PGA Tour: Puerto Rico Open To Offer Exemption to Yani Tseng

Recently, Yani Tseng has been quoted saying she would not mind the opportunity to play in a PGA Tour event.

“If an opportunity presents itself, I would like to play in a PGA tournament to learn more from male golfers,” said Tseng.

Not long after Tseng was quoted, a tournament already came knocking at her door. The Puerto Rico Open, which debuted in 2008, intends to offer the No. 1 women’s golfer a tournament exemption in 2012.

Sidney Wolf, the event’s general chairman, told Golfweek, “Having the No. 1 player here would open our event to a broader audience.” He also went on to talk about her appearance at the tournament could open the possibility of an LPGA event in Puerto Rico.

From the standpoint of the tournament, it is a smart move to give Tseng an exemption. The Puerto Rico Open is held March 8-11, the same weekend as the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral. In the three years the event has existed, they have not been able to get many big names to play on the Trump International Golf Course in Puerto Rico.

Doral has boasted winners such as: Nick Watney, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson and Geoff Ogilvy. On the other hand, the Puerto Rico Open winners list is much less star-studded with names like: Greg Kraft, Michael Bradley and Derek Lamely.

The Puerto Rico tournament may not be able to compete with the WGC-Cadillace Championship field; however, if Tseng participates in 2012, the event could garner some national attention from the media.