Out of the Rough: Corales Puntacana Championship (2025)

As the big names of the PGA Tour take to Harbour Town Golf Links for the Signature Event RBC Heritage, the rest will take to Corales Golf Club for the Corales Puntacana Championship. 

With the change of the Signature Events to limited field a season ago, the fields for these alternate field events, such as this week’s Corales Puntacana Championship, have been the strongest in event history.

That was the case last year in Punta Cana and will again be the case this week.

This event has been a part of the PGA Tour since 2018 and was previously part of the Web.com Tour (now the Korn Ferry Tour) from 2016 to 2017. 

It annually served as the alternate event to the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and since its inception on Tour, has always served as an alternate event. Now it serves as the alternate field event to the RBC Heritage.

The Field

This week’s field will see a combination of PGA Tour winners, long time veterans, up-and-coming stars, Korn Ferry Tour and DP World Tour regulars.

The likes of Patrick Rodgers, Ben Griffin, Mark Hubbard, Andrew Novak, Justin Lower, Keith Mitchell, Andrew Putnam, Rico Hoey and Carson Young will help headline this week’s field.

A total of 11 PGA Tour winners from the past two seasons will tee it up this week, including Rafael Campos, Chris Gotterup, Emiliano Grillo, Harry Hall, Nick Hardy, Luke List, Taylor Moore, Seamus Power, Adam Svensson, Erik van Rooyen and Matt Wallace.

Billy Horschel bested Wesley Bryan a season ago to claim victory in the Dominican Republic. He will not be back this week to defend his title as he’ll be playing in the RBC Heritage.

Matt Wallace, the 2023 winner, will tee it up this week along with former winners Chad Ramey (2022) and Joel Dahmen (2021.) 

Nate Lashley won this event in 2017 as part of the Web.Com Tour and too will be teeing it up this week.

The Course

Corales Golf Club plays as a par 72 at over 7,6000 yards, making it one of the longest courses on all of the Tour.

Corales Golf Club is a thing of beauty as it features six oceanside holes and an endless display of natural beauty.

The course is very open off-the-tee and combining that with the long distance of the course, makes it for a bomber’s paradise.

The Paspalum greens are where this event is often won.

The green complexes are very difficult and will cause players fits all week long. Being able to navigate these tricky Tom Fazio designed putting surfaces will be the difference between winning and losing this week.

Corales Golf Club’s closing three-hole stretch, known as ‘The Devil’s Elbow’ will once again be the spotlight this week. The par-four 18th hole features a force carry of the Bay of Corales.

Wind will be a factor as the course is coastline. The coastal winds at these types of events always come into play.

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, there is an increased chance of thunderstorms across the first two days this week. Thursday currently calls for a 50-percent chance of precipitation with scattered thunderstorms. Friday is calling for a 40-percent chance of precipitation with scattered thunderstorms. Both Saturday and Sunday are calling for a 25-percent chance. Winds will be at the lowest on Thursday at just six miles-per-hour. They’ll quickly increase to 13 miles-per-hour for Friday before increasing to 15 miles-per-hour on Saturday and 16 miles-per-hour on Sunday. Temperatures will be at the highest on Thursday at 84-degrees before settling to 83-degrees for Friday through Sunday.

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (SG: OTT) / Average Driving Distance

• Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: PUTT)

• Birdie or Better Percentage

• Par 5 Average Scoring

• Greens in Regulation Percentage (GIR%)

• Scrambling

• Strokes Gained: Around the Green (SG: ATG) / Sand Saves Percentage

Betting Card

Harry Hall (+2200)

Weather dependent, the winner of this event often reached upwards of 20-under. That would classify this event as a birdie-fest. What is the difference when it comes to Birdiefests? Putting. Harry Hall is currently 15th on Tour in SG: PUTT. He is also eighth in birdie or better percentage, 27th in SG: ATG, 53rd in scrambling, 57th in GIR%, 59th in sand saves percentage, 63rd in par-five average scoring, 93rd in average driving distance, 98th in SG: APP and 126th in SG: OTT. Hall also comes into this week in good form, placing 26th in his last outing at the Valero Texas Open. He also placed 18th at the Texas Children’s Houston Open and 54th at the Valspar Championship across his last three outings. On the season he also placed 34th at the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld, 21st at The American Express, tenth at the Sony Open in Hawaii and eighth at The Sentry Tournament of Champions. He also played this event in 2023 where he placed 13th. 

Hayden Springer (+4500)

In six events played so far this season, Springer has an average finishing placement of 37. He placed 15th in his last outing at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. He also placed 42nd at THE PLAYERS Championship, 34th at the Puerto Rico Open, 45th at the Mexico Open at Vidanta World and sixth at the Farmers Insurance Open. He’s missed just one cut in those six events as well. Springer is currently 30th on Tour in birdie or better percentage, 40th in average driving distance, 44th in par five average scoring, 60th in SG: APP, 63rd in SG: PUTT, 66th in GIR%, 91st in SG: ATG, 99th in SG: OTT, 103rd in scrambling and 179th in sand saves percentage. He did play this event a season ago where he missed the cut. 

Ricky Castillo (+4500)

Castillo is currently 24th on Tour in GIR%, 26th in average driving distance, 36th in scrambling, 38th in SG: OTT, 44th in par five average scoring, 54th in SG: ATG, 64th in SG: APP, 107th in birdie or better percentage, 154th in SG: PUTT and 171st in sand saves percentage. The putting figure does alarm me which has been his downfall this season. He’s missed the cut in three-of-his-last-four outings (Valero Texas Open, Texas Children’s Houston Open and THE PLAYERS Championship.) However, he placed 12th at the Valspar Championship where he gained 1.183 strokes-per-round on the greens. This proves he can spike with the putter. He also placed 64th at the Puerto Rico Open, 56th at the Cognizant Classic, 55th at the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld, 15th at the Farmers Insurance Open and 43rd at The American Express this season. He also gained strokes putting at the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld and the Farmers Insurance Open. The putter will determine how he goes this week and we’re crossing our fingers that it will be a spike week. He’ll be making his tournament debut this week. 

Quade Cummins (+5000)

This may be my favorite play this week. Cummins is currently 17th on Tour in sand saves percentage, 28th in SG: PUTT, 37th in par-five average scoring, 42nd in scrambling, 59th in both SG: OTT and GIR%, 96th in average driving distance, 111th in birdie or better percentage, 115th in SG: APP and 153rd in SG: ATG. Cummins placed 33rd in his last outing at the Valero Texas Open. He missed two cuts prior (Texas Children’s Houston Open and Valspar Championship) but prior to that placed 16th at the Puerto Rico Open, 32nd at the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld, 32nd at the Cognizant Classic and 34th at The American Express this season. He also will be making his tournament debut this week.