Global InformationPuerto Rico Open information
 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Río Grande, Puerto Rico |
| Established | 2008 |
| Course(s) | Grand Reserve Country Club |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,506 yards (6,863 m) |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour (alternate event) |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | US$4,000,000 |
| Month played | March |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 267 Chesson Hadley (2014) 267 Nico Echavarría (2023) |
| To par | −21 as above |
| Current champion | |
 Brice Garnett | |
| Location map | |
  Grand Reserve CC Location in Puerto Rico | |
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]
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 never won another PGA Tour event.[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] 2016 winner Tony Finau matched the feat when he won the Northern Trust in 2021.
- ^ "PGA Tour adds Puerto Rico Open to '08 schedule". PGA Tour. April 9, 2007. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ^ "2015–16 PGA Tour Player Handbook & Tournament Regulations" (PDF). October 5, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 12, 2016.
- ^ "Puerto Rico Open back on PGA Tour schedule in 2019 after Hurricane Maria cancels 2018 plans". ESPN. Associated Press. December 21, 2017.
- ^ Myers, Alex (February 18, 2020). "Why PGA Tour pros might want to think twice about winning the Puerto Rico Open". Golf World.
- ^ Woodward, Adam (December 6, 2020). "Viktor Hovland breaks PGA Tour's 'Puerto Rico Open Curse'". Golfweek.