2021 Puerto Rico Open Preview

2021 Puerto Rico Open Preview

• Dates: February 22-28, 2021
• Where: Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
• Course: Grand Reserve Country Club 36-36—par 72/7,506 yards
• Field size: 132
• 2020 Champion: Viktor Hovland
• Purse: $3,000,000 ($540,000/winner)
• FedExCup: 300 points to the winner
• Format: 72-hole stroke play

Things to know about the Puerto Rico Open

• The 2021 Puerto Rico Open is the 13^th playing of the event (one-year hiatus in 2018 to host charity pro-am)
• Puerto Rico’s Rafael Campos seeks a third top-10 finish in his 12^th Puerto Rico Open start
• Top-10 from 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour points list are eligible to compete; eight of 10 in the field
• Josh Teater returns after finishing solo-second to Viktor Hovland in 2020
• The winner of the Puerto Rico Open receives 300 FedExCup points, a two-year exemption to the PGA TOUR and an invitation to THE PLAYERS Championship (if not previously eligible) and other select events

A Look Back at the 2020 Puerto Rico Open

Pos.	Player	R1	R2	R3	R4	Total
1	Viktor Hovland	68	66	64	70	268 (-20)
2	Josh Teater	66	68	66	69	269 (-19)
T3	Kyle Stanley	64	70	71	68	273 (-15)
T3	Sam Ryder	70	65	69	69	273 (-15)
T3	Emiliano Grillo	66	68	69	70	273 (-15)

• On the strength of an 8-under 64 in round three, 2019-20 PGA TOUR rookie Viktor Hovland earned his first PGA TOUR victory in his 17^th career start at age 22 years, 5 months, 5 days
• Hovland became the first rookie to win on TOUR in 2019-20, snapping a streak of 18 events to start the season without a win by a rookie (longest since 2009)
• Hovland, a native of Oslo, became the first PGA TOUR winner from Norway
• Hovland would advance through each of the FedExCup Playoffs and end the season at No. 20 in the FedExCup

Puerto Rico Open and the FedExCup

• 21^st event (of 50) in the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Season
• Ten of the 12 winners of the Puerto Rico Open have advanced to the FedExCup Playoffs the year of their win; Greg Kraft (2008), Derek Lamely (2010), Michel Bradley (2011), George McNeill (2012), Scott Brown (2013), Chesson Hadley (2014), Alex Cejka (2015), Tony Finau (2016), D.A. Points (2017) and Viktor Hovland (2020)

Field Highlights

• Five former Puerto Rico Open champions: Martin Trainer (2019), D.A. Points (2017), Chesson Hadley (2014), Scott Brown (2013), George McNeill (2012)
• Seven players with at least five PGA TOUR titles: David Duval (13), Bill Haas (6), Padraig Harrington (6), Hunter Mahan (6), Jonathan Byrd (5), Carl Pettersson (5) and Nick Watney (5)

Puerto Rico Open and the Top 10 from 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour Points List

Due to the schedule changes related to COVID-19, top Korn Ferry Tour performers missed on the opportunity to graduate to the PGA TOUR in 2020. As a result, the TOUR established a performance benefit for the top 10 from the Korn Ferry Tour points list following the conclusion of the 2020 Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance.

Those players are eligible for all PGA TOUR additional events for the 2020-21 season, beginning with this week’s Puerto Rico Open.

Pos.	Player	In Field?
1	Will Zalatoris	No
2	Davis Riley	Yes
3	Lee Hodges	Yes
4	Taylor Pendrith	Yes
5	Brandon Wu	Yes
6	Greyson Sigg	Yes
7	David Lipsky	No
8	Mito Pereira	Yes
9	Paul Barjon	Yes
10	Stephan Jaeger	Yes

Notables from the Korn Ferry Tour Category

Davis Riley

• Winner of two events to date during the combined 2020-21 season on the Korn Ferry Tour (Panama Championship, TPC San Antonio Championship at the Oaks)
• Best finish in eight PGA TOUR starts is T29/2019 AT&T Byron Nelson
• Played collegiately at the University of Alabama; decided to forgo his final semester of eligibility to turn professional in 2019
• Decorated junior golfer finished runner-up twice at the U.S. Junior Amateur

Lee Hodges

• Highlights of combined 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour season include six top-10 finishes in 21 starts, highlighted by a win at the WinCo Foods Portland Open
• 25-year-old Alabama native is making his third start on the PGA TOUR (T54/2018 The RSM Classic, MC/2020 U.S. Open)

Taylor Pendrith

• 29-year-old Canadian attended Kent State where he was an honorable mention All-American in 2014
• Made two cuts in four previous PGA TOUR starts: T23 at 2020 U.S. Open and T43 at 2014 RBC Canadian Open
• Monday qualified for the 2019 Puerto Rico Open/MC
• Has two wins in 41 starts on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada
• Four runner-up results among six top-10s on Korn Ferry Tour combined 2020-21 season

Paul Barjon

• 28-year-old New Caledonian has seven top-10 finishes in 40 Korn Ferry Tour starts Has three runner-ups and five top-10s on the Korn Ferry Tour combined 2020-21 season
• Making fourth start on TOUR: best finish 2019 RBC Canadian Open/T20
• Owns three Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada titles

Other Players of Note

Rafael Campos

• Puerto Rico native will make his 35^th start on the PGA TOUR and ninth of the 2020-21 season
• Comes off a T7 finish at last week’s LECOM Suncoast Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour
• Best finish on the PGA TOUR is solo-seventh at the 2017 Houston Open (which he got into after finishing T10 at the Puerto Rico Open the week before)
• Has competed in 11 of 12 Puerto Rico Opens (2020), with top-10s in two of his three most recent starts (2016/T8, 2017/T10)
• Became the first Puerto Rican to win on the Korn Ferry Tour (2019 Bahamas Great Abaco Classic)
• Seeks a fifth top-25 finish in his 35^th career PGA TOUR start
• Serves on the board of the official chapter of First Tee – Puerto Rico. First Tee – Puerto Rico will provide an opportunity to reach underserved communities in Puerto Rico. Campos will be running golf clinics with the chapter once programs begin.

Ian Poulter

• In four PGA TOUR starts this season, has two top-25 finishes; T12/THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK and T25/Masters Tournament
• Making his third start in the Puerto Rico Open; finished T3 in his tournament debut in 2016 (MC/2017)
• Three-time PGA TOUR win also lists 12 international victories to his credit
• Member of six Ryder Cup European Teams (2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018)

Scott Brown

• 2013 Puerto Rico Open champion seeks a 25^th top 10 finish in his 254^th start
• Returns to Grand Reserve Country Club in search of a sixth top-10 finish in his ninth Puerto Rico Open start; T10/2019, T5/2016, T10/2015, 1^st/2013, T5/2012
• T24 at Vivint Houston Open marks best finish in 11 starts in the 2020-21 season

Puerto Rico Open Launches Careers of PGA TOUR Stars

Since the tournament’s 2008 inception, the Puerto Rico Open has helped elevate the careers of future PGA TOUR stars, including Bryson DeChambeau, Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, Viktor Hovland, Daniel Berger and Chesson Hadley

• In 2020, rookie Viktor Hovland won his first PGA TOUR title in dramatic fashion, sinking a 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for victory. Since winning the 2020 Puerto Rico Open, Hovland finished 20th in the 2019-20 FedExCup standings, won his second PGA TOUR title at the 2020 Mayakoba Golf Classic and climbed as high as No. 12 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
• World No. 15 Tony Finau won his lone TOUR event at the 2016 Puerto Rico Open; since then, Finau has accumulated 44 top-10s, including eight runner-ups – most recently at last week’s The Genesis Invitational when he was defeated in a playoff by Max Homa.
• Daniel Berger claimed his fourth TOUR title two weeks ago at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
• Since finishing second via a playoff at the 2017 Puerto Rico Open, Bryson DeChambeau has gone on to win seven times on the PGA TOUR, including the 2020 U.S. Open
• Past Puerto Rico Open runners-ups who have gone on to win five-or-more times on the PGA TOUR include Jason Day, Bryson DeChambeau and Jordan Spieth
• After finishing runner-up at the 2015 Puerto Rico Open, Emiliano Grillo won the 2015 Safeway Open and was voted PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year.
• Chesson Hadley, winner of the 2014 Puerto Rico Open, was voted PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year that season
• Six of the last seven winners of the Puerto Rico Open won for the first time on the PGA TOUR; Scott Brown (2013), Chesson Hadley (2014), Alex Cejka (2015), Tony Finau (2016), Martin Trainer (2019) and Viktor Hovland (2020).
• Michael Bradley (2009, 2011) is the event’s only two-time champion

The 2021 Puerto Rico Open Preview is via PGA TOUR