Lewis Can Grab Glory at Grand Reserve
The leading lights of the golf world will be in Florida for the WGC Workday Championship this week, but don’t expect the competition at the Puerto Rico Open to be any less fierce.
It is a great opportunity for those not used to the spotlight to make a big name for themselves and it was a first Tour success for six of the last seven winners of the Rio Grande event.
With none of the world’s top 50 players in attendance, this looks an opportunity for England’s Tom Lewis to make a big impression.
The 30-year-old from Hertfordshire came second in the WGC St Jude Invitational in August despite making a poor start and the two-time Portugal Masters champion put up a decent show in finishing 14th last time out in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Lewis has shown he can perform at this level after winning the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Championship, so he could attract plenty of interest at 25/1.
Grace in a Good Place
Not all the names in the field are unfamiliar as Ian Poulter and Matt Wallace will be in attendance, while Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo will be looking to build on finishes of third and second on his last two visits.
However, it could pay to look out for South Africa’s Branden Grace, who has slipped to 147th in the world rankings after being in the top ten when he was regularly challenging for Majors a few years ago.
It is a long road back but Grace could take significant steps this week and there have been signs of life recently after he secured his first top-ten finish in 20 attempts when he was eighth at the World Tour Championship in Dubai in December.
A 34th at Pebble Beach and 20th at last week’s Genesis Invitational look strong performances in this sort of company and he will have his supporters at 18/1.
Sigg Can Lead Young Charge
This is just the sort of opportunity for some of the rising stars who usually ply their trade on the Korn Ferry Tour to make their mark at a higher level, especially as there have been so many first-time winners in the tournament’s recent history.
It would be no surprise if someone with little experience on the PGA Tour made a bold bid for glory and Augusta’s Greyson Sigg could rise to that challenge.
The 26-year-old has yet to triumph on the Korn Ferry Tour, but he was second in the Tour Championship behind Brandon Wu recently and has claimed top-ten finishes in four of his last six outings.
That run included last week’s seventh spot at the Suncoast Classic when he finished with a 67 and he could represent value among the more unfamiliar competitors at 33/1.
*All odds correct at time of writing