Inside the Field: Corales Puntacana Championship

Christiaan Bezuidenhout (+300 for a Top 20) … Pick your pleasure or jump on both. Of the dozen from his homeland in the field, only Louis Oosthuizen is presented at shorter odds, but you’d win an argument that Bezuidenhout is the hottest of ‘em all. In fact, of all golfers from the entire continent of Africa, he’s totaled the most Official World Golf Ranking points (47.02) in 2022. Oosthuizen has managed only 16.82. In the last two months, Bezuidenhout has connected for a co-runner-up (John Deere) among four top 20s. He’s T5 on the PGA TOUR in proximity to the hole, T29 in Strokes Gained: Putting, fifth in scrambling and first in proximity from the sand, the last of which rarely within our focus but it doesn’t hurt in case he finds any of the 112 bunkers on the Old Course. The 28-year-old also is no stranger to big stages. He’s a combined 7-for-10 in majors, including a payday (T53) at Royal St. George’s last year. Haotong Li (+400 for a Top 20) … After an extended tailspin, he’s back on the rise, and quickly at that. It was at the Royal Birkdale in 2017 when he closed with 63 to finish third in what was his Open debut. That would have tied the all-time record for lowest score in a major if Branden Grace hadn’t broken it by one the day before. The result vaulted Li into the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking (to 63rd) for the first time. Six months later, he rose to a career-best 32nd with a win in Dubai, his second career DP World Tour title. Then, two years ago this week, he slipped outside the top 100 and hasn’t cracked it again. The low point came last December when he sat 542nd. A runner-up finish at the Volvo China Open (the tournament where he connected for his first DPWT win in 2016) ensued, as have five more top 20s, including an emotional third career victory at the BMW International Open just three weeks ago. Currently 139th in the OWGR and with powerful momentum in tow. Chris Kirk (+550 for a Top 20) … Granted, St. Andrews is in a league of its own, but the 37-year-old has recorded six top 20s in the last five months. The set includes challenging venues like PGA National (T7), Bay Hill (T5) and Southern Hills (T5). He finished 71st at The Renaissance Club on Sunday, but he’s acclimated with four warm rounds after a three-week break. Among the best tee to green, so the objective is to simplify and plug that skill set into this equation that demands avoiding trouble. Sebastián Muñoz (+450 for a Top 20) … This is a respectful value for a guy who’s 0-for-2 at The Open. No doubt that it reflects house protection given his series of exceptional performances on all kind of tests, including a T14 at the U.S. Open just four weeks ago. The Colombian cut his teeth in the winds presented at the University of North Texas, and now with several PGA TOUR seasons under his belt, he’s fine-tuning his game to pop at a moment’s notice. That includes a pair of opening 60s en route to third-place finishes in the last eight months. That score isn’t out there at St. Andrews, but it will reward the kind of confidence and balance that he’s carried throughout. Keita Nakajima (+1400 for a Top 20) … The twice-qualified phenom from Japan still hasn’t turned pro – perhaps this fall – so he arrived for his Open debut as the long-standing world’s top-ranked amateur. Yet, he’s played primarily professional events over the last two years, and even won one on the Japan Golf Tour last September. He was a Sleeper for the Masters (at +750 for a Top 20) and missed the cut, but there’s three times the argument that the better play is now, anyway. First, the kickback for a Top 20 at St. Andrews is almost double what it was at Augusta National. Second, while amateurs tend not to make much noise at The Open, the last time one finished inside the top 20 was, you guessed it, at St. Andrews in 2015, when, count ‘em, three recorded top 15s – Jordan Niebrugge (T6), Ashley Chesters (T12), Ollie Schniederjans (T12) – and that doesn’t even include Paul Dunne (T30), who shared the 54-hole lead. And third, while modest, the 22-year-old Nakajima is another three months experienced. Odds were sourced on Tuesday, July 12, 2022. For live odds, visit BetMGM.

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Cameron Tringale has been disqualified from the PGA Championship after signing an incorrect scorecard following his second round on Friday.

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HAIKOU, CHINA—Chunkang “Jacob� Hung had his caddie to thank after he eagled the par-5 18th for a 6-under 66 and a one-shot lead after the first round of the PGA TOUR Series-China International Qualifying Tournament No. 2 at Mission Hills Golf Club. England’s Alex Belt had earlier set the clubhouse lead with a 67 over the 7,147-yard Sandbelt Trails Course, which is hosting a second successive 72-hole, no-cut qualifier. Ireland’s Brian O’Donovan (68), a teaching pro at Mission Hills’ sister courses in Shenzhen, China, and Australia’s Sean Underwood (69) were third and fourth, while the American trio of Joseph Winslow, Jesse Speirs and Charlie Netzel all shot 70. Hong Kong’s Motin Yeung and Philippine amateur Lloyd Jefferson Go were among six players sharing eighth place, at 1-under. The top-15 finishers will earn full cards and the next 25 and ties will be conditionally exempt for a Series that rewards the top-five money winners with places on the Web.com Tour, the path to the PGA TOUR. Hung, 27, mixed six birdies with three bogeys before his final-hole eagle and admitted he had his caddie to thank for his club selection on his approach. “The second shot was about 240 yards, and I didn’t know which club to use, so I asked him to choose and he said 5-wood. I ended up hitting it to about nine feet and holing the putt for an eagle,� said Hung, who has played mainly in Chinese Taipei since turning pro in 2014. “It’s a good score, but I missed so many other birdie chances after my last bogey on hole 10. I had birdie chances on almost every hole after that. Anyway, I won’t think about this score tomorrow. I’ll just start again. I still have three days.� Belt, a two-time Euro Pro Tour winner, quickly found his stride in his first tournament of the year. Teeing off early on 10, the 32-year-old Yorkshireman birdied Nos. 11, 16, 2, 3, 6 and 8 to move to 6-under before carding his sole bogey at the par-3 ninth. Having played European Challenge Tour and Asian Tour events while playing in China in 2017, Belt is in a strong position to secure a PGA TOUR Series-China card, but says he’s not looking too far ahead. “It’s always nice to get off to a good start and see a few putts go in. Believe it or not, I missed quite a lot of short putts, although I also holed a couple that maybe I shouldn’t have,� said Belt, whose career highlights include playing two rounds with eventual champion Byeonghun An at the European Tour’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in 2015. “I’ve been swinging it well and playing well. Obviously, I’m hoping to guarantee a top-15 spot, but I’m not really thinking about that when I’m playing. Too often in the past, I’ve thought about the outcome before the day or the tournament’s over and they’re unhelpful thoughts, so I’m just going to try and take each shot as it comes. It’s a cliché, but that’s what we need to do.� O’Donovan, 30, admitted he benefited from his familiarity with the course and that he may have to readjust his teaching schedule if he continues his current form and secures status on the 14-event Tour. “I’m one of the teaching pros at the Mission Hills Shenzhen resort so I get to come to Haikou quite a lot and play the course. I do know where I’m going, so I have a slight advantage. It was good fun, I enjoyed it,� smiled O’Donovan, one of two Irish players in the field. “If I do get my card, I’ll probably have to speak to my boss,� he laughed. “I should be OK. They’re good to me, so I hope they’ll allow me to go play. I’ll just try and manage both as best I can.� In contrast to the China-based O’Donovan, Underwood is visiting the country for the first time. The Sydney-based 30-year-old was delighted after a round that included five birdies and two bogeys. “I’m very happy. I bogeyed the last, but I can’t complain because I holed I couple of putts I didn’t expect to,� said Underwood, who got married last November. “The course plays pretty long, and I don’t hit it the furthest, so I was pretty happy to hit my irons well and hole quite a few putts. I hit a lot of greens and didn’t miss too many fairways with the driver. I’m happy to kick things off with a good score.� This week’s field comprises 120 players from 21 countries and regions including the U.S. (29 players), South Korea (27), Chinese Taipei (13), Australia (13), Japan (11) and U.K. (six). After a one-year hiatus, PGA TOUR Series-China resumes in March with a 14-tournament schedule that starts with the Chengdu Championship at Luxehills International Country Club (March 15-18) and the Chongqing Championship at Poly Golf Club (March 22-25). Every tournament will offer RMB 1.5 million, a 25-percent increase over purse levels from 2016. The Mainland China Qualifying Tournament for China passport holders will be held at Wolong Lake Golf Club in Liuzhou City in Guangxi from February 27-March 2 (Tuesday-Friday). The PGA TOUR established PGA TOUR Series-China in 2014 as its third international developmental tour, following in the footsteps of PGA TOUR Latinoamerica and the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada. Since its inception, PGA TOUR Series-China players have received Official World Golf Ranking points for top finishes at official tournaments.

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