Woods makes a brief run at Bay Hill until a big miss

You wouldn’t think so to look at it as a whole, but there’re more flexibility in the PGA TOUR schedule than meets the eye. RELATED: The First Look While stretching 47 tournaments across essentially as many weeks – when setting aside the annual holiday break – prioritizes the fit of the jigsaw pieces over the process of moving them around for organizational purposes, there’s always been room for creativity and situational awareness. Without a World Golf Championship slotted adjacent to or during the Florida Swing this year, the Puerto Rico Open slides into an unprecedented position opposite the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. That’s where PRO defending champion Branden Grace will be competing. Both tournaments host 120-man fields, but the annual stop at Bay Hill is an invitational that takes precedence. Yet, just as it always has since it debuted in 2008, the PRO remains an official event contributing to the FedExCup. For a breakdown of what’s up for grabs at Grand Reserve County Club east of San Juan, how it tests and more, scroll or swipe past the projected contenders and others to consider. OTHERS TO CONSIDER • Bo Van Pelt … Greg Kraft, Michael Bradley (twice), Alex Cejka, D.A. Points. All are former winners of the Puerto Rico Open and all were touring professionals of a certain age at the time of their triumphs. BVP is 46 but he’s made a few ripples in recent memory since returning from extended time away to heal from multiple injuries and surgery. That includes a T15 here last year to go 5-for-5 at Grand Reserve. • Chase Seiffert … It’s always a heavier lift for non-winners with conditional status than it is for winners who often receive more sponsor exemptions, but the 30-year-old is hanging tough with a pair of top 25s this season, including a T25 at The Honda Classic where he was lurking at the midpoint. He’s 2-for-2 at Grand Reserve with a T15 last year when he averaged 14 greens in regulation per round to rank T5. • Chan Kim … The 31-year-old continues to struggle finding success on PGA TOUR tracks. In 18 career starts spanning the last six seasons, he’s made 10 cuts but connected for only three top 25s. He’s just 1-for-3 with a T65 at Pebble Beach in 2022, but as the earnings leader on the 2020-21 Japan Golf Tour where he won twice last fall, expectations remain elevated to him to pop over here. • Ted Potter, Jr. … The Wizard has been precisely that at Grand Reserve. He’s 4-for-4 with a T6 and a T7 in the last two editions, respectively. They’re also his most recent top-15 finishes in PGA TOUR-sanctioned competition. He scored 14-under 274 in both. • Rafael Campos … This preview would be incomplete without him. The Puerto Rico native has teed it up in every edition of this tournament but one. In what was his debut season as a PGA TOUR member in 2020, he sat out that edition with a sore left elbow, but he returned with gusto for a personal-best T3 last year. It’s one of three top 10s in his last four appearances. A record purse of $3.7 million will be distributed to the low 65 and ties who survive the 36-hole cut this week. The winner will pocket $666,000, 300 FedExCup points and secure PGA TOUR membership through at least 2023-24. He’ll score exemptions into the PGA Championship in May and the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions, among other invitationals. He’ll also punch a ticket into THE PLAYERS Championship next week. Joseph Bramlett, Brice Garnett, Chesson Hadley, Kyle Stanley, Brian Stuard and Richy Werenski are the only commits at Grand Reserve who are already eligible for the PGA TOUR’s flagship event. Although ShotLink technology isn’t used on the stock par 72 measuring 7,506 yards, there are no analytical advantages per se. Paspalum greens average just 6,000 square feet, so the premium is on hitting them in regulation as persistent breezes push in from a prevailing easterly direction. They’re governed to just 11 feet on the Stimpmeter, so they’ll hold approaches even from primary rough that’s just three-quarters-of-an-inch high and also primarily paspalum. The threat of rain and thunderstorms – the latter of which a term we haven’t heard in a while on TOUR – will be as omnipresent as the flapping trousers along the northeastern shore of the island. There’s always a reasonable chance for rain in these parts at this time of the year, but the smaller field makes it easier to stay on time in case of a delay. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Power Rankings (API) TUESDAY*: Power Rankings (PRO), Sleepers (API), Draws and Fades WEDNESDAY: Pick ’Em Preview SUNDAY: Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Rookie Ranking * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.

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The QBE Shootout, which will be held at Tiburón Golf Club’s Gold Course in Naples, Florida, gives golf betting an opportunity before the end of the calendar year. A unique event, with 24 players paired into 12 teams, with a field that includes past Presidents Cup players, major winners and two LPGA stars. It will feature a scramble format during the first round (Friday), a modified alternate shot format during the second round (Saturday), and a final-round Four-ball (Sunday). So, how are bettors approaching this tournament? As of Tuesday at the BetMGM online sportsbook, the team of Max Homa and Kevin Kisner is generating the most betting action by far. They have the most handle (30.2%) on the most tickets (21.7%). In terms of golf odds to win, they are +700, tied for fourth-best. Kisner and Homa are among the few teams in the field with both players having experience in a Presidents Cup. The two were part of the United States Team that defeated the International Team in the Presidents Cup this fall at Quail Hollow. Homa went a perfect 4-0, while Kisner was 0-2-1. Homa fans have had the opportunity to profit significantly over the last year or so. Had you placed a $100 wager on Homa to win in each of his 24 PGA TOUR starts last season, plus his three starts so far in this new 2022-23 campaign, you would have profited a cool $9,300. Harris English and Matt Kuchar also are a popular pick. They are drawing the second-most handle (15.3%) on the second-most tickets (13.6%). This pairing has had a ton of success at this event, winning in 2013, 2016 and 2020. Kuchar has earned the most money in the tournament’s history ($2,295,000), while English is third ($1,938,750). They have the second-best odds to win at +600. Current Handle & Tickets Handle Max Homa/Kevin Kisner – 30.2% Harris English/Matt Kuchar – 15.3% Trey Mullinax/Scott Stallings – 13.8% Steve Stricker/Cameron Young – 11.9% Jason Day/Billy Horschel – 9.2% Tickets Max Homa/Kevin Kisner – 21.7% Harris English/Matt Kuchar – 13.6% Steve Stricker/Cameron Young – 12.5% Tom Hoge/Sahith Theegala– 9.8% Brian Harman/Sepp Straka – 9.8%\ The team with the best odds to win is Jason Day-Billy Horschel (+500). They are drawing 7.1% of the tickets and 9.2% of the handle. The LPGA players are Nelly Korda, paired with Denny McCarthy (+2800), and Lexi Thompson, with Maverick McNealy (+3300). * Visit BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. BetMGM is available in AZ, CO, DC, IA, IN, IL, KS, LA, MI, MS, NJ, NV, NY, PA, TN, VA, WV, or WY only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Paid in free bets. Free bets expire in 7 days from issuance. Minimum deposit required. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, DC, LA, NV, WY, VA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-GAMBLER (IN, NJ, PA & WV), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA) or call (877-8-HOPENY) or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), call or text the Tennessee REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN) or call 1-888-777-9696 (MS). Sports betting is void where prohibited. Promotional offers not available in Nevada. Responsible sports betting starts with a game plan. Set a budget. Keep it social. Play with friends. Learn the game and know the odds. Play with trusted, licensed operators. CLICK HERE to learn more at HaveAGamePlan.org

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