Puerto Rico Open: PGA TOUR heads to Rio Grande as FedExCup points and $4 million purse come into focus
puerto rico open week is here as the PGA TOUR arrives in Rio Grande for the 18th playing of the event, offering an early-season chance to bank FedExCup points. The tournament is staged opposite the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, setting up a separate lane for players seeking a breakthrough. The winner will earn 300 FedExCup points, with a $4 million overall purse and $720, 000 to the champion.
Field snapshot at the Puerto Rico Open in Rio Grande
The TOUR describes this stop as the first Additional Event of the 2026 season, and the field reflects the mix: proven winners, rising players and “international flavor. ” At the top of the ranking list is Michael Brennan, positioned inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings and identified as the highest-ranked golfer in the field.
Brennan claimed his first TOUR victory at the Bank of Utah Championship in just his third start and has made three of five cuts this season. Also in the field is two-time TOUR winner Nick Dunlap, making his first start at Grand Reserve Golf Club after returning to the TOUR following a withdrawal from The American Express in January and then missing the cut at the Cognizant Classic.
Rasmus Højgaard will make his second start in Puerto Rico, while three PGA TOUR University alums—Luke Clanton, Gordon Sargent and David Ford—are making the trip as their professional paths continue. The tournament is being played at Grand Reserve Golf Club (Championship Course), a Tom Kite design on a beachfront peninsula measuring par 72 at 7, 506 yards.
Sponsor exemptions and local names add urgency to the week
The sponsor exemption list adds another layer of attention and immediacy in Rio Grande. Eugenio Chacarra, a former Oklahoma State standout, will return to the PGA TOUR after accepting a sponsor exemption into the event; he has seven career TOUR starts and his best finish is a tie for 45th at the 2021 Sanderson Farms Championship when he was still an amateur.
Blades Brown is making back-to-back starts on TOUR and is coming off a missed cut at the Cognizant Classic. Brown has made three cuts on the Korn Ferry Tour this season, with a best result of T17 at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club.
John Daly II, the son of major champion John Daly, is set to make his PGA TOUR debut on a sponsor exemption. Miles Russell, an AJGA stand-out, is making his fifth start on TOUR and is still seeking his first made weekend; the 17-year-old holds the record for the youngest player to make a cut on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Additional sponsor exemptions include college players Kihei Akina (BYU), Carson Bertagnole (UNC) and Filip Jakubcik (Arizona). Puerto Ricans Chris Nido, Reinaldo Simoni and 17-year-old Evan Pena are also in the field, joined on exemptions by Fred Biondi, Chase Sienkiewicz, Kieron van Wyk, and Yanhan Zhou.
Prize money, points, and the path forward this week
Money and points are at the center of the conversation: the purse is $4 million, and the winner’s share is $720, 000. The competitive incentive is equally clear, with 300 FedExCup points awarded to the champion, a meaningful early-season haul for anyone trying to build momentum.
The broader schedule context is also defined on the TOUR calendar. The event runs opposite the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, and the next Signature Event after this stretch is the RBC Heritage in April, scheduled for April 13-19. The TOUR’s Aon Swing 5 standings for the RBC Heritage are based on FedExCup performance across the Puerto Rico Open, Valspar Championship, Texas Children’s Houston Open and Valero Texas Open.
As play unfolds in Rio Grande, the immediate stakes are straightforward: a full field chasing a payday and points in a week designed for opportunity. By the time the final putt drops, puerto rico open results will directly shape who leaves the Caribbean with a season-altering boost—and who stays on the hunt heading into the next run of events.
