After a brief hiatus following the ZOZO Championship, the PGA Tour returns. The World Wide Technology Championship takes place this week at El Cardonal at Diamante. This will be the first PGA Tour event on a Tiger Woods designed course.
Let’s get into this week’s storylines…
The World Wide Technology Championship is the fifth event of the FedExCup Fall, a group of seven tournaments played after the TOUR Championship that finalizes eligibility for the 2024 PGA TOUR Season. Nos. 1-50 in the FedExCup standings through the TOUR Championship are locked in their positions while Nos. 51 and beyond carry their FedExCup points over. Nos. 51-60 through the FedExCup Fall will qualify for two Signature Events in 2024: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational. The Top 125 will be exempt into all Full-Field events and THE PLAYERS next season and Nos. 126-150 will earn Korn Ferry Tour status and conditional status on TOUR next season.
Winners of events during the FedExCup Fall receive the same benefits as winners of Full-Field Events during the Regular Season.
Ludvig Aberg is the favorite for this week’s event as he searches for his first PGA Tour victory. In his last two starts, he lost in a five-man playoff at the Sanderson Farms Championship and finished T13 at the Shriners Children’s Open.
Maverick McNealy returns to action on the PGA TOUR for the first time since the RBC Canadian Open. He took some time off as he had missed the cut in three of his last four starts.
Michael Block will also tee it up for the sixth time on TOUR this season. He finished T15 at the PGA Championship, the highest by a club professional since 1986.
- Dates: November 2nd, 2023 – November 5th, 2023
- Location: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
- Course: El Cardonal at Diamante
- Course Type: Resort
- Par: 72 (4x 3’s / 10x 4’s / 4x 5’s)
- Length: 7,452 yards
- Format: 72-hole stroke play
- Greens: Platinum paspalum .100”
- Fairways: Platinum paspalum .370”
- Rough: None
- Bunkers: 48
- Water Hazard(s): 1 (In-Play on 1 Holes)
- Average Green Size: 8,300 sq. ft.
- Stimpmeter: 11-12 ft.
- Purse/ Winner: $8,200,000 /$1,476,000
- FedEx Cup Points: 500
- Field/ Cut: 132 Pros | Top 65 and Ties – 36 Holes
- Playoff Format: Sudden Death
- Course Scoring Average:
- 2022: N/A
- 2021: 69.10 (-1.90), Rank 40 of 50 (El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba)
- 2020: 69.77 (-1.23), Rank 39 of 51 (El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba)
- Historic Cut Line:
- 2022: -4 (El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba)
- 2021: -4 (El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba)
- 2020: -1 (El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba)
Course Architect:
- Course Architect: Tiger Woods (2014)
- Renovations: N/A
Comparable Courses & Greens:
- Comparable Courses:
- Comparable Location (Cabo San Lucas, Mexico):
- Vidanta Vallarta – Vallarta, Mexico – Mexico Open at Vidanta
- Comparable Yardage (7,452 Yards):
- Vidanta Vallarta – 7,456 Yards – Mexico Open at Vidanta
- The Country Club of Jackson – 7,461 Yards – Sanderson Farms Championship
- Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge – 7,466 Yards – Arnold Palmer Invitational
- Comparable Greens (Platinum paspalum .100”):
- Grand Reserve Golf Club (Coco Beach) – Sea Dwarf Paspalum – Puerto Rico Open
- Corales Golf Course – Supreme paspalum .100” – Corales Puntacana Championship
- Vidanta Vallarta – Paspalum – Mexico Open at Vidanta
- Comparable Average Green Size (8,300 sq. ft.):
- Plantation Course at Kapalua – 8,722 sq. ft. – Sentry Tournament of Champions
TV Information:
- Round 1: Thursday, November 2nd, 2023
- Golf Channel – 4:30 PM – 7:30 PM ET
- Round 2: Friday, November 3rd, 2023
- Golf Channel – 4:30 PM – 7:30 PM ET
- Round 3: Saturday, November 4th, 2023
- Golf Channel – 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM ET
- Round 4: Sunday, November 5th, 2023
- Golf Channel – 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM ET
- Thursday: Mostly Cloudy 83 F, 7 mp/h SSE, 67% Humidity, 4% Chance of Rain
- Friday: Sunny 83 F, 8 mp/h W, 66% Humidity, 4% Chance of Rain
- Saturday: Sunny 85 F, 8 mp/h W, 60% Humidity, 3% Chance of Rain
- Sunday: Sunny 86 F, 8 mp/h W, 55% Humidity, 1% Chance of Rain
Course/ Tournament History:
This is the second playing of the World Wide Technology Championship this season, but the first at El Cardonal Golf Course at Diamante. This also is the TOUR’s third stop in Mexico this season, after the Mexico Open at Vidanta, won by Tony Finau, was played in April.
In 2007, El Camaleon became the home of the Mayakoba Golf Classic but as mentioned before the El Cardonal Golf Course at Diamante will play host to the event. In 2022, El Camaleon was added to the roster for the LIV Golf League. Due to the legal battle that was happening back then, the PGA decided to end its relationship with Mayakoba.
El Cardonal opened in 2014, the first course completed by Woods’ TGR design firm. It’s the second course on the property as “The Dunes Course”, designed by Davis Love III, opened in 2009. In addition to designing El Cardonal, Tiger Woods also designed The Oasis Short Course which is a 12-hole par-three course at Diamante.
This WWT Championship was originally an alternate event being held the same week as the WGC Match Play event. It was the first PGA Tour event to ever be held outside the US and Canada. The first six editions of this event were played in February however, in 2013, the event moved to November where it has remained. When it was moved to November this tournament also became a primary event with the full FedEx Cup points offered.
In 2021, World Wide Technology became the sponsor and will retain rights until 2027.
- Most Wins at Event:
- 2 – Viktor Hovland (2021, 2020)
- 72-Hole Record:
- 261 – Viktor Hovland (2021), Russell Henley (2022)
- 18-Hole Record :
- 61, Roland Thatcher (3rd round, 2008)
Course Guide/ Scorecard:
El Cardonal at Diamante is a Par 72 that plays 7,452 yards. The layout is pretty standard with four Par 3’s, ten Par 4’s, and four Par 5’s. The landscape of the course is made up of dramatic long-range views of the Pacific Ocean, natural arroyos, mature vegetation, and native dunes. El Cardonal’s design was influenced by the old-style courses of Southern California Tiger Woods grew up playing. This course is going to place a premium on approach shots this week as he was quoted as saying “I set up the golf strategy to make golfers think and make choices. Regardless of your handicap, 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.”
The four Par 3’s range between 154 yards and 208 yards.
No. 2, 208 yards, Par 3: This downhill, downwind par 3 leads to a spacious green situated in a depression encircled by dunes. The contours around the punch bowl-style green can guide balls onto the putting surface. However, given the green’s generous size, pin placement will determine the length of the birdie putt. A menacing bunker, a foreshortened bunker looks closer to the green than it is and protects the center of the green.
No. 16, 154 yards, Par 3: As the shortest par 3 on the course, this hole introduces drama near the round’s end. Golfers face an “all or nothing” carry tee shot to a green nestled at the confluence of two arroyo canyons. With three distinct levels, the green requires precision from a short iron to reach the pin.
Most of the ten Par 4’s range between 450-500 yards. No. 10 is the shortest listed at 344 yards with the longest being No. 7, just under 490 yards.
No. 5, 438 yards, Par 4: After a change in direction, playing with the prevailing wind introduces a new challenge: a desert arroyo. Carrying the right fairway bunkers near the arroyo yields an open approach to the green. Shots aimed leftward must carry a bunker short of the green. The sandy arroyo protects the green’s right side, and an elevated pin area at the back demands a precise and bold approach.
No. 8, 474 yards, Par 4: A sandy arroyo splits the tee, landing area, and green, shaping the strategic element of this hole. The “T”-shaped green features challenging pin positions, with bunkering on the back left, back right, and narrow front sections. Favoring the right side of the fairway near the arroyo provides a better angle for attacking back-left pins while targeting the left fairway bunker sets up an approach to back-right pins.
The four Par 5’s are No. 1, 6, 14, and 18. No 6 is the only Par 5 that is greater than 600 yards.
No. 6, 601 yards, Par 5: Ascending from the dunes, this lengthy par 5 requires a strategic approach due to the wide “M” shaped green protected by a large central bunker. Optimal angles for pin placements on the right side of the green are best approached from the right side of the second landing area, accessed from the left side of the first landing area, and vice versa for left pin placements. A large-crowned area in the middle of the fairway adds to the challenge off the tee.
No. 14, 554 yards, Par 5: Designed around a narrow, sandy tributary of a larger arroyo, this hole challenges golfers with a “cape” tee shot. Aggressive players can carry the arroyo on the left for a shorter second shot. Playing to the right leaves a longer approach. The second landing area features a central sand ribbon, dividing it into left and right sections. Opting for the left side sets up a more straightforward approach to the green, while the right section requires negotiating a desert plum guarding the green’s right side.
Featured/ Signature Hole(s): 5, 8, 14
For a hole-by-hole overview of the course, you can click the following link.
Key Statistics:
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- Tiger Woods stated, “Angles of approach are going to be very important and will dictate the type of shots you should consider.”
- Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
- Strokes Gained: Putting (Paspalum)
- There are only a few courses on the PGA Tour rotation that feature Paspalum greens. This type of grass is mainly used in tropical to temperate coastal locations. Hence it’s used at Grand Reserve Golf Club (Puerto Rico Open), Corales Golf Course (Corales Puntacana Championship), and Vidanta Vallarta (Mexico Open at Vidanta). Just like with any putting surface, whether it be Bentgrass, Bermudagrass, Poa annua, or even Fescue, certain players have their preferences and perform better.
- Par 3 Scoring: 200 – 225 Yards (x2)
- Two of the four Par 3’s range between 200 – 225 Yards
- Par 4 Scoring: 450 – 500 Yards (x6)
- Six of the ten Par 4’s range between 450 – 500 Yards
- Par 5 Scoring: 550 – 600 Yards (x3)
- Three of the four Par 5’s range between 550 – 600 Yard
- Birdies or Better Gained
- While there are a few challenging holes on this golf course, the setup is pretty straightforward. As we’ve seen with other resort courses in Mexico, the winning score should be around -20. I expect this week’s event to turn into a “birdie-fest” with players needing to take advantage of every scoring opportunity.
- Driving Distance
- The course is pretty wide open this week so distance is going to be more important than accuracy off the tee
- Comparable Courses and Event History
- Since this is a new course that we’ve never seen before, we’ll have to rely on comparable courses
The Field/ Odds:
There will be 132 players competing in this year’s World Wide Technology Championship. Only five of the world’s top fifty players are in the field. Here are the current favorites in this week’s event:
Ludvig Aberg (+900) has been playing some great golf following the Ryder Cup finishing T2 (Sanderson Farms Championship) and T13 (Shriners Children’s Open) in his last two PGA Tour events. This will be his first appearance at the World Wide Technology Championship.
Cameron Young (+1100) will play in his first FedExCup Fall Event. His last start on the PGA Tour was back in August at the BMW Championship. This will be his first appearance at the World Wide Technology Championship.
Sahith Theegala (+1600) will make his first appearance at the World Wide Technology Championship. He recently won his first PGA Tour event in Napa at the Fortinent Championship. In his last four starts, he hasn’t finished outside the top 20.
Stephan Jaeger (+2500) played in the World Wide Technology Championship three times before with his best finish being T16 (2018). Since the Mexico Open, Jaeger has not missed a cut (15 events) including six top 20 finishes during that span.
Lucas Glover (+2500) will play in his first FedExCup Fall Event. His last start on the PGA Tour was back in August at the TOUR Championship. In his last four starts, he hasn’t finished outside the top 25 including two victories. He’s played in the World Wide Technology Championship four times before with his best finish being T5 (2020).
- Previous Winners in the Field:
- Matt Kuchar (’18), Patton Kizzire (’17), Charley Hoffman (’14), Brian Gay (’08)
- Notable Withdraws:
- Kevin Streelman (COVID-19), Joel Dahmen (Undisclosed)
To see the most up-to-date odds, you can click the following link.
To see the full field for this event and how they qualified, you can click the following link.
Horses for Courses:
| World Wide Technology Championship | World Wide Technology Championship | Mayakoba Golf Classic | Mayakoba Golf Classic | Mayakoba Golf Classic | |
| El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba | El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba | El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba | El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba | El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba | |
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | |
| Thomas Detry | T15 | T22 | – | – | – |
| Maverick McNealy | T10 | T11 | T12 | T26 | – |
| Matt Kuchar | T27 | T22 | – | T14 | 1 |
| Adam Long | MC | T22 | T3 | T2 | – |
| Austin Eckroat | T38 | – | T12 | – | – |
| Lucas Glover | T38 | – | T5 | – | – |
| Troy Merritt | T3 | T15 | T40 | – | – |
Donkeys for Courses:
“Horses for Courses” is a phrase that is widely used and describes the best course/tournament fits. These are the players that have had success at the particular course/event. “Donkeys for Courses” is something I came up with that highlights the players who have struggled at a specific course/tournament.
| World Wide Technology Championship | World Wide Technology Championship | Mayakoba Golf Classic | Mayakoba Golf Classic | Mayakoba Golf Classic | |
| El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba | El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba | El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba | El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba | El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba | |
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | |
| Kramer Hickok | MC | MC | – | MC | T29 |
| Charley Hoffman | T42 | MC | T46 | MC | MC |
| Peter Malnati | – | MC | MC | T58 | MC |
| Luke List | – | MC | MC | MC | MC |
| Roberto Diaz | – | T45 | MC | MC | MC |
| Michael Gligic | MC | – | MC | MC | – |
| Nick Watney | – | MC | MC | MC | – |
|
Sebastian Vazquez
|
MC | – | – | MC | MC |
| Scott Harrington | – | – | MC | T72 | – |
| Michael Kim | MC | – | MC | MC | – |
| Mackenzie Hughes | – | – | – | MC | MC |
| Isidro Benitez | MC | – | MC | – | – |
Previous Winners Scores & Prices:
- 2022: Russell Henley (-23) – El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba
- Price: 55-1
- 2021: Viktor Hovland (-23) – El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba
- Price: 18-1
- 2020: Viktor Hovland (-20) – El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba
- Price: 22-1
- 2019: Brendon Todd (-20) – El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba
- Price: 110-1
- 2018: Matt Kuchar (-22) – El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba
- Price: 60-1
Facts & Figures:
- Five of the last six winners at the World Wide Technology Championship had recorded a top 5 finish in one of their previous five starts.
- Nine of the last ten winners had played in this event before winning it.
Previous Winners Incoming Form (Last 5 Starts):
- 2022: Russell Henley
- T45 – THE CJ CUP in South Carolina (PGA)
- MC – Sanderson Farms Championship (PGA)
- T35 – BMW Championship (PGA)
- MC – FedEx St. Jude Championship (PGA)
- T5 – Wyndham Championship (PGA)
- 2021: Viktor Hovland
- T18 – THE CJ CUP (PGA)
- T44 – Shriners Children’s Open (PGA)
- T49 – BMW PGA Championship (DPWT)
- T5 – TOUR Championship (PGA)
- T17 – BMW Championship (PGA)
- 2020: Viktor Hovland
- T15 – Vivint Houston Open (PGA)
- T47 – ZOZO Championship (PGA)
- T12 – THE CJ CUP (PGA)
- T13 – U.S. Open (MAJ)
- T3 – DP World Tour Championship (DPWT)
- 2019: Brendon Todd
- 1 – Bermuda Championship (PGA)
- T28 – Houston Open (PGA)
- MC – Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (PGA)
- MC – Safeway Open (PGA)
- MC – Sanderson Farms Championship (PGA)
- 2018: Matt Kuchar
- T57 – Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (PGA)
- T23 – Emirates Australian Open (AUS)
- T30 – Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (EUR)
- T43 – Dell Technologies Championship (PGA)
- T60 – THE NORTHERN TRUST (PGA)
Previous Winners Finishes at Event:
- 2022: Russell Henley
- 2021 – T56
- 2020 – MC
- 2019 – MC
- 2018 – T29
- 2021: Viktor Hovland
- 2020 – 1
- 2019 – MC
- 2018 – MC
- 2020: Viktor Hovland
- 2019 – MC
- 2018 – MC
- 2019: Brendon Todd
- 2016 – MC
- 2014 – T49
- 2009 – MC
- 2018: Matt Kuchar
- 2016 – T68
- 2008 – T3
- 2007 – T18
Picks (Outrights):
- Beau Hossler (+3000) – FanDuel
- Risk 0.27 to win 8.10 Units
- J.J. Spaun (+3500) – DraftKings/ FanDuel
- Risk 0.23 to win 8.05 Units
- Mark Hubbard (+5500) – FanDuel
- Risk 0.15 to win 8.25 Units
- Taylor Pendrith (+5500) – FanDuel
- Risk 0.15 to win 8.25 Units
- Taylor Montgomery (+6500) – FanDuel
- Risk 0.13 to win 8.45 Units
- Brandon Wu (+7500) – FanDuel
- Risk 0.11 to win 8.25 Units
- Vince Whaley (+10000) – FanDuel
- Risk 0.08 to win 8.00 Units
Total Risk on Outrights: 1.12 Units
Picks (Top 20):
- Cameron Champ (+200) – BetMGM
- Risk 1.00 to win 2.00 Units
- Callum Tarren (+250) – BetMGM
- Risk 1.00 to win 2.50 Units
Total Risk on Top 20: 2.00 Units
Picks (Top 40):
- Matthias Schmid (+120) – BetMGM
- Risk 1.00 to win 1.20 Units
- Adam Long (+130) – BetMGM
- Risk 1.00 to win 1.30 Units
Total Risk on Top 20: 2.00 Units
As always, all of my placement bets are through BetMGM as they’re one of the only books without dead-heat rules. If you’d like to bet these placements at BetMGM, you can get up to $1500 in Bonus Bets if you don’t win if you’re a first-time user.
Here’s my link to sign up at BetMGM!
Total Risk on the World Wide Technology Championship: 5.12 Units
Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting. Any feedback whether positive or negative, is always encouraged.
