Alright, let’s talk about how I went about making my picks for the Corales Puntacana Championship this year, 2024. It’s always an interesting tournament, sometimes a bit tricky to figure out.
Getting Started
First thing I did, usually Tuesday morning, was just sit down and pull up the field list. You gotta see who’s actually playing, right? Some big names might be taking the week off, especially with other events happening. So, I scanned through the names, saw who was confirmed.
Then, I immediately thought about the course history. Who plays well at Puntacana? I dug back through the results from the last few years. Looked at the leaderboards, saw who consistently showed up, even if they didn’t win. Some guys just seem to like certain courses, you know?
Thinking About the Course
Next up, I spent some time just thinking about the Corales course itself. It’s down there in the Dominican Republic, right on the coast. That usually means wind. So, I started thinking about players who handle windy conditions well. It’s also pretty long, and those finishing holes, the Devil’s Elbow, they can be brutal. Need guys who can handle that pressure and have some length maybe, or at least a good recovery game if the wind blows them off line.
Checking Current Form
Course history is one thing, but you gotta know who’s actually playing well right now. So, I went over the results from the past few PGA Tour events. Checked who made cuts, who had high finishes, who maybe missed a few cuts and might be struggling. You don’t want to pick someone just because they won here three years ago if they haven’t made a weekend in a month. I looked for guys showing some decent recent form, some consistency.
A Quick Look at Stats
I don’t go super deep into crazy analytics, not my style. But I did glance at some basic stuff. Looked a bit at driving distance – helps on a long course. Checked out Strokes Gained: Approach, because hitting greens is always important, especially if it gets windy. And maybe a quick look at putting, especially on paspalum greens which they have there. Just trying to see if anyone stands out in areas that seem important for this specific course.
Narrowing It Down
Okay, so after all that, I usually have a longer list of potential guys. This is where I start trying to trim it down. I compare the course history guys with the current form guys. If someone pops up on both lists, they get a serious look. I might cross off players who seem way overpriced in betting odds or fantasy, or guys who maybe have a questionable track record in windy, coastal conditions despite recent form.
- Looked at overlap between good history and good recent play.
- Considered if the player’s style fit the course (good wind player?).
- Maybe dropped someone if they had a really bad recent putting week, could be a confidence thing.
Making the Actual Picks
Finally, I just had to make the calls. Based on everything – the history, the form, the course fit, and yeah, sometimes just a bit of gut feeling – I settled on a handful of players. I try not to overthink it at this stage. Wrote down my main guys, maybe a couple of longer shots I thought had some value.
For example, I might lean towards someone who finished top 15 here last year and also made the cut in his last two starts. Or maybe a guy known for great iron play who seems to be heating up.
Final Thoughts
And that’s pretty much it. That was my process for sorting through the Corales Puntacana field this year. It’s golf, anything can happen, wind can pick up out of nowhere, a hot putter can beat anyone. But going through these steps helps me feel like I’ve at least done my homework before putting my picks out there. We’ll just have to wait and see how they do!
