2026 Puerto Rico Open Fantasy and Betting Preview: Key Stats, Course Breakdown, Tournament Trends, TV Times, and More

March 4, 2026

2026 Puerto Rico Open betting and fantasy golf preview with key stats, Grand Reserve Golf Club course breakdown, field analysis, and TV times for this week’s PGA Tour event.

The first PGA Tour alternate event of the season heads to Río Grande, Puerto Rico, this week for the Puerto Rico Open at Grand Reserve Country Club.

Running opposite the Arnold Palmer Invitational, this event provides an opportunity for players not in the Signature Event field to compete for a PGA Tour title, valuable FedEx Cup points, and a two-year Tour exemption. While it may not feature the same star power as Bay Hill, the Puerto Rico Open has built a reputation for producing breakthrough winners and dramatic finishes, often serving as a springboard for emerging talent looking to establish themselves on Tour.

For those who have followed my work in the past, you know my betting picks are usually included within this article. This year will be a little different, as my official plays will be part of our RotoBaller PGA Premium offerings. To get access to my top plays throughout the 2026 season, check out our awesome options now. If you are new here, the purpose of this preview is to provide a complete breakdown of everything you need to know about this week’s event. From course details and key statistics to historical trends and field insights, this article is designed to serve as a guide or at least a strong starting point as you build your betting card or DFS lineups. With plenty of opportunity on the board, let’s dive into the 2026 Puerto Rico Open at Grand Reserve Golf Club and get you fully prepared for the seventh week of the PGA Tour season.

Tournament Information

• Dates: March 5th – March 8th, 2026
• Location: Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
• Course: Grand Reserve Golf Club
• Course Type: Resort/ Coastal
• Par:  72 (4x 3’s / 10x 4’s / 4x 5’s)
• Length: 7,506 yards
• Format: 72-hole stroke play
• Greens: SeaDwarf Paspalum .105”
• Fairways: Salum Paspalum .425”
• Rough: Salum Paspalum 2”
• Bunkers: 56
• Water Hazard(s): – (In-Play on 13 Holes)
• Average Green Size: 6,500 sq. ft.
• Stimpmeter:  11.0 ft.
•  Purse/ Winner: $4,000,000 /$720,000
• FedEx Cup Points: 300
• Field: 120 Players
• Cut: Top 65 and Ties – 36 Holes
• Playoff Format: Sudden Death – 18 repeated

Course Information

Course Architect:

• Course Architect: Tom Kite (2006)
• Renovations: N/A

Comparable Courses:

• Corales Golf Course – Corales Puntacana Championship
• El Cardonal at Diamante – World Wide Technology Championship
• Vidanta Vallarta – Mexico Open at Vidanta

Comparable Location (Rio Grande, Puerto Rico):

• Corales Golf Course – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic – Corales Puntacana Championship

Designer Link (Tom Kite Design):

• Liberty National – Tom Kite (2006) – The Barclays 2009, 2013/ The Northern Trust 2019, 2021

Comparable Yardage (7,506 Yards):

• Augusta National Golf Club – 7,555 Yards – Masters Tournament

Comparable Greens ( SeaDwarf Paspalum .105”):

• Corales Golf Course – Supreme paspalum .100” – Corales Puntacana Championship
• El Cardonal at Diamante – Platinum paspalum .100” – World Wide Technology Championship
• Vidanta Vallarta – Paspalum – Mexico Open at Vidanta

Comparable Average Green Size (6,500 sq. ft.):

• TPC Twin Cities – 6,500 sq. ft. – 3M Open
• TPC San Antonio (Oaks Course) – 6,400 sq. ft. – Valero Texas Open
• Augusta National Golf Club – 6,486 sq. ft. – Masters Tournament

TV Information (all times ET)

• Round 1: Thursday, March 5th, 2026
  • Golf Channel – 10:00 PM – 1:00 PM
• Round 2: Friday, March 6th, 2026
  • Golf Channel – 10:00 PM – 1:00 PM
• Round 3: Saturday, March 7th, 2026
  • Golf Channel – 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM
• Round 4: Sunday, March 8th, 2026
  • Golf Channel – 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM

Course/Tournament History

Previous Tournament Venues:

Previous Tournament Names:

Tournament Records:

• 72-Hole Record:
  • 262, Karl Vilips (2025)

• 18-Hole Record:
  • 62, Kevin Roy (Round 1, 2025), Jhonattan Vegas (Round 4, 2020)

• Largest Margin of Victory:
  • 11 Strokes – Tiger Woods (2003)

• Most Wins at Event:
  • 2 – Michael Bradley (2009, 2011)

Course Guide/ Scorecard

Originally designed by Tom Kite in 2006, the Championship Course at Grand Reserve Country Club features a traditional par 72 layout with four par 3s, 10 par 4s, and four par 5s.

Measuring 7,506 yards, it is one of the longer setups players will see on the PGA Tour schedule. Unlike many tighter Florida venues, this course places a premium on distance over accuracy off the tee. The rough is typically around 2.5 inches and is not overly penal, allowing aggressive players to attack with a driver. The greens average approximately 6,500 square feet, offering receptive targets that encourage scoring.

Beginning in 2025, Grand Reserve unveiled a re-routed layout that flips the nines. The finishing stretch will feature a demanding 236-yard par 3 followed by a 450-yard par 4 to close the round, creating a more challenging conclusion than in previous years.

Historically, the Puerto Rico Open has played as a birdie fest, with winning scores often pushing well into double digits under par. The primary defenses are water hazards, which come into play on 12 holes, and coastal winds blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. When the wind picks up, scoring becomes more volatile, but in calm conditions, players can go low in a hurry.

Featured/ Signature Hole(s): 12

Key Statistics

The Puerto Rico Open takes place at Grand Reserve Golf Club. Here are the key statistics to keep an eye on for this week’s event.

Strokes Gained: Off the Tee

Strokes Gained: Approach

Strokes Gained: Putting (Paspalum)

Par 3 Scoring: 200-225 Yards

Par 4 Scoring: 400-450 Yards

Driving Distance Gained

Birdies or Better Gained

Proximity Gained: 200+ Yards

Comparable Courses and Event History

The Field

The 2026 Puerto Rico Open features a 120-player field. The tournament includes just two of the top-50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking: Michael Brennan, World No. 45, and Rasmus Hojgaard, World No. 48.

Basis of qualification for each entrant this week:

• Tournament Winner in Past Two Seasons
• Past Champion of Respective Event
• Top 70 on Prior Year's FedExCup Points List
• Top 100 on prior season FedExCup Fall Points List
• Sponsors Exemptions - Unrestricted
• Designated Sponsor Exemption
• PGA Section Champion\Player of the Year
• Open Qualifying
• Leading 10 players (not otherwise exempt) on DP World Tour
• Top 20 Prior Season Korn Ferry Tour Points List
• Top 5 from PGA Tour Q-School
• PGA Tour University
• Top 10 and Ties from the Previous Event
• 101-110 prior season FedExCup Fall Points List
• Major Medical Extension
• 111-125 prior season FedExCup Fall Points List
• 126-150 on FedExCup Fall Points List
• Past Champions & Veteran Members Beyond 150 on the FedEx Cup Fall

Previous Winners in the Field (Event):

• Brice Garnett – 2024
• Ryan Brehm – 2022
• Chesson Hadley – 2014

Debutants in the Field:

• A.J. Ewart, Adrien Saddier, Carson Bertagnole, Chandler Blanchet, Chase Sienkiewicz, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Christo Lamprecht, David Ford, Davis Chatfield, Eric Cole, Eugenio Chacarra, Filip Jakubcik, Gordon Sargent, Isaiah Salinda, Jackson Suber, Jeffrey Kang, Jesper Svensson, John Daly II, John Parry, Kensei Hirata, Kihei Akina, Luke Clanton, Matthieu Pavon, Michael Brennan, Michael Kartrude, Miles Russell, Neal Shipley, Nick Dunlap, Paul Waring, Pontus Nyholm, Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Yanhan Zhou, Zachary Bauchou

Exemptions:

• Kihei Akina: Sponsors Exemptions - Unrestricted
• Carson Bertagnole: Sponsors Exemptions - Unrestricted
• Fred Biondi: Sponsors Exemptions - Unrestricted
• Blades Brown: Sponsors Exemptions - Unrestricted
• Eugenio Chacarra: Designated Sponsor Exemption
• John Daly II: Sponsors Exemptions - Unrestricted
• Filip Jakubcik: Sponsors Exemptions - Unrestricted
• Chris Nido: Designated Sponsor Exemption
• Evan Pena: Designated Sponsor Exemption
• Miles Russell: Sponsors Exemptions - Unrestricted
• Chase Sienkiewicz: Sponsors Exemptions - Unrestricted
• Reinaldo Simoni: Designated Sponsor Exemption
• Kieron van Wyk: Sponsors Exemptions - Unrestricted
• Yanhan Zhou: Sponsors Exemptions - Unrestricted

Notable Withdraws/ Changes:

• Greyson Sigg WD / Ben Martin IN
• Adam Schenk WD / Jonathan Byrd IN
• Dan Brown WD / Martin Laird IN
• William Mouw WD / Tyler Duncan IN
• Austin Smotherman WD / Austin Cook IN
• Nicolai Højgaard WD / S.Y. Noh IN
• Taylor Moore WD / Scott Piercy IN
• Andrew Putnam WD / Ryan Palmer IN
• Joel Dahmen WD / Chesson Hadley IN
• Jordan Smith WD / Fabian Gomez IN
• Emiliano Grillo WD / James Hahn IN
• Brendon Todd WD / Troy Merritt IN
• Patton Kizzire WD / William McGirt IN
• S.Y. Noh WD / Nick Watney IN
• Nick Watney WD / Robert Streb IN
• Haotong Li WD / Adam Long IN

The Odds

Here’s a breakdown of the top players in the field for this year’s Puerto Rico Open at Grand Reserve Golf Club, ranked by current betting odds (via DraftKings). The table below details each player’s five most recent finishes on the PGA Tour and their last result at the Puerto Rico Open. My top plays of the week are included in the TeeOffSports VIP+ PGA Premium package.

Recent Horses for Courses

Recent Donkeys for Courses

Previous Winners' Scores and Prices

• 2025: Karl Vilips (-26)
  • Price:  60-1
• 2024: Brice Garnett (-19)
  • Price: 150-1
• 2023: Nicolas Echavarria (-21)
  • Price: 125-1
• 2022: Ryan Brehm (-20)
  • Price: 70-1
• 2021: Branden Grace (-19)
  • Price: 20-1

Previous Winners Incoming Form (Last 5 Starts)

• 2025: Karl Vilips
  • T39 – Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches (PGA)
  • T72 – Mexico Open (PGA)
  • T46 – ISPS Handa Australian Open (DPWT)
  • T20 – Korn Ferry Tour Championship (KFT)
  • MC – Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship (KFT)
• 2024: Brice Garnett
  • T51 – Astara Golf Championship (KFT)
  • MC – The Panama Championship (KFT)
  • MC – The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic (KFT)
  • MC – The RSM Classic (PGA)
  • T30 – Butterfield Bermuda Championship (PGA)
• 2023: Nicolas Echavarria
  • MC – The Honda Classic
  • MC – AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
  • MC – Farmers Insurance Open
  • MC – The American Express
  • T12 – Sony Open in Hawaii
• 2022: Ryan Brehm
  • T38 – LECOM Suncoast Classic (KFT)
  • T9 – Astara Golf Championship (KFT)
  • T32 – The Panama Championship (KFT)
  • T18 – The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic (KFT)
  • MC – Korn Ferry Tour Championship (KFT)
• 2021: Branden Grace
  • T20 – The Genesis Invitational (PGA)
  • T34 – AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (PGA)
  • MC – Sony Open in Hawaii (PGA)
  • T40 – Mayakoba Golf Classic (PGA)
  • T30 – The RSM Classic (PGA)

Previous Winners' Finishes at Event

2025: Karl Vilips

• Tournament Debut

2024: Brice Garnett

2023: Nicolas Echavarria

• Tournament Debut

2022: Ryan Brehm

2021: Branden Grace

• Tournament Debut

Best of luck, and as always, you can find me on X @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting!

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