Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2022 World Wide Technology Championship

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2022 World Wide Technology Championship  

World Wide Technology Championship Fantasy Preview

The headlines were puns like ‘Seamus Powers to victory’, and while those aren’t exactly accurate it’s true that the Irishman did claim his second PGA TOUR win at the Bermuda Championship on Sunday.

Power bogeyed four of his last six holes on Sunday, but in a happy twist of fate watched on as his playing partner and co 54-hole leader Ben Griffin suffered finishing line yips of his own – he played his closing seven holes in +6.

Embed from Getty Images

So there was some serendipity to Power’s triumph – he was up against a youngster whose biggest career win to date came on the Canadian Tour, but even so you have to respect a man who shouldered the burden of being the highest-ranked player in the field, OWGR wise, to get the win….his second on the PGA TOUR, incidentally, after he won the Barbasol Championship last season.

The TOUR’s return to American soil is delayed another week, as the action heads to Mexico for the – deep breath – World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba.

Last Week’s Fantasy Results

Last week in Bermuda wasn’t too shabby. Smotherman, who was our top Sleeper Pick came out of the gate with an incredible 62 on day one while our top pick, Aaron Rai fell to a disappointing 54th after what looked to be a decent start.

Embed from Getty Images

World Wide Technology Championship Field

This event has had a habit of attracting a decent quality of field, and the 2022 edition is no exception.

Although home favorites such as Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz have moved on to pastures new, the Mexico crowd has a new hero to cheer on in the shape of Viktor Hovland, who is looking for a hat-trick of titles at Mayakoba this week. He would become the first player since Steve Stricker at the John Deere Classic to complete a three-peat.

Embed from Getty Images

Hoping to stop the Norwegian in his tracks will be the recently-deposed former world number one Scottie Scheffler – you wonder if losing that status might light a proverbial fire under him, while two-time major champion Collin Morikawa also makes the trip south.

Tony Finau makes his long-awaited return to action, while his Presidents Cup teammate Billy Horschel will be hoping to frank his excellent record at Mayakoba by finally getting his hands on the trophy.

This Week’s Course Preview

The PGA TOUR has a fine array of short seaside tracks on its rotation and El Camaleon, the beating heart at the center of the Mayakoba resort, is right up there with the best of them.

Like Harbour Town, Sea Island, Pebble Beach, Waialae and co, the emphasis is on keeping your ball under control against the fierce winds blowing in off the Caribbean Sea.

Embed from Getty Images

But if nothing else, El Camaleon is postcard pretty, combining ocean-flanked holes with parklands, mangrove and even jungle landscapes.

A short 6,987 yard Par 71, players of all lengths are in the game at this stretch, although you’ll need to make birdies – and lots of them – to stay in the game. The winning mark has been -20 or better in each of the last four renewals, which tells the tale.

One of the difference-makers is the greens, which are the slow and grainy Paspalum surface that is native to tropical islands (and some coastlines in Central and South America). They are unique in nature, and some players thrive when putting on them while others flail….some form on these greens is a handy indicator of potential future success.

Some 12 of the 18 holes averaged under par here last year, with the 532-yard Par 5 thirteenth amongst the easiest holes on the PGA TOUR. The 116-yard Par 3 fourth is also food-and-drink to players of this standard.

Weather Forecast for Riviera Maya, MEX

As was the case in Bermuda last week, the weather forecast for Playa del Carmen poses more questions than answer.

The dreaded ‘thunderstorms’ make an appearance in the predictions, and while the temperatures are nice and high the humidity levels would suggest a healthy dose of the wet stuff is incoming.

Thursday and Friday could be the wettest days if the early forecast holds true, with stiff downpours likely.

Things might dry out in time for the weekend, with a slightly better forecast given. The sun could shine and temperatures may hit 88˚F, and the wind – which could hit double-figures mph for the opening two rounds – may drop down to single digits in time for the tournament finale.

RIVIERA WEATHER

Last Year’s Results from the World Wide Technology Championship

They might rename this stretch El Hovland if the Norwegian can capture a third consecutive win this week.

He sauntered to a four-stroke victory here 12 months ago, doing little wrong and breaking the back of victory with an outstanding 62 on Saturday.

Embed from Getty Images

Hovland showed few nerves when closing out his win on Sunday, making six birdies to keep the field at arm’s length. Home favorite Carlos Ortiz at least gave it a go, but his late rally – playing his final seven holes in -5 – was a case of too little, too late.

Justin Thomas had looked the best placed to challenge Hovland heading into the final round, but a surprisingly sluggish start – he played his opening five holes of the day in +1 – effectively ended the contest.

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the World Wide Technology Championship this Week

This is a good event for sharp DFS gamers. Think about it: we know which players thrive at tight courses by the sea, we have a bank of data who putts on Paspalum greens and, for the most part, we know that not all of the ‘fancied’ players will thrive in such conditions. 

As such, it’s all systems go this week….

• PGA $300k Pitch & Putt: Leading the way at the more affordable end of the contest slate this week is this $20 entry game, which pays $100k to the winner and a stack of sizable prizes further down the leaderboard. There’s plenty of scope for multiple entries, if you’re riding a deep bankroll.

• PGA $20k Birdie: There’s scope to draft a handful of lineups this week, and so this $3 entry contest will allow you to line up your tanks on the lawn without busting your bankroll. The winner lands a handy $2,000 too.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes

Knock it close and make some putts is a strategy that works at any golf course around the world, but of course it’s how you go about that, given the conditions, that truly counts.

At Mayakoba, you are going to be faced by strange winds and some tightish fairways that are made holder to hold by the breeze.

So flighting your ball down is key, although it should be said that the rough is not particularly savage at this real estate, and many players in the field typically convert high GIR numbers even when scrambling out of the longer grass.

And so, you guessed it, this event can degenerate into something of a putting contest. Hovland simply loves these Paspalum greens, while former champions at Mayakoba like Brendon Todd and Matt Kuchar are historically no slouches with the flat stick in hand.

If you’re looking for correlating courses, any of the shorter coastal tacks – Harbour Town (RBC Heritage), Sea Island (RSM Classic), Waialae (Sony Open), Pebble Beach (AT&T Pebble Beach) and Royal Port (Bermuda Championship) – will reveal helpful clues as to who thrives in such surroundings.

[membership level=”0″]

Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the World Wide Technology Championship   

You must be a Premium Member to view our exclusive fantasy golf picks.

Already a member? Sign in Here.

[/membership]

[membership level=”1,2,3″]

Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the World Wide Technology Championship  

Top Tier Pick #1

Aaron Wise (Odds: 20/1, FPPG: 83.3, GPFP: 69.93 Salary: $10,200)

There’s a small set of players on the PGA TOUR who seem destined to win sooner or later, and Aaron Wise is firmly in that group.

He’s finished T15 or better in four of his last six outings, which shows that he’s knocking on the door, and after opening with a pair of 66s at the CJ Cup – and closing with a rogue 73 at the BMW Championship – Wise might already have his hands on some silverware.

The trick with these nearly men is to back them at the right time, and does it get any better for Wise than Mayakoba? Solo second in 2020 and T15 in 2021, he clearly loves this stretch and has also done the business at Vidanta, home of the Mexico Open. Paspalum greens hold no fear.

Key Stats:

• Total Driving – 9th
• SG: Putting – 19th
• Scoring Average – 29th

Top Tier Pick #2

Tom Hoge (Odds: 28/1, FPPG: 92.8, GPFP: 94.61 Salary: $9,500)

Few players have burst into the Fall season with the form of Tom Hoge, whose four efforts have yielded a formline of 13-9-4-12. That shows he’s playing well, but also that he’s been busy….interesting given that the headline acts in this field have perhaps got some competitive rust to shake off.

T3 at Mayakoba in 2020 could have been so much better – Hoge fluffed his lines on the Sunday by closing out bogey-par-par to finish three shots behind Viktor Hovland.

So our man has got that much-needed Paspalum experience, and few in the most recent weeks on TOUR have showcased his level of ball-striking ability. That could be a heady combination.

Key Stats:

• SG: Approach – 3rd
• Birdie Average – 21st
• SG: Putting – 22nd

Mid-Tier Pick #1

Matt Kuchar (Odds: 66/1, FPPG: 74.5, GPFP: 70.78 Salary: $8,000)

Despite his advancing years, Matt Kuchar is playing some good golf and can win by the sea.

He proved that by taking down the Sony Open and RBC Heritage, both of which are short coastal tests not all that dissimilar to that posed by Mayakoba.

Two top-25s in the last three editions of this tournament are confirmation that this is an assignment Kuchar enjoys (he also won here in 2018), and his decent start to the season from a ball-striking perspective – which yielded a T12 turn at the Fortinet Championships – is another feather in his cap.

Key Stats:

• SG: Approach – 15th
• Driving Accuracy – 37th
• Scoring Average – 49th

Mid-Tier Pick #2

JJ Spaun (Odds: 100/1, FPPG: 70.8, GPFP: 56.60 Salary: $7,300)

Victory in last season’s Texas Open is yet to have been parlayed into something more substantial by JJ Spaun.

But he definitely has the game to become a multiple-time PGA TOUR winner, and there’s no reason why Mayakoba can’t be the scene of his second triumph at this level – he’s finished T3 here before, and has top-six finishes in the RSM Classic and RBC Heritage to frank his seaside resumé.

Agonizingly short of reaching the TOUR Championship last season, Spaun’s fairways-and-greens game has took him almost to the elite of the PGA TOUR….he’s ready for the next step up in his career ascendance.

Key Stats:

• Driving Accuracy – 54th
• Scrambling – 64th
• Scoring Average – 84th 

Low-Tier Pick

Joel Dahmen (Odds: 80/1, FPPG: 65.9, GPFP: 52.70 Salary: $7,200)

He can be a difficult player to pin down, but Joel Dahmen is striking the ball very nicely at the moment, so this week’s test sets up nicely for him.

With T6 and T20 turns to his name at Mayakoba in recent times, Dahmen should have fond memories of this layout, and as a noted wind player who has performed well at the likes of Pebble Beach and Waialae we can be confident in his chances.

Two top-20s in his last three PGA TOUR starts set the scene nicely, and Dahmen’s approach play prowess and control off the tee will be very welcome indeed.

Key Stats:

• SG: Approach – 37th
• Driving Accuracy – 48th
• Scoring Average – 53rd

Sleeper Pick for the World Wide Technology Championship

Garrick Higgo (Odds: 125/1, FPPG: 53.3, GPFP: 42.65 Salary: $6,900)

Garrick Higgo hit 77.8% of greens in regulation at the Bermuda Championship, the third best in the field, and given the occasionally blustery conditions that was impressive indeed.

Given that he finished third at the Sanderson Farms Championship, we can only assume that confidence is restored in the South African’s game following his hapless conclusion to last season.

An intriguing takeaway from last year’s edition of this event was that Higgo fired one of the rounds of the week – his Friday 63 was the best of the day, and only bettered by efforts from Hovland and Matthew Wolff across the four rounds.

That obvious fondness for the course, aided by a significant uptick in form, suggests Higgo can be considered a solid sleeper play this week.

Key Stats:

• Birdie Average – 49th
• SG: Tee-to-Green – 65th
• SG: Putting – 69th

Alternative Sleeper Pick for the World Wide Technology Championship

Brandon Wu (Odds: 140/1, FPPG: 62.8, GPFP: 50.20 Salary: $6,900)

It’s rare for a player to save some of their best form for Paspalum greens, but that’s the case with Brandon Wu, whose T2 finish at the Mexico Open and T3 turn at the Puerto Rico Open remain his finest hours on the PGA TOUR.

He played some good golf in Bermuda last week, albeit for his flat stick to let him down somewhat, and so maybe the switch to Paspalum will enable him to get full value from all departments of his game.

With a T6 finish to his name in the Scottish Open, it’s evident that Wu holds no fear of playing in blustery conditions, and given his prior form by the seaside he could prove to be a smart sleeper this week.

Key Stats:

• SG: Off-the-Tee – 58th
• Par 4 Birdie or Better Leaders – 58th
• SG: Putting – 92nd

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.

[/membership]

Fantasy Golf Predictions Last Season (2021-2022)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”11.90%” bar_text=5 out of 42 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent=”14.29%” bar_text=”6 out of 42 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”28.57%” bar_text=12 out of 42 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”0%” bar_text=”0 out of 6 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”16.67%” bar_text=”1 out of 6 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”71.42″ bar_text=”30 out of 42 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

Remember to visit our private Facebook group to discuss this week’s picks for the World Wide Technology Championship with other Premium Members.

---

Cover Photo via Instagram