Racing Post Corales Puntacana Championship predictions & free golf betting tips: Martin equipped to take second title

When to bet on the Corales Puntacana Championship

By midday on Thursday

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Racing Post Corales Puntacana Championship predictions

Ben Martin
2pts each-way 33-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Victor Perez
1.5pts each-way 33-1 Hills

Kevin Yu
1pt each-way 33-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

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Tournament preview

While the big guns assemble at the RBC Heritage for the latest of the PGA Tour's designated events, there are still plenty of FedEx Cup points and potential exemptions up for grabs in the alternative event, the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic.

Sweden's Alex Noren heads the market after four straight top-20 finishes, while next in the betting is Nicolai Hojgaard, who was second last year when playing on a sponsor's exemption and was dreaming of a Green Jacket when leading the Masters on Saturday before finishing a creditable 16th on his Augusta bow.

Top tip

Ben Martin 33-1

While two European players are at the top of the market, six of the eight Corales Puntacana champions have been American and Ben Martin will be confident that he can add his name to that list.

It is almost ten years since the 36-year-old from South Carolina claimed his only PGA Tour title at the Shriners' Hospitals for Children Open in 2014, but he woke himself from an indifferent year when he finished seventh at the Texas Open a fortnight ago.

That was in a much stronger field than this one as many big names were tuning up for Augusta - he finished alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Hideki Matsuyama - but even if they were not going at full throttle, seeing his name up there in such company must have given him a lift.

He has performed well in some of the lower-profile PGA events and this is one where he has flourished, finishing in the top ten in the last three years.

Martin was one shot behind winner Chad Ramey in 2022 and was tied for the first-round lead last year when he finished eighth, so it would be a surprise if he didn't make another strong challenge this week.

Next best bet

Victor Perez 33-1

Victor Perez is feeling his way into the PGA Tour in his debut season and while he missed the cut in his only previous visit to Puntacana two years ago, we can expect a much better showing this time.

The Frenchman, who has won three times on the DP World Tour including a 2023 success at the Abu Dhabi Championship, has made an encouraging start and the highlight was third spot in the Puerto Rico Open, which could draw many parallels with this week's assignment in terms of field quality and the fact that he had to knuckle down in difficult, windy conditions.

That could well be the case again as retaining his card will be the priority for this season, and a major points boost could come this week as the former Alfred Dunhill Links champion won't be intimidated if it gets blustery.

This could prove a stepping stone to bigger things and the 31-year-old could relish the opportunity in the Dominican Republic.

Other selection

Kevin Yu 33-1

Another player who is still really making his way at this level is Kevin Yu and he has produced enough decent results in 2024 to suggest he can be competitive this week.

He is the third best player on tour off the tee this year and his eye-catching results include third spot at the American Express, sixth at the Farmers Insurance Open and ninth at the Cognizant Classic.

Some of his efforts have not lived up to that standard, but he closed with a 67 in his last outing when 39th at the Texas Open and if he has one of those weeks when he performs above average on the greens then this could be his time to claim a first Tour title. 

Course guide for the Corales Puntacana Championship

• Course Corales Golf Course, Puntacana Resort and Club, Dominican Republic 
• Prize money $4m ($720,000 to the winner)
• Length 7,620 yards
• Par 72 – four par-fives, ten par-fours, four par-threes
• Field 132 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three 
• Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Nicolai Hojgaard (34), Alex Noren (67), Mark Hubbard (74), Aaron Rai (77), Billy Horschel (84)
• Course records - 72 holes 264 Dominic Bozzelli (2016) 18 holes  62 Stephan Jaeger (2016), Scott Harrington (2016), Alexandre Rocha (2016) 
• Course winners taking part Nate Lashley, Joel Dahmen and Chad Ramey
• When to bet By midday on Thursday
• Time difference The Dominican Republic is five hours behind the UK and Ireland
• Last week – The Masters 1 Scottie Scheffler (9-2), 2 Ludvig Aberg (28-1), 3 Tommy Fleetwood (45-1), Max Homa (60-1), Collin Morikawa (50-1)
• Course type Parkland
• Course overview This tournament started on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2016 but was upgraded to a PGA Tour event in 2018. It was previously played in March when the big boys were playing at the now-abandoned WGC-Match Play. The fairways are wide but potential strong winds off the sea is the course's main defence.
• The story of last year Matt Wallace hit four birdies down the stretch to see off Nicolai Hojgaard, who was unable to force a playoff
• Weather forecast Winds are not expected to be too high but rain is anticipated for Sunday after a clear first three days. Temperatures should be around 26C
• Type of player suited to the challenge With Joel Dahmen and Graeme McDowell among the former winners, tidy, accurate types can be expected to excel, especially if the wind picks up.
• Key attribute Accuracy

Key stat

Six of the last seven Corales Puntacana Championships have been settled by a one-shot margin

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