Fantasy Golf Predictions
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2021 World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba
World Wide Technology Championship Fantasy Preview
Ah boy, it doesn’t get any easier to win your maiden PGA TOUR title.
For Taylor Pendrith, it looked like that first taste of success at the top table was imminent at the Bermuda Championship, with middle rounds of 61 and 65 an extraordinary effort given the windy conditions.
But the finishing line can do funny things to a man, and the Canadian suffered the yips as he made a hash of what should have been his crowning effort – three bogeys, a double and no birdies confirming a day to forget. He will, you suspect, be back in the hunt soon enough.
Patrick Reed and Danny Lee, rejuvenated veterans in the mix for titles, both had chances to convert, as did the less-reliable Patrick Rodgers, but in the end it was another maiden who grasped the nettle.
Lucas Herbert has impressed on the European Tour, but he hasn’t shown all that match in his prior 19 starts on the PGA TOUR – we can draw a line through that now that he’s a champion.
The Aussie had gone quietly about his work, but playing the middle 36 holes in 70 shots certainly helped his effort and on Sunday’s back nine he showed plenty of mettle – a couple of birdies, and a few grinding pars, enough to see Herbert home by a single stroke.
There was a sense of opportunity knocking at Bermuda Championship, and Herbert stepped up to the plate to lock down his PGA TOUR privileges for the next two years. Respect!
From one resort course on the coast to another – it’s the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba this week from the sumptuous course of the same name in Playa del Carmen.
Last Week’s Fantasy Results
Last week our top pick on our Tuesday Sleeper Report was Taylor Pendrith, who went super low with a 61 on Friday followed by a 65 the next day.
Although Taylor carded a disappointing 76 on Sunday, the Canadian still ended up finished T5 and racked up 108 fantasy points for the week!
World Wide Technology Championship Field
While last week’s field was a disappoint, this week’s has a high-quality look to it with Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and defending champion Viktor Hovland taking the headline honors.
Former winner on Paspalum greens, Tony Finau, will be looking to double up on the surface, while Ryder Cup adversaries Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick, Sergio Garcia and Shane Lowry also on the watchlist.
There’s plenty of quality besides with Reed, Will Zalatoris and Matt Wolff teeing up, while the Mexican charge will be led by Abraham Ancer.
This Week’s Course Preview
Short and squally, El Camaleon is the kind of fiddly coastal track where supreme wind players tend to thrive.
Measuring 6,987 yards for its Par 71, with tee boxes movable depending on the severity of the wind, El Camaleon can play on the short side with a tailwind and features three different types of landscape – seaside, mangrove and jungle. It truly is one of the most unique layouts around.
Still, the emphasis on this Greg Norman designed track is on birdies, and there are lots of them available with four of the last five champions here shooting -20 or lower.
That birdie-fest feel is aided by the slow and grainy Paspalum greens which, while not to everybody’s liking, are generally considered easier to putt on than super-pure and fast Bentgrass.
With around half of the holes exposed to the elements, the weather conditions will play their role this week, but with a decent forecast that doesn’t suggest too many gremlins the players are in a fine few days in Playa del Carmen.
Weather Forecast for Riviera Maya, MEX
Far from the gales and the driving rain of Bermuda last week, Playa del Carmen is serving up a dreamy forecast by comparison.
Sunshine should tickle the backs of the players, with top temperatures of 88˚F more than agreeable for this time of the year.
And take a look at the wind predictions – while subject to change, of course, and variable at local level, speeds of 6 mph (Thursday), 8 mph (Friday), 11 mph (Saturday) and 12 mph (Sunday) are a long way down on what we might expect here.
All in all, conditions could not be any better for low scoring.
RIVIERA WEATHER
Last Year’s Results from the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba
Viktor Hovland would claim his second PGA TOUR title of an already impressive young career here 12 months ago, and closing rounds of 63 and 65 would ensure the Norwegian remained incredibly difficult to pass.
Plenty tried, with Aaron Wise closing out with 63 of his own and Adam Long shooting that number on the Saturday, but Hovland’s steady hand – including a crucial birdie at the 72nd hole – confirmed his status as one of the most promising young talents in the sport.
Wise was one back at -19, while Long and Hoge shared T3 on -17.
Viktor Hovland’s winning highlights from Mayakoba Golf Classic | 2020
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Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba this Week
Heading towards the end of the PGA TOUR’s calendar year with just three events to go, now is as good a time as any to try and bank some cash to take into the new year. There’s plenty of choice at Mayakoba, and plenty of upside to taking on these contests.
- PGA $100k Drive the Green: There are so many close calls this week in terms of drafting at each price point, really it makes sense to try a few multi-entry games. First off the bat is this $5 affair, which pays $25k to the winner from a total prize pool of $100k.
- PGA $80k Up and Down: Those with a slightly more enhanced bankroll may wish to take on this $55 entry game, which boasts a smaller field (1652) but does not scrimp on the prizes, with $20k going to the victor.
This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba
In some ways, Viktor Hovland broke the mold when he won this event 12 months ago.
He delivered a ball-striking clinic, finding 85% of greens in regulation, which of course makes the job of posting birdies a damn sight easier than when chasing your tail around the putting surface.
But the prior two winners had been Brendon Todd and Matt Kuchar, who we can link together as excellent wind players who, while short in length, are accurate and get the job done on the greens.
One thing that all Mayakoba winners possess is a comfortability in the wind, and putting well on these grainy Paspalum greens is a skill that some possess and others find rather a chore.
Other events of note on Paspalum surfaces include the Corales Punta Cana and the Puerto Rico Open, while correlating events played on short, coastal layouts include the RSM Classic, RBC Heritage and the Sony Open.
Don’t forget too that birdies are the name of the game, so you will need to look out for those that are only too happy in breaking par.
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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba
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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba
Top Tier Pick #1:
Viktor Hovland (Odds: 18/1, FPPG: 96.2, GPFP: 76.94 Salary: $10,900)
This is one of those weeks where you could make a stellar case for any of the leading names.
Justin Thomas loves these windy coastal tests – see his perennial success in Hawaii, and should not be underestimated. Abraham Ancer could enjoy the ‘Hideki effect’ of playing on home soil and the motivation that brings.
Heck, even Tony Finau – now a bona fide TOUR winner and former champion on Paspalum greens in Puerto Rico – is worthy of a second look.
But we’re going to go with the defending champion Hovland this week, who has looked in reasonable shape on his most recent outings. A decent turn at Shriners was diminished by a third round of 73, and he was in excellent form at the CJ Cup where he compiled a score of -18.
Also a winner in Puerto Rico, Hovland has done the business at Pebble Beach in the past too, and so El Camaleon is surely some kind of blueprint for his perfect golf course. Let’s see how that manifests itself this week….
Key Stats:
- Total Driving – 1st
- Birdie Average – 7th
- SG: Putting – 37th
Top Tier Pick #2:
Patrick Reed (Odds: 35/1, FPPG: 69.8, GPFP: 55.84 Salary: $9,500)
There were finally some positive signs for Patrick Reed in Bermuda, and he will head to Mexico with plenty of confidence as a result.
He clearly got hit hard after being hospitalized with pneumonia just prior to the Ryder Cup, and these things can take quite the toll – with an extensive recovery period to boot.
But Reed impressed in Bermuda, ranking third for birdies made and hitting 70% of GIR in awful conditions, and his closing 65 will have left him with a spring in his step.
While not a regular visitor to El Camaleon, Reed won the WGC-Mexico in 2020 and looks to be trending very nicely at a time when some of the leaders in this field have been largely inactive….just ignore the stats below!
Key Stats:
- Birdie Average – 36th
- Approaches from 100-125 yards – 75th
- SG: Putting – 130th
Mid-Tier Pick #1:
Seamus Power (Odds: 60/1, FPPG: 50.9, GPFP: 40.70 Salary: $7,700)
Some players thrive when there’s less of an emphasis off the tee, and for our money Seamus Power falls into that category.
Hitting irons and woods off the peg suits the Irishman, whose iron game has improved so much that he is a force to be reckoned with when approaching greens out of the short stuff.
Six of Power’s last eight rounds have been in the 60s – he was T12 in Bermuda to frank that run of form, and with top-10s at the correlating Punta Cana and RBC Heritage, the Barbasol Championship victor finds his way into our line-up.
Key Stats:
- SG: Putting – 47th
- Birdie Average – 56th
- SG: Approach – 68th
Mid-Tier Pick #2:
Carlos Ortiz (Odds: 80/1, FPPG: 66.6, GPFP: 69.93 Salary: $7,600)
While we’ve opted not to draft Ancer this time around, we can still get a Mexican on board in the shape of Carlos Ortiz.
He’s been in chipper form of late with seven of his last ten rounds played in the 60s, and he was in sublime ball-striking form at the CJ Cup.
Fans of such thing things will have noted that he cracked rounds of 65 and 66 at this venue in 2019, and that T2 finish shows a fondness for the layout and a comfort in front of his home fans.
A winner in Mexico on the Korn Ferry Tour, Ortiz is a noted wind player that should hopefully thrive this weekend.
Key Stats:
- SG: Approach – 23rd
- Total Driving – 26th
- Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders – 65th
Low-Tier Pick:
Chris Kirk (Odds: 150/1, FPPG: 80.1, GPFP: 86.49 Salary: $6,700)
A player that often performs to a level greater than the sum of his parts, Chris Kirk is ideal as a low-tier grinder.
A noted wind player, Kirk is solid from tee-to-green and can putt well too, and while he doesn’t have a solid bank of form on Paspalum, he’s made the cut in each of his last three trips to El Camaleon and was T7 here in 2016.
An excellent T14 in decent company at the CJ Cup, Kirk has made a solid start to the campaign and is ready to kick on in Mexico.
Key Stats:
- Scrambling – 32nd
- SG: Tee-to-Green – 64th
- SG: Putting – 67th
Sleeper Pick for the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba
Russell Knox (Odds: 80/1, FPPG: 62.4, GPFP: 79.22 Salary: $7,300)
As ever with Russell Knox, we’re begging for him to have a week with the putter, but the basic fundamentals are there.
He’s a solid wind player who knows how to keep his ball in play, and breezy conditions bring out the best in him – nobody hit more greens in regulation in Bermuda last week than the Scot.
The flatstick is an issue, admittedly, but look – this is a guy whose formline at El Camaleon reads 23-33-9-3….he clearly has some affinity with the putting surfaces at this track.
Key Stats:
- Greens in Regulation – 21st
- Scrambling – 58th
- SG: Tee-to-Green – 68th
Alternative Sleeper Pick for the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba
Adam Hadwin (Odds: 100/1, FPPG: 71.0, GPFP: 75.26 Salary: $7,300)
Like Knox, Adam Hadwin found 77.8% of GIR in Bermuda last week, and that has to be taken as a positive of where his game is right now.
The Canadian is somewhat tripping himself up on the greens at the minute, but that quality showing in Bermuda – to go with T6 at Shriners – has to be taken as a huge positive of his confidence.
Besides which, we know he is a decent putter by trade, and a pair of top-10s at El Camaleon highlight his enjoyment of the Paspalum greens there.
Key Stats:
- SG: Putting – 40th
- SG: Approach – 42nd
- Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders – 43rd
This Week’s Sample Fantasy Lineup
Note: Sample lineups provided as examples only. Be sure to mix-and-match players to best fit individual contests.
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Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2021-2022)
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