Corales Puntacana Championship 2025 Tips: Six names to back Each-Way

The PGA Tour is pulling double-duty this week. Plenty of top names are over in the States at the RBC Heritage, a big field has also headed to the Dominican Republic for the Corales Puntacana Championship from the Puntacana Resort and Club's Corales Golf Course. The purse is $4,000,000 with 300 FedEx Cup points available.

Our golf tipster as always has penned his in-depth preview and has picked out six names worth knowing ahead of the tournament. All of them are each-way plays as Jamie takes us through his Corales Puntacana Championship Betting Tips...

The second part of this week’s PGA Tour double-header takes us to the Dominican Republic and Corales Golf Course, for the alternate-field Corales Puntacana Championship.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

The Corales Puntacana Championship was first staged in 2016 and has taken place every year since, with each edition held at the Corales Golf Course.

The first two renewals took place on the Korn Ferry Tour before the event was upgraded to the PGA Tour in 2018, as an opposite-field event to the defunct WGC Match Play. It now takes up a same position opposite the RBC Heritage, which has been a Signature Event since 2024.

Last five winners:

• 2024 – Winner: Billy Horschel (-23)

Runner-up: Wesley Bryan (-21)

• 2023 – Winner: Matt Wallace (-19)

Runner-up: Nicolai Hojgaard (-18)

• 2022 – Winner: Chad Ramey (-17)

Runners-up: Ben Martin, Alex Smalley (-16)

• 2021 – Winner: Joel Dahmen (-12)

Runners-up: Rafael Campos, Sam Ryder (-11)

• 2020 – Winner: Hudson Swafford (-18)

Runner-up: Tyler McCumber (-17)

Billy Horschel won last year’s renewal, closing with a superb 63 to turn a three-shot 54-hole deficit into a two-stroke win. He used the victory as a springboard to better things for the rest of the season, later finishing 2^nd in The Open and due to his now higher ranking, he doesn’t return to defend this week.

THE COURSE

Corales Golf Course opened for play in 2010 and is the work of renowned architect, Tom Fazio. Situated directly on the East Coast of the Dominican Republic, it serves up some spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean, especially on those holes that run along the cliff’s edge at the close of each nine.

This course is a lengthy par 72, measuring 7670yds and with the little run-out that you typically get on paspalum, it will play to every bit of that yardage. It possesses 4x par 3s (204-265yds), 10x par 4s (387-501yds) and 4x par 5s (515-626yds).

The course can be got at in benign conditions, as we saw with Billy Horschel’s winning score of -23 last year – a record for the event on the PGA Tour. However, its coastal location makes it susceptible to wind, which significantly alters the severity of the test; evidenced by Joel Dahmen’s -12 winning score in 2021.

This flat, exposed course is covered in paspalum and has water in-play on six holes. The fairways are very wide, ranking as the third-easiest to hit on the PGA Tour and with little rough on show, it’s left to the excess of large bunkers to offer protection.

Corales’ often raised greens are average-large in size and with many angled to the fairway position and narrow/shallow in shape, they can be difficult to hit in regulation. Several are open-fronted, which allows players to play along the ground in the wind; meanwhile, they are defended by run-offs and more of that abundant bunkering.

There is a big difference in length between the two nines here, with the second half of the course measuring over 400yds longer than the first and typically playing much tougher. This creates an interesting dynamic, with those teeing off on #1 needing to score well before making the turn and players who start at #10 required to show patience in waiting for their chance to score.

THE WEATHER

Rain is forecast to fall before the event and threatening to continue into the tournament days. Which will make this long course play even longer.

Throw in some blustery weekend conditions, with a consistent 15mph breeze accompanied by gusts up to 30mph, and it could be a slog of a week in the Caribbean.

KEY STATS

• SG: Approach/Greens-in-Regulation/Proximity from 200yds+
• Driving Distance
• SG: Putting (paspalum)
• Par 5 Scoring

We don’t have the benefit of strokes gained data for this event but with the likely soft conditions on this lengthy course, it screams high-quality and power-packed ball strikers.

I’d especially want to be on players who excel in approach, in particular those at their best with the long irons. Each of the four par 3s measure over 200yds, the four par 5s will require approaches over that distance to reach in two and on the damp surfaces, there should be several par 4s on which approaches over 200yds are needed.

Furthermore, a proven ability to putt paspalum is a positive, with events such as the Mexico Open, World Wide Technology Championship and Puerto Rico Open all using that same grass on the PGA Tour.

Finally, the par 5s rank as the four most scoreable holes on the course, even the two at 620yds+ on the back nine. Therefore, players will need to take advantage of them.

CORRELATING EVENTS (COURSE)

Puerto Rico Open (Grand Reserve Country Club)

The similarly long, coastal and paspalum-covered Grand Reserve Country Club is always a good starting point here. The two courses rank close to one another in approach and short-game difficulty.

Notable correlating form:

Brice Garnett:

Corales (1^st) / Puerto Rico (1^st)

Chad Ramey:

Corales (1^st) / Puerto Rico (5^th)

Ben Martin:

Corales (2^nd) / Puerto Rico (3^rd)

Rafael Campos:

Corales (2^nd) / Puerto Rico (3^rd)

Sam Ryder:

Corales (2^nd) / Puerto Rico (3^rd)

Wesley Bryan:

Corales (2^nd) / Puerto Rico (6^th)

Chris Stroud:

Corales (2^nd) / Puerto Rico (8^th, 9^th)

Jhonattan Vegas:

Corales (4^th) / Puerto Rico (2^nd)

Nate Lashley:

Corales (4^th) / Puerto Rico (3^rd)

Cameron Percy:

Corales (4^th, 8^th) / Puerto Rico (7^th, 7^th)

Andrew Putnam:

Corales (5^th) / Puerto Rico (5^th)

Matthias Schwab:

Corales (8^th) / Puerto Rico (7^th)

Mexico Open (Vidanta Vallarta)

Vidanta Vallarta is another lengthy, spacious venue situated by the coast. With large paspalum greens and generous fairways, it provides a similar ball-striking test to Corales and ranking close in most areas, it looks an ideal comp this week.

Notable correlating form:

Joel Dahmen:

Corales (1^st) / Mexico (6^th)

Alex Smalley:

Corales (2^nd, 6^th) / Mexico (6^th, 10^th)

Nicolai Hojgaard:

Corales (2^nd) / Mexico (8^th)

Justin Lower:

Corales (4^th) / Mexico (3^rd)

Chan Kim:

Corales (6^th) / Mexico (8^th)

David Lipsky:

Corales (7^th) / Mexico (6^th)

World Wide Technology Championship (El Cardonal at Diamante)

Staying in Mexico and El Cardonal at Diamante has plenty in common with this week’s venue. Open, exposed and located by the coast, with extremely wide fairways and covered in paspalum, it’s no surprise to see form ties develop after just a couple of events there.

Notable correlating form:

Wesley Bryan:

Corales (2^nd) / WWTC (6^th)

Mackenzie Hughes:

Corales (2^nd, 3^rd) / WWTC (7^th)

Sam Ryder:

Corales (2^nd) / WWTC (10^th)

Sam Stevens:

Corales (3^rd) / WWTC (6^th)

Justin Lower:

Corales (4^th) / WWTC (2^nd)

Nate Lashley:

Corales (4^th) / WWTC (10^th)

Austin Eckroat:

Corales (5^th) / WWTC (1^st)

Andrew Putnam:

Corales (5^th) / WWTC (5^th)

David Lipsky:

Corales (7^th) / WWTC (6^th)

RSM Classic (Sea Island Resort)

Although Sea Island is considerably shorter, its generous fairways, short-game challenge and coastal location has allowed players to transfer form between the RSM Classic and Corales Puntacana Championship.

Notable correlating form:

Billy Horschel:

Corales (1^st) / RSM (2^nd)

Joel Dahmen:

Corales (1^st) / RSM (5^th)

Mackenzie Hughes:

Corales (2^nd, 3^rd) / RSM (1^st, 2^nd, 2^nd)

Tyler McCumber:

Corales (2^nd) / RSM (4^th)

Alex Smalley:

Corales (2^nd, 6^th) / RSM (5^th)

Chris Stroud:

Corales (2^nd) / RSM (5^th)

Tyler Duncan:

Corales (3^rd) / RSM (1^st, 3^rd)

Seamus Power:

Corales (5^th) / RSM (4^th, 5^th)

Greyson Sigg:

Corales (9^th, 9^th) / RSM (8^th)

DP World Tour & Korn Ferry Tour

Due to the makeup of this field, one in which we have lots of players who have only recently teed it up on the DP World Tour or Korn Ferry Tour, it made sense to also search for courses outside the PGA Tour.

Most golf in the Middle East on the DPWT is played on exposed layouts with paspalum greens. This includes the Qatar Masters at Doha Golf Club, the Ras Al Khaimah Championship at Al Hamra Golf Club, the Bahrain Championship at Royal Golf Club and the Abu Dhabi Championship at Yas Links. Whilst that same description can also be applied to the Singapore Classic at Laguna National.

In addition, The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour is played on paspalum, as was The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic until this year.

THE FIELD

World #55 Ben Griffin is the highest-ranked player in this week’s field and one of eight from inside the top 100, alongside Max McGreevy (#76), Thorbjorn Olesen (#82), Matt Wallace (#89), Justin Lower (#93), Hary Hall (#95), Erik Van Rooyen (#96) and Keith Mitchell (#98).

In the absence of Billy Horschel, 2023 winner Matt Wallace is the most recent champion in attendance and one of four former winners, joined by Chad Ramey (2022), Joel Dahmen (2021) and Nate Lashley (2017).

These fields always have an interesting and eclectic mix and among the rest we have PGA Tour winners such as Seamus Power, Emiliano Grillo and Charley Hoffman; several DPWT winners, including Ryan Fox, Rikuya Hoshino and Paul Waring; as well as former #1 amateur Takumi Kanaya.

SELECTIONS

Market leaders (1/4 5 places): Keith Mitchell 14/1, Alex Smalley 18/1, Ben Griffin 18/1, Harry Hall 20/1, Seamus Power 25/1

Keith Mitchell heads the betting, with Alex Smalley and Ben Griffin second favourites. This is not an event where the top of the market holds a great deal of appeal, and I’m instead going to begin in the mid-range with Chris Gotterup.

Chris Gotterup

I put Gotterup up in the previous alternate-field event in Puerto Rico at the same price. He played well there, finishing 16^th and having continued to show promise in subsequent starts, he looks of value in this weaker field.

He finished 18^th in the Houston Open two starts ago and along with his 25^th-place finish in the Farmers Insurance Open earlier in the year, we get a clear idea of what type of courses he excels on. With each of his top 25s in 2025 coming on fairly open courses where you can take driver throughout.

This big-hitter’s ball striking had been a little erratic, but he arrives here having gained strokes in approach in his last three starts and off-the-tee in his last two. Whilst a top-20 ranking in greens-in-regulation will serve him well if the weather makes things difficult over the weekend.

Gotterup narrowly missed the cut here last year but was in worse ball-striking form than he is now. As a player with finishes of 7^th and 16^th in three starts in Puerto Rico, I’m certain he can contend here and having won the Myrtle Beach Classic – another opposite-field event – in dominant fashion last year, we can be sure of this talented youngster’s ability to take down a field like this.

Jeremy Paul

Jeremy Paul is another player who also performed well when we were on in Puerto Rico. At roughly the same price he looks worth another go here, largely due to his strength with the long irons.

Paul has missed his last two cuts in Texas but prior to that he’d settled in well in his rookie season, recording top-25 finishes of 16^th in Puerto Rico, 22^nd in the Valspar Championship and 25^th in the Mexico Open.

His driving has been particularly strong, ranking inside the top 40 off-the-tee and in driving distance. This length, along with a ranking of 55^th in proximity from 200yds+ makes him a compelling prospect from a ball-striking point of view and as the 19^th-best par 5 scorer in 2025, he ticks many of the boxes for this test.

Paul will make his debut at Corales this week but I’m confident he’ll take to the venue due to those top 25s in Puerto Rico and Mexico. In addition, his solo win on the Korn Ferry Tour came in The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic last year, providing us with further evidence that he can perform on paspalum.

Danny Walker

Danny Walker has missed his last three cuts after recording that highly impressive 6^th-place finish in THE PLAYERS Championship back in March. Having said that, he’s continued to look good with his irons and as a big-hitter with form in Mexico, he’s the right type for the demands of Corales Golf Course.

Walker’s rookie season began with consecutive missed cuts, but he then reeled off four straight made cuts in a row, which included finishes of 13^th in the Mexico Open and that 6^th at TPC Sawgrass. As mentioned, he has missed his last three cuts but I’m hoping the week off last week will have given him a chance to recharge the batteries, whilst he should also appreciate this weaker field.

He’s excelled with his irons, ranking 44^th in approach and has recorded three of his best performances in this area over his last four starts. Not without quality over 200yds and a lengthy top 50 in driving distance, he has the long game to tame this setup.

Walker hasn’t played here before, but that 13^th-place finish in Mexico is a useful piece of form and after doing little wrong in defeat when mixing it with some of the tour’s best in THE PLAYERS, I’m confident he has the ability to win an event of this standard.

William Mouw

William Mouw only turned pro in 2023, but it didn’t take the former #7 amateur long to make his way to the PGA Tour for this rookie season. He found the going a little tough at first, but he’s steadied the ship over his last four starts and having recorded his only top 10 of the year in Puerto Rico, he looks a good fit for this course.

Mouw showed immediate promise on the Korn Ferry Tour when first turning pro in 2023 and built on that last year in his first full season on the tour. Where three runner-up finishes contributed towards him finishing 10^th on the season-long standings and comfortably earning a promotion to the PGA Tour.

He missed four of his first five cuts this season, recording a solitary 66^th-place finish in the Farmers Insurance Open. However, he found form in Puerto Rico, finishing 6^th and he arrives here after finishing 47^th in in the Houston Open and 33^rd in the Texas Open on his two latest starts.

The driver and putter have been his biggest assets, ranking 51^st in both areas. He doesn’t lack for length, ranking 62^nd in driving distance and although he missed the cut in Mexico, he did look good on those paspalum surfaces.

Mouw attended Pepperdine University at the same time as now PGA Tour winners, Sahith Theegala and Joe Highsmith. Their successes can act as motivation as he chases his own tour breakthrough and with that 6^th in Puerto Rico boding well, he could achieve that this week.

Noah Goodwin

Noah Goodwin is showing plenty of promise in his rookie season on the PGA Tour. As a player who has impressed with the long irons this year and has plenty of form on paspalum, this looks a good spot for him to contend at a big price.

Goodwin turned pro in 2022 after a successful amateur career that took him as high as #7 in the rankings. He immediately looked at home in the pro ranks, winning twice on the Canadian Tour later that year and although he failed to build on that on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023, last year was a different story. As he recorded 10 top-20 finishes to gain the final PGA Tour card with a 30^th-place finish in the KFT rankings.

He missed his first two cuts this season, but he has since made five of his last six, which includes recording a first top 20 when 12^th in the Puerto Rico Open. This is an improved run of form that has been aided by his quality with approaches of 200yds+, ranking 9^th on the PGA Tour.

Goodwin will make his debut this week but he’s no stranger to surfaces such as these, recording finishes of 12^th and 33^rd on his two starts in the Puerto Rico Open. In addition, we can take further encouragement from his two top-seven finishes in The Bahamas on the Korn Ferry Tour last season.

Rafael Campos

Puerto Rico’s Rafael Campos broke through on the PGA Tour at the age of 36 in Bermuda back in November. That win earned him a first ever major appearance last week, where he played well despite missing the cut and I’m hoping this paspalum specialist will be in buoyant mood as he returns to a course at which he’s finished 2^nd before.

Campos has only made three cuts this season but it’s no surprise that one of them came in Mexico, where he finished 34^th. He put up another decent showing when 47^th in the Texas Open two weeks ago and left Augusta with plenty of credit, only missing the cut by two.

His driver and putter did most of the work last week and it’s these areas in which he’s impressed most in his career. Indeed, he ranks 68^th on tour in putting and possessing plenty of firepower off the tee, it’s no surprise Corales suits.

Campos first played here on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2017, finishing 3^rd and he’s continued to go well since the event moved to the PGA Tour, finishing 2^nd in 2021 and 14^th last year. He’s also recorded three top 10s in Puerto Rico, including a 3^rd-place finish in 2021 and as a former winner of The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic, there are few players in this field with as much quality form on paspalum.