Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship: Expert Picks

Tournament Information

Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship
Date: September 24^th – 27^th
Course: Corales Golf Club
Purse: $4MM ($720k to winner)
2019 Winner: Graeme McDowell (-18)

Course

Corales Golf Club — Opened in 2010 and designed by Tom Fazio, this par 72 course is a lengthy course (7,670 yards). The course sits the Caribbean ocean right next to the water, cliffs and some quarries. Palm trees run along many of the holes with scenic fairways and rolling hills throughout. Since it’s on the coast wind will play a factor here. One of the highlights here is named the Devil’s Elbow which highlight the last three holes. On hole 18 where an aggressive jump over the water can pay off if the shot is hit correctly. As it closes out the course it will be interesting to see how golfers approach this hole.

Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

My Starting 4

Sam Burns (first selection this year) — Burns finished 12th here last year and he had a seventh place finish at the Safeway Open earlier this month. He is 17th in total strokes gained and 15th in strokes gained off the tee.

Luke List (first selection this year) — One of the stronger drivers on tour, List is currently 23rd in driving distance. He has missed just one cut in the last seven tournaments. He is 27th in strokes gained off the tee.

Corey Conners (first selection this year) — Conners missed the cut at the US Open but prior to that he was 33rd at the BMW Championship and 25th at the Northern Trust. He’s 51st on the tour in driving distance, but he can also put (34th in strokes gained putting) as well as working decent with his irons (29th in strokes gained approaching the green).

MacKenzie Hughes (first selection this year) — Hughes finished off last season real strong with nine consecutive made cuts including five top 15 finishes. He’s among the top 100 in driving distance but his putting is where he strength lies right now — he’s 39th in strokes gained putting. As long as he doesn’t get hurt too much around the green he will be all set.

My Bench 2

Brendan Grace (first selection this year) — Grace finished 29th at the Safeway Open earlier this month. He struggled (among many) at the US Open. Grace has a handful of missed cuts going into late last season but for years he excelled early in the season. Consider this a flier to see if he regains some of that in light of his finish at the Safeway Open.

Adam Schenk (first selection this year) — Schenk finished off the last parts of last season well with six consecutive made cuts. He is 79th in driving distance and 34th in strokes gained around the green.

Fun Fact: The winner here receives a 2021 Masters invitation.

2020-2021 Stats

Starting 4: Average finish — 53^rd (35^th percent)
Bench 2: Average finish — 57^th (38^th percent)