Chances for many in Puerto Rico
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2010 Puerto Rico Open | Preview | 10 Mar 2010
The PGA Tour heads south this week, or at least those not eligible for the CA Championship event in Florida do so, to the Puerto Rico Open where the Trump International Golf Club of Puerto Rico in Rio Grande plays host for the third year.
The Tom Kite and Bruce Bresse designed layout has been the venue for this event in all three years and on both occasions a winning score of 14 under has been enough to win.
Michael Bradley was successful in 2009, winning for the first time in 11 years, and, in 2008, Greg Kraft won his first official PGA Tour event at the age of 43. Both are in this week’s field although neither has been playing well of late, especially Kraft who has been in dismal form in recent months.
Interestingly however Bradley is performing no worse than when he teed it up twelve months ago so he may yet be a chance to successfully defend.
In better times Rory Sabbatini would be in the field for the WGC CA event in Florida but such is his form of late that he is no longer eligible for that lucrative event despite having finished runner up to Geoff Ogilvy at the season opener in Kapalua.
At number 55 in the world he only just missed out on a start at Doral and given that he is the highest ranked player in this field he deserves some respect.
Bryce Molder on the other hand is one player who has been in form in recent starts. He was inside the top ten at Pebble beach and Scottsdale and on that alone he is a great chance especially considering he played well here in his first attempt last year when he finished 13th.
John Merrick is too good of a player not to have won on the PGA Tour and this week might just provide him with his best chance. His form has not been great of late but he has played this event well in his two visits to the tournament. He was 6th in 2009 and 13th in 2008.
Joe Durant is a player who seems to have a happy knack of playing well in exotic places. He finished runner up just a few weeks ago in Mexico and finished 9th in this event last year.
Last year’s New Zealand Open winner, Alex Prugh, has made a great start to his PGA Tour career and is currently second behind only Rickie Fowler in the race for rookie honours in 2010. Three top tens in six starts is a very impressive way to get his career at this level underway and a win is clearly not beyond him.
The Australasian challenge is headed by Matt Jones in terms of current form and he will be joined by James Nitties, David Lutterus, Aron Price, Jarrod Lyle, Steve Elkington and Cameron Percy while New Zealander, Tim Wilkinson, has played well at this event previously and stands a chance of a good week provided he doesn’t shoot himself in the foot once again.
Wilkinson is playing on an extended medical exemption after an injury to his thumb last year and now has just seven more starts to earn US$295,000 or so in order to regain full status on the PGA Tour. In three starts this season he has finished 20th at Riviera, missed the cut in Mexico, hit himself with a ball when playing in Hawaii and last week was forced to withdraw through food poisoning. If he can keep himself out of trouble he might have a chance.
