In the 2009 edition of the Puerto Rico Open, PGA professionals will find a more dificult Trump Championship Golf Course. Jorge Díaz gives Metro the details.
When it comes to the Puerto Rico Open, scheduled for March 9-15, perhaps the saying goes: “the second time is the charm.”
The Donald Trump-owned championship golf course that hosts the open has been improved to enhance the degree of difficulty on those championship links.
“We did a walk through with PGA officials and they went hole-by-hole preparing a list of changes that would make the golf course more difficult,” says Jorge Díaz, vice president of Empresas Díaz, developers of the course and now the management company running
the Trump International Puerto Rico Golf Club.
After the conclusion of the inaugural Puerto Rico Open, PGA officials made a series of petitions to increase the difficulty of the course. According to Díaz, the petitions were fulfilled and they even surpassed the recommendations of the PGA.
With over $500,000 invested in renovations, both the International and Championship courses meet the high quality standards for world-class golf events. It is expected that the modifications to the golf courses will send scores soaring in 2009. Some of the notables scheduled to participate include last year’s winner, Greg Kraft, runner-up Bo Van Pelt, Jerry Kelly, Rocco Mediate and Shigeki Maruyama.
They head a field of 132 players competing for $3.5 million in prize money and 1,760 points for the upcoming FedEx Cup. The winner receives $630,000 and 250 points for the FedEx Cup. The event also provides the opportunity for talented local players to hone their game in a PGA Tour event. Last year, qualifiers Rafa Campos, Miguel Suárez, Max Alveiro and Wilfredo Morales held their own and dazzled the local crowds over the first
three days of play.
The world’s top players, including Tiger Woods, were among the marquee names absent in 2008. Some opted to play at Doral’s Blue Monster in Florida for the CA Championships. The rest of the PGA Tour competed at Trump International Golf Club. This year’s objective, say the organizers, is to attract some of those players who missed out, by putting the onus on accuracy.
“We added a greenside bunker to Hole No. 5, which will make it far more risky for golfers to go at the hole in two,” says Díaz, enumerating some of the new hazards. “And we added fairway bunkers to Hole No. 10 that will put a premium on distance off the tee.”
Among the main improvements are the additional bunkers on Hole No. 5 and No. 10; Holes No. 2, 4, 9 and 13 were moved to be closer to the lakes; planting of trees and vegetation; the greens on Holes 3, 18 and 17 were modified to further accentuate undulation and Tees 1, 12 and 13 were also modified.
In last year’s edition of the PR Open, Hole No. 12—a 490-yard Par 4—was criticized as being too difficult and therefore required alterations. The hole was toned down to between 420 and 460 yards by moving the tee box closer and raising an elegant stone wall where a small lake was originally located. Two bunkers on the right and one bunker to the left guard the hole, and the wind, which blows from right to left, plays an important part in how the ball travels.
“On Hole No. 12 it was the other way around,” continued Díaz, referring to the modifications made to the 2008 PR Open emblematic hole. Despite the reduction, Díaz insists Hole No. 12 remains one of the more challenging.
Other tough holes? Díaz had to think long and hard about his list of most difficult holes. “I would have to say that Hole No. 2, 4, 9 and No.16—a 600 yard Par 5 with waste bunkers along the right hand side—are definitely some of the more difficult holes. However, Hole No. 12—the wind and all—is still one of the most difficult holes on the course.”
Once again the Puerto Rico Golf Association is hosting the event, a labor of love that became a reality largely because of PRGA President Sydney Wolf. Thanks to the effort spearheaded by Wolf, the list of sponsors now includes many blue-chip companies. Even in its dream state the PR Open, prior to its first hosting, needed the perfect venue to, one, meet PGA standards, and two, host the thousands of visitors who would descend on the event. Empresas Díaz, with its Coco Beach Golf Resort and Country Club (now Trump International Puerto Rico) provided that championship fit; the Gran Meliá Resort, just a stone’s throw away, provided the luxury lodging. The partnership of the Trump organization made the event stellar.
The PR Open will be transmitted on the Golf Channel, reaching over 500 million homes in 200 countries all over the world. It is estimated that the event will have an impact of about $20 million on the island’s economy and will benefit more than a dozen charities on the island.
More than 75,000 spectators are expected to visit the Trump International links during the five days of the event. The aficionados will see a vastly improved course. “The course is definitely more mature; the rough has had a chance to grow even more and should be more difficult. And with the improvements in the degree of difficulty—the bunkers that were added, the lakes that were added, the lakes that were brought into play and the undulations of the greens, you’ll see a tremendous golf course. I can’t guarantee this,” acknowledges Díaz, “but you could see as many as four strokes added to the winner’s score when is all said and done.”
-Ricardo J. Zayas Vélez contributed to this story.
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