Brice Garnett has conquered the Puerto Rico Open this Sunday after defeating Eric Barnes on the fourth playoff hole. Both players finished the tournament tied with a score of -19 and fought in an exciting duel that ended up being decided by the more orderly play and, above all, Garnett’s devastating putter.
He first holed two crucial par putts on holes 17, with a full 360-degree round to the hole, and another on 18 from about three meters to force the playoff. Barnes was already waiting in the clubhouse with a final round of 68 strokes, one better than Garnett himself.
In the playoff, the truth is that Garnett played more orderly. It was Barnes who had to survive more often, making some all-or-nothing putts. They tied the first three holes with two pars and a birdie and Garnett ended up winning on the last with a great birdie putt from about five meters. Interestingly, it was the only time he took the decisive putt before Barnes.
It makes sense that the champion has survived a tough four-hole playoff. If he has shown anything in his career, it is that he has seven lives. Since he won the Corales Puntacana in 2018, the first of his two victories (including today’s) on the PGA Tour, he has always lived on the edge. He lost his card in 2022 and regained it in the Korn Ferry Tour playoffs. He lost it again in 2023 and quickly regained it at the first opportunity he had to win in the first division. Pure resilience.
Beyond the winner, it is worth highlighting the great end of the tournament for Victor Perez. The Frenchman finished third after handing in a card of 65 strokes this Sunday at the Grand Reserve in Rio Grande. In addition, sixth place for the Belgian Adrien Dumont de Chassart. Top ten also for Matti Schmid, who nevertheless ended up very upset by his poor final round of 73 strokes. The German continues to look for a way to close a tournament.
Finally, Ángel Ayora (-2) also did not have his best day in this final round. He handed in a card of 72 strokes, with three birdies and three bogeys and finished in the last position among those who made the cut. In any case, even if the weekend did not go as expected, the young Spanish golfer leaves Puerto Rico with the experience of having made the cut in his debut on the PGA Tour.
