Daily Fantasy Golf Tips
Absorb the data, predictions, and insights from this article to help with your fantasy golf picks for the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, and check out our PGA Optimizer to make more informed player selections for your DFS lineups. All the best this week!
The World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba
Recap from the Butterfield Bermuda Championship: I always enjoy seeing first-time winners on the PGA Tour, and the latest player to achieve that goal is Lucas Herbert who won in Bermuda last week with a score of -15 in some rather challenging windy conditions. Huge congrats go out to Herbert for earning the victory – he will hope to ride that wave of momentum this week in Mexico.
Preview for the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba: This tournament has been played on the PGA Tour since 2007 when Fred Funk won the inaugural edition with a score of -14 via a playoff victory over Jose Coceres. It has been always played on the same course in Mexico at the El Camaleon Golf Club in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, and this year will be no different. This event has never had a two-time winner in its 14-year history, and unless Viktor Hovland can repeat this year, then we will likely see another new champ again this year in the 15th edition of the tournament. We again have another large field on tap this week, and we will see a cut line in effect just like we typically do on the PGA Tour. This will be the first year that World Wide Technology is the title sponsor of the event, and we are typically used to it being called a golf classic and not a championship. Winners of the Mayakoba Golf Classic over the past five years include the aforementioned Viktor Hovland in 2020, Brendon Todd in 2019, Matt Kuchar, in 2018, Patton Kizzire in 2017, and Pat Perez in 2016.
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Tournament purse: The prize money for this year’s event is set at $7.2M, the winner receives $1.296M and also earns himself 500 FedEx Cup points.
Course and key stats: El Camaleon Golf Club is only 7,017 yards in length, it’s a par 71, and the greens are paspalum. The winning score range over the past ten years is -13 to -22, and the best tournament score to date came from Matt Kuchar three years ago when he beat Danny Lee by a single stroke. I think it’s safe to say that the winning score will be around -20 this week as the winner has been between -19 to -22 over the last five years, so it should be a birdie fest. Some of the core key stats to focus on this week are driving accuracy (the most important one by a landslide), strokes gained: off the tee, strokes gained: putting, strokes gained: approach, and strokes gained: tee to green.
The field: We will see 132 golfers in Mexico this week doing battle at the El Camaleon Golf Club, and the top 65 players plus ties at the conclusion of round 2 on Friday will play round 3 on Saturday and round 4 on Sunday. We will see a considerable elevation in talent this week as opposed to last week including the 7th-ranked player in the world Justin Thomas, Mexico-native Abraham Ancer, defending champ Viktor Hovland, rising star Scottie Scheffler, and other talented players. On a scale ranging from A to D, I rank the field strength to be a B.
Three questions I have about the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba this week:
1. Will Hovland defend? He’s one of the best ball-strikers in the world, and while we don’t have shot tracking technology available to see how he got it done last year, we do know that he gained 15.05 strokes total on the field in 2020. He often has a weak short game, but on any given week if he’s hot with his putter or solid around the greens, he consistently finishes well because he’s so strong off the tee and on approach.
2. Who wants to close out 2021 on a high note? There are only four tournaments left on the schedule for this year, and for several players this week, this will be their last event of the calendar year. It will be interesting to see which ones go hard before relaxing and not playing again until 2022. I look to the stars in the field to do quite well this week, but I think we will see a few surprises this week as the younger players look to gear up for a big 2022 and really kick-start their careers.
3. Should we lean heavily on Mexican players this week? There are a number of Mexico-born players in the field this week, most notably Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz – Ortiz finished runner-up two years ago and both players have been in the top 12 since 2019. I think it makes a lot of sense to look at these two this week, but the others have lots of question marks. Combining Ancer and Ortiz in your core lineups this week is the perfect time to do it, and both should do quite well again this year – one of them could absolutely win, as well.
Lineup construction strategy this week: We have a similar setup to last week where the field is set at 132 players, and there’s the regular cut line after round 2. The biggest difference this week though, is that the field boasts a lot more talent than last week, so you can go more top-heavy given the winner is likely to come from the $9K or $10K range. I’ll likely go with a hybrid methodology for my core lineups, but I’ll be on stars and scrubs as well since there are some good prospects in the lower tiers, as well. Keep an eye on the projected ownership for players on Tuesday and Wednesday, try to avoid the chalk where possible, and I always recommend leaving a few hundred dollars on the table if you compete in the large GPPs.
All the best in your quest to win or at least be in the money in some contests this week – here are my 15 DFS golf picks which feature my top 3 players from each tier on DraftKings (DK) in no particular order, plus I include player salaries for DK, as well. I consistently provide recent and seasonal finishes for each of my picks, their performances at the event over the last 5 years, and add in some tasty pieces of information, also.
The $10K+ Range
Viktor Hovland (Salary: DraftKings – $10.9K) – It took three years before Hovland broke through on this course since he missed the cut line in both 2018 and 2019, but he did in a huge way last year when he won with a score of -20. The Norwegian is a superb ball-striker gaining strokes in the stat category in 15 straight tournaments he’s played that offered shot tracking technology, and when his short game is even average with the field, he’s often in the top 20 or in contention. He has yet to heat up this season in two starts but did finish T18 at THE CJ CUP just two weeks ago in a stacked field, he had a T5 three starts ago at The Tour Championship in September, and locked down six top 5’s last season. Mayakoba Golf Classic finishes over the last five years: 2020 – Won, 2019 – Cut, and 2018 – Cut.
Abraham Ancer (Salary: DraftKings – $10.7K) – It was fantastic to see Ancer breakthrough with his first PGA Tour win six starts ago at the WGC – FedEx St.Jude Invitational, and I think that breakthrough win will lead to others down the road – potentially as early as this week in his native country. He’s very sound in his approach play and with his putter – both are keys to success in golf – the results have been very positive with seven top 9’s in his last fourteen starts, and he finished T14 in his most recent start at THE CJ CUP. I was absolutely thrilled when Hideki Matsuyama recently won the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in Japan and I would love to see Ancer win this week in Mexico. Mayakoba Golf Classic finishes over the last five years: 2020 – T12, 2019 – T8, 2018 – T21, 2017 – T9, and 2016 – T55.
Justin Thomas (Salary: DraftKings – $11.2K) – Thomas won THE PLAYERS Championship in March and then went through a bit of a lull for eleven starts where his best finish was a T13, but he has been better lately with two top 5’s in his last four starts – both in the playoffs last season. He had a pretty good showing here last year when he finished T12 and gained 9.05 strokes total, and I’m expecting a top 5 this year – anything less would be a disappointment for him and his DFS owners. Mayakoba Golf Classic finishes over the last five years: 2020 – T12.
The $9K Range
Aaron Wise (Salary: DraftKings – $9.6K) – Wise has been hot since the first event of the playoffs last season and has finished no worse than T26 over his last five starts including a T5 at THE CJ CUP and a T8 at the Shriners Children’s Open where he gained strokes across the board in both events including 7.54 combined in approach. He has two top 10’s here since 2018 including his runner-up last year, and he should be all over the leaderboard again this week. Mayakoba Golf Classic finishes over the last five years: 2020 – 2nd, 2019 – Cut, 2018 – T10, 2017 – Cut, and 2016 – T55.
Talor Gooch (Salary: DraftKings – $9.0K) – He has been playing some outstanding golf over his last three starts finishing no worse than T11 and two were top 5’s including a T4 at the Fortinet Championship and a T5 at THE CJ CUP in his most recent start. He has been rock-solid with his approach game since late May and has gained at least 2.90 strokes with his short game over his last three tournaments played. He hasn’t broken out just yet in Mexico, but all signs point to Gooch having a big week this week if his long and short irons stay hot. Mayakoba Golf Classic finishes over the last five years: 2019 – T55 and 2017 – T41.
Will Zalatoris (Salary: DraftKings – $9.1K) – All eyes are on Zalatoris this season to see if last season’s rookie of the year can secure his first PGA Tour win – the potential is undoubtedly there. He has four top 29’s in his last six starts, three of them were top 14’s including a T8 at the WGC – FedEx St.Jude Invitational, and he’s so statistically sound, so his results are unsurprisingly consistent and outstanding at times including his dazzling runner-up finish at the Masters in April. He was just outside the top 50 here last year, and it’s safe to say that he will finish a whole lot better this year. Mayakoba Golf Classic finishes over the last five years: 2020 – T52.
The $8K Range
Mito Pereira (Salary: DraftKings – $8.1K) – If you love rostering elite ball-striking players as I do, then Pereira must be one of your favorite players in DFS since he gains strokes like crazy off the tee and on approach. He finished solo 3rd four starts ago at the Fortinet Championship where he gained 6.25 strokes on approach, and he has three straight top 40’s since including his T30 last week at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Once he gets his putter figured out then he could go on another torrid stretch as he did in the Summer when he put up three straight top 6’s including a 4th at the Olympics. Mayakoba Golf Classic finishes over the last five years: None.
Maverick McNealy (Salary: DraftKings – $8.5K) – McNealy has been quietly piling up top 30’s since May with nine in his last twelve starts including a runner-up finish at the Fortinet Championship where he gained strokes across the board and 12.15 in total. He’s not a star in any one particular stat category, but does hit a solid driver and is excellent on the greens. He has had two very good finishes here since 2019 including his T12 last year, and his game is at a new level now, so he could make some noise this week. Mayakoba Golf Classic finishes over the last five years: 2020 – T12 and 2019 – T26.
Cameron Tringale (Salary: DraftKings – $8.9K) – He’s very used to playing weekend golf and in fact, he has played all four rounds in tournaments in ten straight and twelve of his last thirteen. He’s a consistent gainer in almost all major stat categories, and although he still hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since joining it in 2010, he did finish runner-up to Hideki Matsuyama at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in his most recent start. He’s money in the bank and pops every once in a while, making him a valuable DFS play in both hybrid and balanced lineups. Mayakoba Golf Classic finishes over the last five years: 2019 – T66, 2017 – T25, and 2016 – T46.
The $7K Range
Seamus Power (Salary: DraftKings – $7.7K) – He has been a model of consistency since mid-May with eight top 21’s in his last eleven starts including winning at the Barbasol Championship, and he’s coming off a T12 last week in Bermuda. He has a very balanced golf game and his standout play comes from his approach game and on the greens which I really like. The only knocks against him this week are that he has two straight missed cuts, but they came three and four years ago, and he’s much better now, so don’t let those blemishes affect how you view Power’s stock this week. Mayakoba Golf Classic finishes over the last five years: 2018 – Cut, 2017 – Cut, and 2016 – T28.
Carlos Ortiz (Salary: DraftKings – $7.6K) – He hasn’t put up any impressive results lately but he has only missed the cut once in his last eight starts, and did have a T25 at THE CJ CUP just two starts ago. He withdrew at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in his most recent start in Japan, but he should be ready to roll this week in his native Mexico – just keep an eye on his situation in case anything changes. He has two straight top 8’s at this event including his co-runner-up finish in 2019, and that streak could very well continue again this year. Mayakoba Golf Classic finishes over the last five years: 2020 – T8, 2019 – T2, 2018 – Cut, 2017 – T45, and 2016 – T55.
Patrick Rodgers (Salary: DraftKings – $7.4K) – Rodgers has been on a roll over his last seven starts with three top 6’s including a solo 4th last week in Bermuda, and he also had a 13th during that stretch, as well. He has been making things happen thanks to a strong driver and a solid short game including gaining 8.74 strokes at the Fortinet Championship three starts ago when he finished T6. He has had two top 17’s here since 2017, and it wouldn’t be surprising at all if he added another one of those this year too. Mayakoba Golf Classic finishes over the last five years: 2020 – T17, 2019 – T58, 2018 – Cut, 2017 – T14, and 2016 – Cut.
The $6K Range
Tom Hoge (Salary: DraftKings – $6.9K) – I’m not very excited about the $6K range this week just yet, so it has me thinking hybrid lineups this week, and Hoge could be a big part of those. He has played six weekends in his last seven starts including a T4 at THE NORTHERN TRUST last season in the first leg of the playoffs, and he has five top 36’s in those seven tournaments. He has gained at least 3.15 strokes in approach in four straight tournaments that had shot tracking in place, he’s pretty good around greens, and can pop with the flat stick too including gaining 7.04 strokes putting at THE NORTHERN TRUST. It’s also a big plus that he finished T3 here last year and that was coming off of two consecutive missed cuts, so the potential is also there for another top 10 this year. Mayakoba Golf Classic finishes over the last five years: 2020 – T3, 2019 – Cut, 2018 – Cut, and 2017 – T61.
Sung Kang (Salary: DraftKings – $6.3K) – My other two $6K player selections aren’t as convincing to me as Hoge, but Kang has played all four rounds in six straight starts, and has finished no worse than T37 here over the past two years. It’s a tad concerning that he relies heavily on a strong putter, but he regularly gains strokes on the greens, so it’s his main weapon and when it’s working he puts up decent finishes. Mayakoba Golf Classic finishes over the last five years: 2020 – T37, 2018 – T29, 2017 – Cut, and 2016 – Cut.
Chris Kirk (Salary: DraftKings – $6.7K) – He went through a trying stretch of play from May to late July, but he has been just fine over his last six starts with his worst finish being a T48 and he did finish T14 at THE CJ CUP just two starts ago. His worst finish here over his last three was a T46 last year, and he had a top 10 five years ago, so he has proven that he can effectively navigate this track. Mayakoba Golf Classic finishes over the last five years: 2020 – T46, 2019 – T33, and 2016 – T7.
