Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2023 World Wide Technology Championship

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2023 World Wide Technology Championship  

World Wide Technology Championship Fantasy Preview

The heat is on in the FedEx Cup Fall Series, with just three events remaining to retain automatic playing privileges for 2024.

The Bermuda Championship next week will be followed by the RSM Classic – where careers will be saved and dreams shattered. But first up: the World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico.

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It will represent something of a PGA TOUR first: the host course, El Cardonal at the Diamante club in Cabo San Lucas, will see a maiden outing for a layout designed in full by Tiger Woods.

As you’ll learn as you read on, this layout is unlikely to be a championship-standard course, with some of the most generous fairways and greens likely to be seen on the PGA TOUR anytime soon. A curious choice of replacement for the classic Mayakoba then, which has been nixed after hosting a LIV Golf event back in February.

One player that won’t have to worry about the cut-and-thrust of retaining his card is Collin Morikawa, who dominated the field when winning the ZOZO Championship last time out. That was his first senior win in more than two years, so he can watch the Fall Series from home while feeling pretty chipper about life.

Last Event’s Fantasy Results

We had four Top-10 finishers out in Japan last week, overall not terrible for an event without much weight behind it (betting wise). 

The big money games are coming soon, including those million-dollar games – so we’re just gearing up!

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2023 World Wide Technology Championship Field

While those scrapping for their PGA TOUR lives dominate this WWTC field, those on easy street lead the way at the head of the field.

It’s all new and exciting to Ludvig Aberg, one of the most assured rookies to come along in years, and he is one the most eye-catching turns alongside Fortinet Championship winner Sahith Theegala and Cameron Young.

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Lucas Glover, a back-to-back winner in the summer, while the likes of Beau Hossler, Stephan Jaeger and Thomas Detry are amongst a tranche of players that might consider this a decent chance to land their maiden PGA TOUR title.

This Week’s Course Preview

Tiger has described El Cardonal as a golf course designed to ‘make golfers think’, and one in which strategy and angles will be vital.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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But while we’re loathe to go against the great man, we have to ask: how much strategy does a professional golfer need on 60-yard wide fairways? How much course management do they need to find mammoth 8,300 sq ft (on average) greens? How much skill and imagination do they need to pick their way around one water hazard (in play on a solitary hole) and just 48 bunkers?

We don’t know how easy El Cardonal will play because we’ve never seen it before. But it feels as though the PGA TOUR has rather gifted Tiger this one at a layout which, at first glance, could easily be torn apart if the weather obliges.

Measuring around 7,450 yards for its Par 72, the only curiosity of El Cardonal is the significant elevation changes, which include considerable drop-offs into some greens and some hamstring-shredding uphill holes. But all in all, it’s not as if the players haven’t seen these before at the likes of Augusta, TPC Summerlin, Kapalua and the like.

With no rough to speak of – the fairways are flanked by what can be described as dry, sandy creek beds, and the salt-resistant Paspalum greens in play, the feel of El Cardonal is one of generosity and ease; surprising given the major-winning nous of its creator.

Cue the inevitable US Open style scoring now….

Weather Forecast for Los Cabos, MEX

The only real defense for El Cardonal is the possibility of strong winds to throw the players off course, but even that doesn’t appear to be on the agenda according to the early forecasts.

It looks set to be a warm week in Cabo San Lucas at around 84 degrees throughout, with the threat of rain about as low as you are ever going to see from the expert predictors.

Which brings us to the wind – will this save El Cardonal? Only time will tell, although the early forecast, which suggests speeds of 7mph on Thursday and 8mph thereafter, does not suggest as much.

LOS CABOS WEATHER

Last Year’s Results from the World Wide Technology Championship

Mayakoba has long been a regular host on the PGA TOUR, and it’s a shame it will no longer be utilized on a golf tour of repute.

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Russell Henley will be particular sad to see it go – he was the winner at the Mexican track 12 months ago for the previous hosting of this tournament. 

He picked and plotted his way around the El Camaleon course in expert fashion, holding a six-shot lead on the field after 54 holes. There’s no way he could be caught, right?

Some gave it a darn good go, with Scottie Scheffler posting 62 and Brian Harman 66, but they were just too far behind Henley, who played no-risk golf on the Sunday to win by four shots and claim his first PGA TOUR title in five years.

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

How adventurous are you feeling? A brand new course, which could descend into a putting shootout, is not textbook DFS fare, but with only three regular PGA TOUR events left in 2023, now seems as good a time as any to get your tanks on the lawn.

• PGA $100k Drive the Green: For starters, throwing a dart or two at this contest, with its $25k to the winner prize, seems fair enough. If you’re on the right side of variance, there’s plenty of nice cash prizes to be claimed. 

• PGA $10k Albatross: If you want a more strategic approach, a single-entry contest will at least guarantee a level-playing field – and nobody really knows how El Cardonal will play. For $12 entry, you could access a prize pool that includes $1k to the victor.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes

Our notes for El Cardonal are, to be blunt, on the short side.

With such huge landing zones off the tee and on approach, professional golfers of this standard really shouldn’t encounter too many problems – particularly with a benign weather and wind forecast (keep your eyes peeled to make sure that doesn’t change).

If it doesn’t, we’re expecting a Paspalum putting contest – not what you might naturally anticipate from a Tiger layout.

It’s true that this area of Mexico doesn’t get much rain, so perhaps El Cardonal will play firm and fast, but it’s very much a wait-and-see type of affair.

Maybe the elevation changes will be a factor? There’s plenty of PGA TOUR layouts that have these, from the deserty TPC Summerlin and TPC Scottsdale – perhaps the best arbiters for success at El Cardonal – as well as the likes of Kapalua, TPC San Antonio, Innisbrook and Augusta National.

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

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

Top Tier Pick # 1

Sahith Theegala (Odds: 16/1, FPPG: 102.0, Salary: $10,700)

Having cracked the code and landed his maiden PGA TOUR win at the Fortinet Championship, you wonder how Sahith Theegala’s career will unfold from here.

It’s possible that he follows a similar trajectory to fellow Californian Max Homa, who has gone on to win six times on TOUR after finally getting his hands on a senior trophy.

Given what we know about El Cardonal, this seems to be as likely a venue as any for a second win for Theegala given that putting is the strongest suit of his game.

Another factor for consideration is his record at tracks with significant elevation changes – he’s played well as Augusta, Muirfield Village, TPC Scottsdale, TPC Deere Run and others, which bodes well for this week’s turn at one of the most idiosyncratic layouts the players will have seen in some time.

Key Stats:

• Birdie Average – 14th
• SG: Putting – 15th
• SG: Total – 31st

Top Tier Pick #2

Beau Hossler (Odds: 28/1, FPPG: 90.6, Salary: $9,900)

For many years, Beau Hossler has maintained his position in world golf thanks to being an outstanding putter – that always helps in this sport of ours, of course.

But lately, he seems to have figured things out from tee-to-green too, having gained strokes on the field on approach in three of his last four measured events. In another without ShotLink data at the ZOZO Championship, Hossler finished T2 – it seems a given that he also had a strong week with irons and wedges there.

Somebody with previous on the Paspalum greens of Mexico, Hossler has also fared well at the correlating hat-trick of TPC layouts: Summerlin, San Antonio and Scottsdale.

A strong putter that finds some touch and feel on approach is a very dangerous player indeed – can Hossler parlay his recent improvements into victory in Mexico?

Key Stats:

• 3-Putt Avoidance – 11th
• Total Birdies – 19th
• Putts Per Round – 21st

Mid-Tier Pick #1

Chesson Hadley (Odds: 70/1, FPPG: 82.2, Salary: $7,600)

We think it’s likely that there’s two ways to win at El Cardonal: be a relentless proximity machine, hitting approaches into birdie range hole after hole, or putt the lights out.

Given what we know about Chesson Hadley, we could argue that he has both of those strings to his bow. In his last five PGA TOUR starts, he’s gained strokes on the field on approach in four of them – and we’re not talking measly amounts either, but as much as +1.85 (as was the case in his T7 at the Shriners).

And a guy who ranks 29th for the season for SG: Putting, well, we can rely on them with the flat stick.

Hadley is one of those guys whose mere playing privileges are in doubt given his FedEx Cup rank of 121, so it’s very much now or never – motivation will not be in short supply.

Key Stats:

• SG: Putting – 29th
• SG: Approach – 39th
• Birdie Average – 46th

Mid-Tier Pick #2

Chad Ramey (Odds: 80/1, FPPG: 81.2, Salary: $7,400)

If you trace back to some of Chad Ramey’s best days in golf, you notice a nice pattern that may well be insightful for this week: he’s won on the PGA TOUR in the Dominican Republic and finished T2 in Mexico on the Korn Ferry Tour – both Paspalum-lined events.

With top-20s at the elevated layouts Royal Port and TPC Summerlin, the plot thickens for Ramey, who if nothing else should give us a useful return on our salary spend: he’s made the cut in nine of his last ten outings.

Although not a master of any of golf’s disciplines, Ramey is a solid pro with two top-20s in his last three PGA TOUR starts – he’s a sure and steady pick this week.

Key Stats:

• Total Birdies – 27th
• SG: Putting – 40th
• Approaches from 200+ Yards – 76th

Low-Tier Pick

Brandon Wu (Odds: 90/1, FPPG: 57.8, Salary: $7,300)

With a pair of top-three finishes to his name in the Mexico Open, we don’t have to worry whether Brandon Wu will travel well south of the border.

That double-header highlights his penchant for Paspalum, while T9 in the Canadian Open in the summer confirms that Wu is a guy most at home on slower-paced greens.

He’ll likely get them at El Cardonal this week, and if he packs the iron game that saw him gain +1.71 strokes on the field on approach at the St Jude, Wu can enjoy another stellar week on Mexican soil.

Key Stats:

• Total Birdies – 21st
• Proximity to Hole – 70th
• Approaches from 100+ Yards – 79th

Sleeper Pick for the World Wide Technology Championship

Troy Merritt (Odds: 100/1, FPPG: 88.8, Salary: $7,200)

One of the most curious performers in recent times on the PGA TOUR has been Troy Merritt.

His ball-striking was immaculate in a T7 finish at the Fortinet Championship, before he putted the lights out on his way to T9 at the Sanderson Farms Championship.

His subsequent horror-show at the ZOZO Championship was surprising, but we’re happy to lean on those previous positives – especially when you find out that Merritt won in Mexico on the Korn Ferry Tour and was T3 at Mayakoba as recently as 2022.

Key Stats:

• Proximity to Hole – 39th
• Approaches from 100+ Yards – 75th
• Putts Per Round – 95th

Alternative Sleeper Pick for the World Wide Technology Championship

Ryan Moore (Odds: 150/1, FPPG: 64.0, Salary: $7,000)

There is a very real risk that Ryan Moore, a veritable veteran on the PGA TOUR these days, will lose his outright playing privileges unless he goes big in the weeks ahead.

T13 at the Shriners last time out is an indication that he’s going to make a good go of retaining his tour card, and form at that elevated layout – as well as previous at the likes of Augusta, Muirfield Village, TPC Deere Run and Innisbrook – suggests he will like the conditions at El Cardonal.

A superb shot-maker when in form, there’s every chance Moore will create plenty of birdie opportunities this week – whether he makes them or not remains to be seen, but at this lowly salary point at least we won’t give too much away finding out.

Key Stats:

• Proximity to Hole – 6th
• SG: Approach – 21st
• 3-Putt Avoidance – 46th

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 (2023-2024)

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