USA Today via Reuters
Dec 17, 2023; Orlando, Florida, USA; John Daly II plays his shot from the first tee during the PNC Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Dec 17, 2023; Orlando, Florida, USA; John Daly II plays his shot from the first tee during the PNC Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
The 18th Edition of the Puerto Rico Open is once again back at the Grand Reserve Golf Club (formerly Coco Beach Golf Club) in Río Grande, Puerto Rico, on March 5, 2026. As an opposing field event of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, there aren’t many notable players in the field, and the purse size is also significantly smaller compared to the API’s $20 million purse.
World #45 Michael Brennan is the highest-ranked player in the field. Brennan won in Utah last season and played 5 PGA Tour events this season before coming to the event. Former college players Luke Clanton, Gordon Sargent, and David Ford are also looking for a win. Joining them are European Ryder Cup star Rasmus Højgaard and two-time PGA Tour winner Nick Dunlap. However, much of the week’s buzz surrounds the sponsor exemptions, which include 18-year-old Blades Brown, John Daly II, and 17-year-old Miles Russell.
The PGA TOUR returns to Grand Reserve Golf Club for the 18th playing of the Puerto Rico Open. The winner will receive 300 FedExCup points, a two-year exemption on TOUR and an invitation to the PLAYERS Championship (if not previously eligible).
Field for the Puerto Rico Open: pic.twitter.com/o4zr7BP1wR
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) February 27, 2026
The 2026 Puerto Rico Open field offers a total prize purse of $4,000,000. The winner will take home $720,000, a standard 18% share for a full-field event, and the runner-up will receive $436,000. While 120 players started the week, the tournament features a 36-hole cut. And only the top 65 players (plus ties) qualify for the weekend to earn a portion of the prize money.
The following table shows the complete prize money breakdown for each golfer at the Grand Reserve Golf Club:
| 1st | $720,000 |
| 2nd | $436,000 |
| 3rd | $276,000 |
| 4th | $196,000 |
| 5th | $164,000 |
| 6th | $145,000 |
| 7th | $135,000 |
| 8th | $125,000 |
| 9th | $117,000 |
| 10th | $109,000 |
| 11th | $101,000 |
| 12th | $93,000 |
| 13th | $85,000 |
| 14th | $77,000 |
| 15th | $73,000 |
| 16th | $69,000 |
| 17th | $65,000 |
| 18th | $61,000 |
| 19th | $57,000 |
| 20th | $53,000 |
| 21st | $49,000. |
| 22nd | $45,000 |
| 23rd | $41,800 |
| 24th | $38,600 |
| 25th | $35,400 |
| 26th | $32,200 |
| 27th | $31,000 |
| 28th | $29,800 |
| 29th | $28,600 |
| 30th | $27,400 |
| 31st | $26,200 |
| 32nd | $25,000 |
| 33rd | $23,800 |
| 34th | $22,800 |
| 35th | $21,800 |
| 36th | $20,800 |
| 37th | $19,800 |
| 38th | $19,000 |
| 39th | $18,200 |
| 40th | $17,400 |
| 41st | $16,600 |
| 42nd | $15,800 |
| 43rd | $15,000 |
| 44th | $14,200 |
| 45th | $13,400 |
| 46th | $12,600 |
| 47th | $11,800 |
| 48th | $11,160 |
| 49th | $10,600 |
| 50th | $10,280 |
| 51st | $10,040 |
| 52nd | $9,800 |
| 53rd | $9,640 |
| 54th | $9,480 |
| 55th | $9,400 |
| 56th | $9,320 |
| 57th | $9,240 |
| 58th | $9,160 |
| 59th | $9,080 |
| 60th | $9,000 |
| 61st | $8,920 |
| 62nd | $8,840 |
| 63rd | $8,760 |
| 64th | $8,680 |
| 65th | $8,600 |
But winning here offers much more than just cash. The winner receives 300 FedEx Cup points. This is a crucial advantage that can guarantee a place in the season-ending playoffs. They also get about 22 world ranking points to climb higher in the global standings. Most importantly, the champ gets a golden ticket to stay on the PGA Tour until 2028 (the benefits of winning a PGA Tour event) and an exemption into the Masters, the PGA Championship, and The Players.
So, it will be a fantastic chance for the struggling PGA Tour players to secure their spots when the rest of the premium field players are busy at Bay Hill.
Who could win the Puerto Rico Open 2026
The competition is boiling over with excitement even without the world’s top players’ presence on the field. After the second round, rookie Chandler Blanchet holds the lead at 13-under par. Blanchet, who missed the cut in his first five starts this year, posted 16 birdies over his first 36 holes. He started the event with a career-low 64. He shot a solid 67 and currently leads the field by 4 shots.
Blanchet is looking to come out on top at an event loaded with several up-and-comers. Former #1 amateur Gordon Sargent is lurking just behind in solo second place with a 9-under-par total.
John Daly II is making a significant impact. The University of Arkansas senior has lived up to the hype in his PGA Tour debut. After a solid opening 70, he fired a bogey-free 67 in the second round to sit at 7-under par (T7). And just like his father, he joked that he was too tired to practice anymore and was heading to the ‘beach to do absolutely nothing for the rest of the day’ after the first round.
18-year-old Blades Brown, who has already made some headlines earlier this year at the AmEx 2026, continues to amaze, sitting T3 at 8-under par. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Miles Russell once again successfully made the cut.
You can catch all the final round action on the Golf Channel this weekend. The third and fourth rounds will air from 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
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