Pierce, Florida. 22 September 1965. p. 12. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via NewspaperArchive.
    7. "Puerto Rico Open once again raises the bar" (PDF). Caribbean Golf Magazine. May 2005. p. 39.
    8. "Rodolfo González campeón en Puerto Rico". espn.com.gt (in Spanish). 21 March 2004.
    9. "Courtney Wins Puerto Rico Open". Youngstown Vindicator. Youngstown, Ohio. AP. 27 November 1967. p. 15. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
    10. "Sota Captures Puerto Rico Title". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. AP. 21 November 1966. p. 13. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
    11. "Rookie Fraser Wins Tourney". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. AP. 15 March 1965. p. 13. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
    12. "Art Wall Takes Caribbean Cup". Youngstown Vindicator. Youngstown, Ohio. UPI. 9 March 1964. p. 14. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
    13. "Sifford Wins in San Juan Knudson 2nd". The Gazette (Montreal). Montreal, Canada. AP. 4 March 1963. p. 26. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
    14. "Knudson Captures Puerto Rico Open". The Gazette (Montreal). Montreal, Canada. AP. 5 March 1962. p. 20. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
    15. "Puerto Rico Open Win by Maxwell". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. AP. 6 March 1961. p. 11. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
    16. "Golf Victory to Jimenez". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. AP. 29 February 1960. p. 12. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
    17. "Coop Claims Second Win". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. AP. 16 February 1959. p. 10. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
    18. "Toski Is Winner in Puerto Rico". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. AP. 10 February 1958. p. 10. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
    19. "Harbert Wins Puerto Rican Open Tourney". The Gazette (Montreal). Montreal, Canada. AP. 4 February 1957. p. 26. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.
    20. "Cerda Cards 144, Wins Puerto Rican Golf Tournament". The Gazette (Montreal). Montreal, Canada. AP. 6 February 1956. p. 22. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via Google News Archive.

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