This article is part of our FanDuel PGA DFS Picks series.
Corales Puntacana Championship
Course: Corales Golf Course (7,670 yards, par 72)
Purse: $3,700,000
Winner: $660,000 and 300 FedExCup points
Tournament Preview
This is another opportunity week for many younger players and those with limited status to take advantage of the top ranked players being in Austin for the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play this week. The 120-man field that is set to take on the challenge of the Corales Golf Course at Punta Cana Resort & Club can earn up to 300 FedExCup points with a win, and more importantly secure fully exempt status through the 2023-24 season.
This will be the seventh Corales Puntacana Championship. The event started as a Korn Ferry Tour tournament, but in 2018 it was upgraded to an alternate event on the PGA Tour. Corales Golf Course features stunning views of the Dominican Republic coastline and is very exposed to the traditional breezes off the ocean. Last year it was Joel Dahmen who finally broke through for his first win on the PGA Tour at age 33. His 12-under-par winning score was the first time the champion has not posted at least 18-under-par. Every former winner at Corales will be teeing it up this week. Other notables joining the past champs in the field are Sahith Theegala, Jhonattan Vegas, Danny Willett, Martin Kaymer, Haotong Li, and both the Hojgaard brothers.
Daytime temperatures should stay steady in the low-to-mid 80's. The forecast looks dry for the most part, but a passing shower can never been ruled out in Punta Cana. Round one should feature the most wind the players will face all week with gusts that will reach close to 30 miles per hour. The final three rounds should see sustained winds average around 15 miles per hour.
Recent Champions
2021 – Joel Dahmen (-12)
2020 – Hudson Swafford (-18)
2019 – Graeme McDowell (-18)
2018 – Brice Garnett (-18)
2017 – Nate Lashley (-20)
2016 – Dominic Bozzelli (-24)
Key Stats to Victory
- SG: Putting
- GIR Percentage
- Scrambling
- SG: Off-the-Tee
Champion's Profile
What has always been consistent at Corales has been that the champion putts extremely well, which isn't necessarily true at some other PGA Tour venues. Last year Joel Dahmen was another champion that ranked top-3 in both putts per GIR and one-putt percentage for the week. Dahmen was also fourth in scrambling and that short game aspect can't be overlooked this time around if the wind really starts gusting. There is really no rough at Corales so players can wail away on the tee shots to an extent, although nobody that has won here before was a particular long hitter. The paspalum greens are slated to run around 12 on the Stimpmeter this week, which will be the fastest it has ever been in competition here.
FanDuel Value Picks
The Chalk
Joel Dahmen ($11,800)
The defending champ has about as good of a record at Corales as anyone going T13-T12-Win in his three career starts. Dahmen has made the cut in his last five starts and ranks top-30 on Tour in driving accuracy, GIR percentage, and proximity to the hole. Dahmen is averaging 4.31 birdies per round, which ranks 28th this season.
Mark Hubbard ($11,500)
Hubbard fits the profile for Corales. He ranks top-40 this season in SG: Around-the-Green, scrambling, and putts per round. In just eight starts this season, Hubbard has already collected a trio of top-25 results. He is also 33rd in scoring average on Tour.
Sahith Theegala ($11,400)
Theegala jumped into the national media spotlight with his heroic performance at the WM Phoenix Open, where he was just barely beaten out for a victory. He struggled in his next couple starts but was able to find his form with a T7 at the Valspar Championship last week. Per round, Theegala is gaining nearly a half shot on the field from tee to green.
Adam Svensson ($10,800)
Svensson isn't the putter that some other players on this list are, but he is one of the better ball strikers listed in the field. The Canadian ranks 38th in GIR percentage and 16th in proximity to the hole. Svensson has missed just one cut in 2022 with a pair of top-10s. If the wind blows, his ball striking could help him separate.
Longer Shots with Value
Davis Riley ($9,600)
Riley was so close to picking up that first PGA Tour win last week at the Valspar Championship. The rookie ranked first in SG: Off-the-Tee, second in SG: Around-the-Green, fourth in SG: Putting and T3 in scrambling at Innisbrook. Riley is also 20th on Tour this season in birdie average, which is a beautiful thing in DFS scoring formats.
Hudson Swafford ($9,400)
Corales is obviously a place where Swafford feels very comfortable with both a win and a T6 finish in his last two starts in Punta Cana. Swafford ranks 21st in total driving and 33rd in birdie average this season. He is also a recent winner of The American Express.
Tyler Duncan ($9,100)
There is a lot to like with Duncan's game. He ranks 35th in SG: Off-the-Tee, 30th in SG: Around-the-Green, 29th in SG: Tee-to-Green, fifth in driving accuracy and 10th in proximity to the hole. Duncan is also coming off a top-25 last week in which he gained strokes in every category. He's had three previous looks at Corales before and primed to post a career-best finish in Punta Cana.
Wyndham Clark ($8,800)
Clark will be making his first start at Corales, but he has the type of game that really intrigues me here. The Oregon product has always been a player able to combine massive length with a strong putting stroke. This season he ranks ninth in driving distance and 28th in SG: Putting.
Strategy Tips This Week
Based on a Standard $60K Salary Cap
Just due to the nature of this being an opposite field event, the field is not either top-heavy or deep. If you try to front load too much salary here, you put yourself in a situation where you may have to target some players below the $8,000 threshold, where it becomes much closer to a true dart throw. Recent form should not really be something to worry about because so many of the players these guys would normally have to go through are over in Austin this week. Some other players not listed above who also intrigue me are Brian Stuard ($10,000), Emiliano Grillo ($9,800), Greyson Sigg ($9,600), and Cameron Percy ($8,800).
