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One & Done: Puerto Rico Open
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February 20, 2019
By Rob Bolton , PGATOUR.COM
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Matt Every is trending nicely entering the Puerto Rico Open. (Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)
With a record five additional events on the docket this season, I applaud all entrepreneurial gamers who built a One & Done private game consisting solely of these tournaments. It's not unlike popular pools that include only the majors. They're easy, focused and fun.
Those of you with Cameron Champ at the Sanderson Farms Championship would be leading the way entering this week's Puerto Rico Open. The PGA TOUR rookie is taking the week off, but there are 132 hopefuls vying for immunity on the island.
Experience at Coco Beach Golf Club isn't the worst thing in the world in which to invest in the pursuit of 300 FedExCup points. Scott Brown, David Hearn and Rafael Campos have been among the most reliable in this week's field. Each has done more than enough recently to retain an elevated expectation and you're not going to miss any of them.
Cachet in an additional event can include a burden of unfair expectations, but the less you think about it, the more it makes sense. That's why Daniel Berger, Peter Uihlein, Chris Kirk and Charl Schwartzel should resonate when the ownership percentages are locked in.
Berger is only a month into his return from the injury to his right wrist, but that's enough. Consider him an easy bonus for he may not need to appear in another additional event for some time.
Uihlein deserves a look as he also has positive experience in Puerto Rico. The rub is that we still don't have details about the unspecified injury that forced him to withdraw during the Waste Management Phoenix Open. From that standpoint, he's a risk, but he's chalk properly played.
Kirk and Schwartzel are reeling. Avoid both.
Matt Every sits atop my Power Rankings, so I'm not hesitating. His blend of success, overall experience and surging form unites at a time when I hope he's competing with a chip on his shoulder for having to stay warm on the Web.com Tour due to his Past Champion status on the PGA TOUR.
Aaron Baddeley surprises when we least expect it, which is to say that it's better than not at all. It also slots him as a wild card as a One & Done. He tied for eighth in his only trip to Coco Beach in 2016 and comes off an unexpected T49 at Riviera where he open-qualified for entry.
Two-man gamers can have a field day with the options, but Corey Conners leads that corps of the complements. Nate Lashley also deserves consideration. If you're keen on a long shot, I love how D.J. Trahan fits the profile of all things PRO.
RANK PANELIST PICK COMMENT 66th Sean Martin
@PGATOURSMARTIN
Matt Every
Splitting time between the PGA TOUR and Web.com Tour, Every has finished in the top 25 in six of his last eight starts. 104th Mark Immelman
On the Mark
Daniel Berger He seems to have recovered from his wrist injury and he, by his own admission, loves playing on Bermuda grass. Good enough for me. 244th Ben Everill
CMonAussie
Curtis Luck
This former U.S. and Asia Pacific Amateur winner always embraces traveling afar to ply his trade. Showed glimpses of his talent in the Desert Classic but now is his time to shine. 326th
Tom Alter
KELJAX
Jonathan Byrd
Has made every cut this season as he finds his form again. 437th Rob Bolton
@RobBoltonGolf
Matt Every Striking while his irons are hot and as he's chasing perks lost when he lost his card this season. He's exactly why events like the Puerto Rico Open were established in the first place. 609th Mike Glasscott
@MikeGlasscott
Graeme McDowell In Puerto Rico, the wind blowing will test the patience of the young bombers so I'm going with a veteran. With two top-18 finishes in his last two plus a win on Paspalum before at Mayakoba, I'm taking a calculated risk. FUTURE POSSIBILITIES
NOTE: Select golfers committed to the tournament are listed alphabetically. Future tournaments are sorted chronologically and reflect previous success on the courses on which the tournaments will be held in 2018-19. The numerical values in parentheses represent the order of relative confidence of where to use each golfer if multiple sites are listed (e.g. 1 for strongest, 2 for next-strongest and so on). To present weighted confidence in real time, numerical values will not change all season no matter how many tournament remain listed for each golfer. All are pending golfer commitment.
Daniel Berger … Travelers (1)
Chris Kirk … PLAYERS (5); Valero (3); Charles Schwab (2)
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