[PHOTO: Andy Lyons]
Who doesn’t like bonus golf? Fans who watched Scottie Scheffler dominate the field at the Arnold Palmer Invitational could have switched over to the coverage of the Puerto Rico Open for a more dramatic finish. In the longest overtime in the tournament’s history, Brice Garnett took the title at Grand Reserve Golf Club with a birdie on the fourth extra hole then watched as Erik Barnes grazed the cup with his putt to tie.
Garnett must like coming to the Caribbean as his only other PGA Tour title came at the 2018 Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship.
Garnett set up his winning birdie with an approach from 106 yards to about 15 feet with his Titleist Vokey SM 9 54-degree wedge then paid it off by holing the putt with his Odyssey White Hot OG 7S mallet putter.
His driver also served him well. Not an overly long driver of the ball (he ranked 30th in distance at 287.7 yards for the week), Garnett kept it in play, ranking fourth in driving accuracy with his 10.5-degree Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond, the lowest-spinning version in the Paradym family.
The clubs Brice Garnett used to win the 2024 Puerto Rico Open:
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond, 10.5 degrees
4-wood: Callaway Rogue ST LS, 16.5 degrees
7-wood: Callaway Paradym, 21 degrees
Irons (2): Callaway Apex UT; (4): Callaway X-Forged UT; (6-PW): Callaway X-Forged CB
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM9 (50, 54 degrees): Titleist Vokey SM10 WedgeWorks (58 degrees)
Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG 7S