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World Wide Technology Championship 2023 Picks & Odds Bet Davis Thompson & Sam Ryder
Updated:2024-05-05 00:10 Views:68Tiger Woods is back this week!
Well, I mean, uhh, kinda sorta.
Alright, so El Tigre isn鈥檛 competing at this week鈥檚 World Wide Technology Championship, but his fingerprints will be all over the tournament as it moves to El Cardonal at Diamante in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico 鈥?the first Woods-designed course to host a PGA Tour event.
While there鈥檚 no immediate expectation that Tiger will be on-site, his name will dominate the early-week headlines, with this tourney perhaps serving as a figurative checkpoint between one stage of his professional career and the next.
El Cardonal, which opened in 2014, will play as a 7,452-yard par-72, though it might not play anywhere close to that length, considering the area鈥檚 significant elevation and turf which is expected to be running fast throughout the week.
The weather is forecasted to be hot and dry, with winds gusting into the mid-teens during each round. The views will be exquisite, as the Pacific Ocean will frame the backdrop of so many shots, making this must-see TV for those in cold-weather climates who are longing for such scenes.
With the anticipation, however, come plenty of unknowns.
I鈥檒l start this week鈥檚 picks with an acknowledgment that what we don鈥檛 know can indeed hurt us this week.
One player to win the tournament
Davis Thompson (+4500)Look, it鈥檚 certainly possible that either Ludvig Aberg (+900) or Cameron Young (+1100) 鈥?the two favorites in this week鈥檚 otherwise unimpressive field, each of whom I鈥檒l mention below 鈥?will earn a much-awaited first PGA Tour victory, but I鈥檇 rather not pay up to find out.
My strategy for this week鈥檚 card is to look a bit further down the board, targeting a few outrights from those who wouldn鈥檛 come as a surprise should they win soon. That landed me on Davis Thompson, who鈥檚 been consistently playing at a high level, with six top-35 results in his last seven starts.
We鈥檝e seen him come close to winning already 鈥?he was potentially a pulled flagstick away from a playoff with Jon Rahm at the American Express back in January 鈥?so we know his heightened floor comes with a solid ceiling, as well.
Without many proven winners in the top tier, I鈥檇 rather start my plays around this number, and Thompson seems to make the most sense.
Pick: Davis Thompson Outright +4500Bet Thompson Instantly at FanDuel With QuickSlip!Outright Winner (Long odds)One player to win the tournament
Sam Ryder (+7000)His fictional agent on a series of Ryder television commercials seems impressed with his game, so maybe we should be similarly awed by Sam Ryder.
He鈥檚 recently been given the Rickie Fowler treatment, as we see more of him on our TV screens when he鈥檚 not playing than when he is, but that shouldn鈥檛 cloud the fact that he owns the talent to win at this level, especially against this type of field.
If/when that does happen, it might come at a venue where he can often leave driver in the bag, as his rank of 169th off the tee this season underscores being 26th on approach shots and 12th with his putter. It might be too early to know whether El Cardonal is that course, but at what I think is a fair price on a board which doesn鈥檛 boast too many of 鈥榚m, Ryder is certainly worth a play.
Pick: Sam Ryder Outright +7000Bet Ryder Instantly at FanDuel With QuickSlip!World Wide Technology Championship One-and-Done PicksOther OADersPotential selections for one-and-done pools
Cameron Young (+1100)A year ago, using Cameron Young in the fall portion of your OAD schedule might鈥檝e seemed like a waste, but his star has lost a little luster ever since. That potentially means he鈥檚 just more valuable to you right now than later on.
His outright number is too short for me to get excited about, but I鈥檒l want some investment in Young this week, and this feels like the perfect way to get a little piece. Just as Sahith Theegala鈥檚 breakthrough victory came during this part of the schedule, it might be even less of a surprise to see Young do it, too.
Stephan Jaeger (+2500)I went all-in on Stephan Jaeger at the Sanderson Farms Championship earlier this month, and he responded with yet another top-30 finish 鈥?his 12th in his last 19 starts.
Whether he likes it or not, Jaeger has developed into the prototypical floor play 鈥?what Charles Howell III was for years and what Maverick McNealy was before his latest injury 鈥?as those dozen top 30s have only been buoyed by a single top 10, and even that was only a T9.
If you鈥檙e seeking a set-it-and-forget-it type who won鈥檛 have you sweating a Friday cut line and should earn a nice check, Jaeger is the play.
Taylor Pendrith (+4500)This one isn鈥檛 for the faint of heart. Taylor Pendrith had four finishes of 60th or worse entering the Rocket Mortgage Classic in July, then he finished T14 there and solo sixth two weeks later at the Barbasol Championship.
Just when he gets back into our good graces, he misses four cuts in a row 鈥?and just when we cross him off the list, he finishes T3 at the Shriners.
The big Canadian hasn鈥檛 played since that one, and while we鈥檙e never quite sure which Pendrith will show up, we do know there鈥檚 a Pendrith who can undoubtedly contend for this title.
Vince Whaley (+7000)For those in OADs who don鈥檛 want to 鈥渂urn鈥?a big-time player and/or don鈥檛 want to use the same guy as everyone else in the pool, kick the tires on Vince Whaley this week. After being largely invisible for the majority of this season, he鈥檚 gotten relatively hot here in the fall, with finishes of 25th-28th-13th in three starts so far.
World Wide Technology Championship Placement BetsTop FiveOne player to finish in the top five
J.J. Spaun (+650 for Top-five Finish)Fresh off a T6 in his most recent start at the Zozo Championship, J.J. Spaun now has a pair of top 10s (and a T11) in the time since his last MC. He鈥檚 either gained strokes with his irons or been at the exact field average in each of his last 15 starts, so if this one turns into a flushing contest, there are few better equipped to handle such a tournament as Spaun.
Top 10One player to finish in the top 10
Cameron Champ (+500 for Top-10 Finish)As I wrote a few weeks ago, I鈥檓 bullish on Cameron Champ for both short-term plays and (perhaps more importantly) long-term plays. His recent comments about being in a better headspace to deal with the recurring ups and downs of PGA Tour life should be reason for massive optimism, considering his innate natural abilities, the most obvious of which is his prodigious length off the tee.
Don鈥檛 be shocked to see him go the Si Woo Kim route, which is to say that he might not win the same rate of title contentions as he鈥檚 done in the past, but he should seriously close the gap between his ceiling and floor, becoming a more consistent player on a weekly basis.
With top-20 finishes in three of his last six starts, this could be another example of that growing on-course maturity.
Top 20One player to finish in the top 20
Chris Gotterup (+230 for Top-20 Finish)He finished 鈥渙nly鈥?23rd on the Korn Ferry Tour points list this season, but ask those in the know, and they鈥檒l list Chris Gotterup as perhaps the incoming rookie with the most PGA Tour potential right off the bat.
In fact, on my SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio show Hitting the Green, I did ask someone in the know 鈥?veteran pro James Nitties, who now covers the KFT for various platforms 鈥?and Gotterup was indeed the first name he mentioned.
He鈥檚 already enjoyed some success at the highest level 鈥?just last season he made the cut in six of eight starts with a pair of top 10s and this season has made the cut in three of four.
Again, I鈥檓 chasing talent this week, and he has it. I don鈥檛 hate a small outright play, either.
Top 30Two players to finish in the top 30
Tyler Duncan (+170 for Top-30 Finish) and Kevin Tway (+400 for Top-30 Finish)We won鈥檛 know until the week progresses just how much of a factor the winds will be, though it鈥檚 safe to suggest they won鈥檛 be a nonfactor. Tyler Duncan and Kevin Tway are two players who seem to fare better in relation to the field when the breeze is blowing.
Top 40Two players to finish in the top 40
Nate Lashley (+115 for Top-40 Finish) and Brice Garnett (+225 for Top-40 Finish)Anytime the PGA Tour travels to a tropical locale, I鈥檒l bump up Nate Lashley and Brice Garnett, each of whom has enjoyed some success on these types of tracks in the past.
World Wide Technology Championship DFS PicksDFS Free Bingo SquareA safe plug-and-play option for DFS lineups
Ludvig AbergOn the surface, the analysis for this one is pretty simple: Ludvig Aberg is the best player in the field, he鈥檚 riding a heater, and even his B-minus game could be enough to win this one. None of that is untrue, but there鈥檚 a reason to perhaps like him even a little more than usual.
On a new venue, where experience isn鈥檛 a factor, Aberg isn鈥檛 trying to play catch-up with his prep in relation to his fellow competitors. Starting with a level playing field could essentially give him an indirect advantage.
DFS Mid-TierA medium-priced option for DFS lineups
Erik Van RooyenI鈥檒l go back to the well for this one, as I鈥檝e been on Erik Van Rooyen for much of the fall, and he鈥檚 responded with some solid play.
Including a pair of DP World Tour events, he鈥檚 gone 8th-16th-30th-16th-23rd in his last five starts, which suggests that he could be rounding into the type of form that once had him ranked as high as 40th in the world. I like the trend to continue this week.
DFS 鈥楧ogA lower-priced option for DFS lineups
Harrison EndycottWhen I hear about fast and firm conditions, I鈥檒l often try to find an under-the-radar Aussie for the back end of my lineups, and Harrison Endycott is that Aussie this week. After missing the cut in five straight starts, he鈥檚 at least reached the weekend in his last two. If he does that again, everything else is gravy from this price point.
If you鈥檙e trying to get an Aberg or Young into your lineups and need to balance it out with a low-cost option, you can do a lot worse than this promising youngster.
First-Round LeaderOne player to post the low round Thursday
Peter Kuest (+6600 for FRL)The first-round leader at the Fortinet Championship was Lucas Herbert. At the Sanderson Farms Championship, it was Chesson Hadley. And at the Shriner鈥檚 Childrens Open, it was Beau Hossler.
All of which suggests that if you鈥檙e eating chalk for these autumnal FRL plays, you鈥檙e doing it wrong. I鈥檒l take a chance this week on Peter Kuest, who鈥檚 shown he can go low at this level, with 14 of his 36 rounds this season at 68 or better and four below 66.
Matchup Man
One player who should beat comparable players
Beau Hossler (+3000)
I would expect Beau Hossler to be a popular outright selection this week 鈥?and at these odds, I really don鈥檛 blame anyone for going that route.
In fact, I鈥檇 be surprised if this number doesn鈥檛 shorten up from its initial listing. Hossler is currently playing the best golf of his career, backing up a T7 in Las Vegas with a share of runner-up honors in Japan two weeks ago.
While I don鈥檛 dislike the outright play, I do think there could be more value in playing him in head-to-heads against similarly priced players, such as Lucas Glover, Emiliano Grillo and Chris Kirk.
Also Receiving Votes
Other players who should provide value
Thomas Detry (+3000), Keith Mitchell (+3500), Justin Suh (+4500), Doug Ghim (+5500), Erik Van Rooyen (+7000), Michael Kim (+7500), Doc Redman (+18000), Jason Dufner (+30000)
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