This article is part of our DraftKings PGA DFS Picks series.
WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY CHAMPIONSHIP
Purse: $8.2M
Winner's Share: $1.476M
FedEx Cup Points: 500 to the winner
Location: Los Cabos, Mexico
Course: El Cardonal at Diamante
Yardage: 7,452
Par: 72
2022 champion: Russell Henley
Tournament Preview
Hey, golf fans, get ready to hear about Tiger Woods this week. Before you start calling in sick to work, hang on -- we're talking about Tiger the architect, not the golfer. El Cardonal at Diamante, the first course built by Woods and his TGR design firm back in 2014, will be his first to play host to a PGA Tour event. It is one of the jewels of the golf hotbed of Cabo San Lucas, perched off the Pacific on the tip of the Baja California Peninsula.
"I set up the golf strategy to make golfers think and make choices," Woods said on the course's website. "There are going to be different ways to play every hole. Angles of approach are going to be very important and will dictate the type of shots you should consider. I love this kind of golf."
On the tournament's website, Woods said that "El Cardonal is going to remind people of the old-style California courses." Those are the courses Woods grew up on.
We'll get to the specifics of the course in a minute. But first there are numerous other important angles to discuss as the PGA Tour returns after a one-week hiatus.
First of all, if you're wondering what happened to Mayakoba, which is where this tournament had been played since its inception in 2007, it has moved on to play host to a LIV Golf event. To summarize, the PGA Tour has a replaced a Greg Norman design with a Woods design, not that that means anything unless it does.
There is an interesting and eclectic mix of golfers taking part. Ludvig Aberg heads the 132-man field, which also features Cameron Young and Lucas Glover in their first starts since their perceived Ryder Cup snubs, plus fall winners Sahith Theegala and Luke List. Emiliano Grillo, Chris Kirk and Matt Kuchar contribute to the 23 golfers in the field ranked top-100 of the world rankings. There are also youngsters Akshay Bhatia and Preston Summerhays, the latter in on a sponsor's invite. Veteran Ryo Ishikawa and 22-year-old up-and-comer Kensei Hirata accepted invites based on their top-10s two weeks ago at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in Japan. And to top it all off, there's Michael Block, the darling of the PGA Championship who continues to ride the longest 15 minutes of fame in golf history. We kid. In fairness, Block qualified as PGA Section Champion/Player of the Year.
However, Russell Henley, who won last year's tournament in the Mayakoba finale, is not back to defend.
The WWT Championship kicks off three November tournaments that will conclude the 2022-23 PGA Tour season before Thanksgiving. After the upcoming Bermuda and RSM Championships, the top 125 in the FedExCup Standings will be finalized, as will the so-called Next 10 of Nos. 51 to 60 that will get those 10 golfers into the first two Signature events of 2024. Nine of those 10 golfers are in the field, as is every golfer from 119th in the standings to 134th. Yes, those races will be fierce and no doubt go down to the wire at the RSM in two weeks.
Okay, now back to Tiger, er, El Cardonal. This article on the PGA Tour website has just about everything you'd want to know. We'll reprint the salient points there, plus throw in some other tidbits we've come across.
El Cardonal is on the long side, approaching 7,500 yards for a par-72. There are some very long holes. At sea level, it will play every bit of that length, though there are a number of downhill, downwind holes. Three of the four par-5s exceed 580 yards, six of the par-4s are at least 460 and three of the four par-3s are 190 or more. Two of the par-5s, the first and 18th holes, play downwind, and it seems scoring will be imperative on the par-5s. There are also two drivable par-4s of around 350 yards and maybe a third at a downhill 401. The golfers will have huge targets to aim for. The fairways average 60 yards wide in the landing areas, according to the official Golf Course Superintendents sheet. The greens are ginormous, averaging 8,300 square feet, a number rarely if ever seen on the PGA Tour. The Stimpmeter will run 11-12. The grass throughout, sandy and rocky conditions of you miss the fairway and the entire course, greens included, is paspalum. There is no rough -- that's right, zero. So where does trouble lie? It's a desert-style track with arroyos, fairway undulations and sandy, rocky conditions greeting golfers who miss the fairway. What's an arroyo, you ask? It's a deep gully where water has traveled. There is water on only one hole, but the gullies alone could cause mayhem for the golfers. And, of course, so close to the mighty Pacific, the wind could be fierce. There are only 48 bunkers, but strategically placed in the fairways and greenside.
As for the weather, this week looks perfect for golf, with high temperatures in the low 80s, little chance of rain and moderate wind. We'll believe that last part when we see it. Really, expect it to be howling hard by the Pacific.
El Cardonal factoids: There are now 18 courses in the area, including Davis Love III's Dunes Course, also at Diamante, plus four Jack Nicklaus designs and others from Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Tom Fazio ... The golfers may encounter wildlife at El Cardonal, according to the GCSAA sheet, including hare, deer, coyotes, iguanas, road runners, bobcats and rattlesnakes.
Key Stats to Winning at El Cardonal at Diamante
The most important indicators every week are current form and course history. "Key Stats" follow in importance.
• Driving Distance
• Strokes Gained: Approach/Greens in Regulation
• Strokes Gained: Putting
• Birdie Average/Birdie or Better Percentage
• Par-5 Scoring, 550-600 yards
Past Champions
All contested at El Camaleon at Mayakoba
2012 - Russell Henley
2021 - Viktor Hovland
2020 - Viktor Hovland
2019 - Brendon Todd
2018 - Matt Kuchar
2017 - Patton Kizzire
2016 - Pat Perez
2015 - Graeme McDowell
2014 - Charley Hoffman
2013 - Harris English
Champion's Profile
Barring tremendous wind, this is resort-style course should be quite gettable by pro golfers. Like, very gettable. But part of us finds it hard to imagine Tiger being associated with a cupcake course. Yet that's what everything point to this week. In describing El Cardonal, Woods wrote that the holes will offer golfers multiple shot options. That sounds like a second-shot golf course and iron play will be emphasized. Long drivers should thrive, with so many long holes and wide fairways. The greens are enormous, and we always think that the larger greens identify the better putters -- and expose the weaker putters. The winning score on golfodds.com flat-out says this will be a bigtime birdie-fest -- 264.5, which is a whopping 23.5 under par.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS
Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap
Tier 1 Values
Ludvig Aberg - $11,200 (Winning odds at the DraftKings Sportsbook: +900)
Aberg may not be the best golfer in the field base on world ranking. But he's the best right now, has been busier than just about anyone else, hits the ball a ton, ranks second in our model in birdie or better and is top-15 in putting. While Aberg has his card for 2024, he's still trying to get into early-season Signature events. He's currently 99th in the FedExCup Standings.
Sahith Theegala - $10,700 (+1600)
You always wonder whether the floodgates will open once a young player breaks through with their maiden win after a number of close calls, as Theegala did with the fall-opening Fortinet. Not suggesting Theegala is primed for a three- or four-win year ahead, but narrow fairways have always been his biggest enemy. There are no narrow fairways this week.
Lucas Glover - $10,100 (+3000)
We have not seen Glover since the TOUR Championship more than two months ago. He's had plenty of time to digest the disappointment of what likely was the closest he'll ever come to making a Ryder Cup team. It surely will be a motivator for him, not just this week but in 2024. But what will matter most is whether his out-of-nowhere putting success will remain.
Beau Hossler - $9,900 (+2800)
Hossler is coming off a runner-up at the ZOZO and a tie for seventh at the Shriners. At No. 51 in the FedExCup Standings, he's cemented a berth in the Next 10. But there's still lots for him to play for, notably getting a win or more high finishes to crack the top 50 of the OWGR before year's end. Hossler ranks No. 7 in our model with strong numbers in every key stat considered.
Tier 2 Values
J.J. Spaun - $9,400 (+3500)
Aside from being one of the best golfers in the field, Spaun is a Los Angeles native who attended San Diego State. So maybe, like Woods, this course will remind him of SoCal tracks of his youth. Spaun has finished T11 and T6 in three fall events, moving into the Next 10 at No. 56. He's not been a good putter, but his approach numbers have been so good he's hard to pass up.
Adam Svensson - $9,300 (+3500)
Svensson has not missed a cut since the Travelers in June, a span of nine tournaments. He's among the best approach players, putters and birdie-or-better guys in the field over his past 24 rounds. As we often say about Svensson, he's not elite in any one metric, but very good in just about all of them. Svensson has two top-20s in three fall starts.
Chris Kirk - $9,100 (+3500)
Kirk surely is not a long hitter. And he hasn't played since the BMW Championship over two months ago. So this pick does not come without some risk. But Kirk is so good from the fairway that we'll take that risk. And at times he can light it up with the putter.
Lucas Herbert - $8,400 (+4000)
Herbert in some ways is the perfect guy for this week. His wayward drives, of which there are many, will often be forgiven on the wide fairways of El Cardonal. Once on the green, the Aussie will show he's one of the best putters in the field. Herbert still has a lot to play for, currently sitting 146th in the standings. Forget about Signature events for now, just get inside the top 125.
Tier 3 Values
Chesson Hadley - $7,600 (+8000)
Hadley perilously sits at 122nd in the standings. So he has little margin for error. He's been handling the pressure, having made nine of his past 10 cuts going back to June. That includes a T7 last time out at the Shriners when he got it to 17-under. An inaccurate driver, Hadley still is ranked top-40 in SG: Approach, plus top-30 in SG: Putting.
Sam Ryder - $7,600 (+8000)
Ryder begins the week at No. 63 in the standings, just outside the Next 10 threshold. He's made his past seven cuts to stay in shouting distance. Ryder ranks 16th in our model, sitting second in SG: Approach over his past 24 rounds and seventh in birdie or better.
Matti Schmid - $7,200 (+10000)
We were surprised to see a guy who is in 148th place in the standings ranked well inside the cut line in our model. But Schmid is coming off a T26 at the Shriners last time out. And he showed earlier this year he can go low, getting to 23-under at the Amex for his best showing of the season, a tie for sixth (at a Southern California tournament). Schmid hits the ball a ton and is above average in SG: Approach and Putting. It's a little hard to figure out why he's so low in the standings.
Harry Hall - $7,100 (+11000)
One of the better putters on Tour, Hall has put a late-season slump behind him. He just missed a top-25 at the Shriners, then tied for 21st at the ZOZO. The Englishman is ranked fourth on Tour in SG: Putting for the season, which tends to come in handy when 20-under is a desired target. Hall's recent play has landed him in the top-30 in our model.
Long-Shot Values
Zecheng Dou - $6,800 (+13000)
Dou right now sits at what could be called golf's Mr. Irrelevant. He's 126th in the standings. While it's not been a great season, Dou has shown he can go low, reaching 20-under at the Byron Nelson (T5), 16-under at the Rocket Mortgage (T17) and 15-under just last month at the Sanderson Farms (T12). We're not sure how you can accomplish that while ranking 167th in SG: Putting, but Dou has somehow pulled it off.
Kelly Kraft - $6,800 (+18000)
Kraft has been gold for his backers, and that includes us, over his past three starts, all top-25s. It's moved him to 151st in the standings and, while he'd still like to get into the top 125 or better, the No. 126-150 category that comes with conditional status is whole lot better than nothing. Kraft is ranked 44th on Tour in SG: Putting, and he has been rolling the rock even better of late.
Carson Young - $6,700 (+15000)
The 28-year-old Clemson alum is a late bloomer, at least where the PGA Tour is concerned. He's a rookie, and not half bad. Young is 113th in points, so he'll keep his card. He has seven top-25s. He's had three finishes of at least 15-under, so he can go low. His big trouble spot is play around the green, and he may be able to largely avoid that this week. Young is ranked 30th on Tour in greens in regulation and 65th in SG: Putting.
Doc Redman - $6,500 (+25000)
Finding our weekly $6,500-or-under pick was especially challenging this week. The 25-year-old former Clemson star's career has not gone as planned. Redman has struggled and now is deep in the 400s in the world rankings. But, at least, has made his past two cuts. And he's ranked 25th on Tour in greens in regulation. And is a better than average putter. Redman sits 159th in points, so clearly he has a lot to play for over these final three weeks.
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