Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the OHL Classic at Mayakoba

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the OHL Classic at Mayakoba

OHL Classic at Mayakoba Fantasy Preview

After a brief return to U.S. soil for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, the PGA TOUR is packing its bags and heading off south to Mexico for the 2016 OHL Classic.

Last week was the first time in the past year that we witnessed a winner who teed off at Vegas odds of in excess of 150/1.  Rod Pampling, a talented Australian without a win in a decade, held firm from the challenge of Lucas Glover and Brooks Koepka to take home the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

There’s no rest for the wicked though as Pampling and a handful of the Shriners field head across the border for the OHL Mayakoba Classic, and they are joined by a number of contenders who are refreshed and ready to rock after returning from Asia following the CIMB Classic/WGC HSBC Champions events just a few weeks ago.

El Camaleon, in the Playa del Carmen resort, is the host venue, and this stunning landscape track with a distinct tropical, coastal environment should offer the players an aesthetically-pleasing four days alongside a decent test of their credentials.

Last Week’s Fantasy Results Shriner’s Hospital for Children Open

Many of you have told us that you just can’t wait until the fall series ends and the real season kicks off in January.  We certainly feel you!  These past few events have been a challenge when the field is full of no-namers and we have guys like Rod Pampling (who hasn’t won a PGA TOUR event since 2007) holding the trophy on Sunday.

We missed a few cuts last week but the sun was shining bright with our “sleeper” horse pick Chris Kirk who finished round two tied for the lead before putting up dismal weekend rounds.  Despite his weekend collapse, he still managed to put up close to 70 fantasy points, but in the end it  just wasn’t enough.

We look forward to a big bounce back this week at Mayakoba; that’s for sure.

Last Week’s Results from the Turkish Airlines Open

On the other side of the pond, we fared quite well with our picks.  Of our five tiered European picks, all selections made the cut including Horsey at T2 and Hatton at T10.  In total, we had four of our five picks finish in the Top 22.

The 2016 OHL Classic at Mayakoba Field

Defending champion Graeme McDowell will tee off this week in Mexico as he looks to become the second back-to-back winner of the 2016-2017 campaign following Justin Thomas’ heroics in Malaysia.

The Irishman will be joined by a cavalcade of former winners here, including Charlie Hoffman, Harris English and Johnson Wagner, although this week much of the attention will be focused on the two highest world-ranked players in the field, those being Russell Knox and Emiliano Grillo.

 
That pair is joined by an eclectic mix of fellow front-runners, including Jim Furyk and his first look at El Camaleon, the in-form duo of Chris Kirk and Scott Piercy, precocious talent Si-Woo Kim, and former Open Championship runner-up Marc Leishman.

This Week’s Course Preview

Coming live from El Camaleon in the heart of Playa del Carmen, this week features a unique test that really questions a player’s technique.  Lining the coast, a hefty breeze is expected across the week and the Sea Isle Paspalum surfaces will be new to anyone that hasn’t played golf in South America (or parts of Asia) in the past.

 
One of the few active Par 70 tracks on the PGA TOUR, El Camaleon measures in at just 6,978 yards, and while handy hazard placement negates the possibility of the stretch being overpowered, winning scores of -21, -17 and -18 in the last three renewals clearly suggests otherwise.  Mind you, McDowell ranked just T56 for Driving Distance in 2015, so obviously length isn’t all that important this week.

At least it will look good on television anyway: El Camaleon features stunning coastal views, tropical landscapes and dense mangroves all in one venue!

Weather Forecast for Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Thundery rain is forecast in the lead-up to Thursday’s tee off, and while temperatures remain high the oppressive humidity in excess of 75% will lead to some heavy downpours; even if the chance of rain on Thursday and Friday is said to be just 40%.

The average wind speeds are expected to reach 10 mph, but don’t be fooled: right by the coast these will gust up to 15 mph as a minimum.

Happily the weekend is set to be fair, and the business end of the tournament should not be too badly affected by weather.

Last Year’s Results from the OHL Classic at Mayakoba

In 2015 Graeme McDowell, in his first PGA TOUR start in three months, prevailed in a playoff against Russell Knox and Jason Bohn to clinch his third tour title.

His opening gambit of 67 was bettered only by Derek Fathauer of those players to finish inside the top ten, and a 63 on Friday confirmed his position at the top of the tree.  A slight bump in round three of 70 opened the door for others, but a fine 66 on the Sunday fired the Irishman into the playoff at the expense of Fathauer, who up until his fourth round had played exemplary.

McDowell birdied the first of the extra holes to earn himself a healthy check and lift the OHL Classic trophy.

His route to glory was a well-trodden path on Par 70 tracks.  More accurate off the tee than long (T16 for Driving Accuracy, T56 for distance), McDowell hit his fair share of greens (T30 for GIR) but really came alive with the short stick in hand, ranking T4 for Putts per GIR.  As you might expect, he ranked first for Birdies Made and played the Par 5s in -9 of his -18 winning total.

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This Week’s Broadcast Schedule

• Television Broadcasts
  • Thursday-Sunday, 1-4 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
• Mobile Broadcasts:
  •  None
• RADIO: (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com)
  • Thursday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the OHL Classic at Mayakoba this Week

The Fall season has left DFS managers shy of options in terms of a variety of contests, but at least the size of prize money on offer is none too shabby!  This week DraftKings are serving up this pair of lucrative contests:

• PGA $40K 3-Wood: High rollers, assemble! $5000 is up for grabs for the winner of this contest, with a total prize pool of $40k provided by the 148 entrants at a cool $300 per entry.
• Caddy for a Cure: A fantastic cause, each $5 entry fee goes to the charity with players having the opportunity to win a VIP golf trip to Myrtle Bay (three nights) and $500 spending money!

This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the OHL Classic at Mayakoba

McDowell’s path to success was representative of those that had come before him.  Of the last eight winners of this event all have favored accuracy over length off the tee, but the key is that whatever happens off the tee is not the be-all and end-all.

As such, Scrambling comes into its own as does Greens in Regulation; McDowell was an anomaly in not featuring highly in this stat compared to the previous four champions here.

The numbers suggest that putting is key – each of the last three winners has ranked inside the top five for Putts Per GIR, so drafting players in form with the putter or who can get the ball close (Proximity) is key.

What else do we have in our armory this week?  Well, both McDowell and Knox were raised on Links courses, and that’s largely due to the windy conditions experienced.  Looking at the likes of the Sony Open and the St Jude Classic, similarly breezy, will be of interest to fantasy managers this week.

Lastly, the recent Asian swing of the PGA TOUR gave those in attendance a taste of Paspalum golf, so those performances have to be noted as well.

Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the OHL Classic at Mayakoba

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Fantasy Golf Predictions Last Season (2015-2016)

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