PGA Tour Bets: World Wide Technology Championship 2023
The PGA Tour is playing at a Tiger Woods' course for the 1st time ever this week. The 2023 World Wide Technology Championship tees off Thursday, November 2nd at the El Cardonal Golf Course at Diamante in Los Cabos, Mexico.
Even though we are in the FedExCup Fall swing, it's the 2nd World Wide Technology Championship event this season. I hit Russell Henley (+4500) at the 1st World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba in November 2022.
Russell Henley holds the trophy after winning the 2022 World Wide Technology Championship at Club de Golf El Camaleon in Playa del Carmen. (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
This event is changing courses and Henley isn't returning to defend his title. There are five golfers in the top-50 of the Official World Golf Rankings teeing it up at El Cardonal plus PGA Tour rookie sensation Ludvig Åberg.
Expect the scores to be low at this event. El Cardonal is a "resort course" and Tiger himself said "it wasn't designed for championships". In other words, the pros are going to tear this place apart. The winning score will be at least 25-under.
Per Ron Klos of Betsperts, El Cardonal has the widest fairways of the 43 courses used on the PGA Tour and the 2nd-largest greens. This is a Par-72 track that measures 7,452 yards and has Paspalum greens.
World Wide Technology Championship 2023 Picks
Cameron Young
After five runner-up finishes in 2021-22 en route to a PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, Young regressed last season. His highest finish last season was a T6 at the 2023 John Deere Classic, another birdie-fest. Young also was T7 at the 2023 Masters and T6 at the 151st Open Championship.
However, El Cardonal is a "bomber's paradise" and Young is one of the longest hitters on Tour. Over the last 75 rounds, Young leads the field in driving distance and is 2nd in Strokes Gained (SG): Off-the-Tee (OTT).
Tiger says: “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."
Cameron Young teeing off at the 9th hole at the PGA Tour's 2023 BMW Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Illinois. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Young's power allows him to conceive of golf shots most humans cannot. I made this same point when betting Young at the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews in Scotland. El Cardonal's fairways are almost as wide so Young is going to blast the ball OTT.
Lastly, Young has the highest birdie average in this field over the last 75 rounds and ranks 4th in SG: Ball striking. To win birdie fests, you need to crush the Par 5s and Young is 8th in SG: Par 5s in this field.
1st World Wide Technology Championship 2023 pick: Cameron Young
By "elsewhere" I mean at a sportsbook that doesn't apply "dead heat rules". This happens when a golfer you bet in a placement market ties for that spot and the payout is divided by the number of golfers he tied with.
Davis Riley
The Alabama alum was another standout rookie from the 2021-22 season. Young, Sahith Theegala and Tom Kim squeezed Riley out as a Rookie of the Year finalist. But, Riley nearly won an event by losing to Sam Burns in a playoff at the 2022 Valspar Championship.
Furthermore, Riley can contend in this weaker field because his game fits this course. Riley was T7 at the 2021 Bermuda Championship, T5 at the 2022 Mexico Open, and T9 at the AT&T Byron Nelson, all are at crossover courses to El Cardonal.
Davis Riley putts on the 1st hole's green of the 2022 World Wide Technology Championship. (Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
Riley struggles on most greens but leads the field in SG: Putting at Paspalum over the last 24 rounds. He ranks 16th in my 50-round key-stat model and 15th in my 75 rounder. Riley is 10th in this field for SG: Approach over the last 75 rounds, which is the most predictive stat in golf.