Hey, at least it ain’t ALL CAPS again!
Way down here, you need a reason to move.
The fifth of seven FedExCup Fall tournaments should provide motivation at Tiger Woods’ El Cardonal at Diamante in Los Cabos, Mexico.
Read more: World Wide Technology ChampionshipWorld Wide Technology Championship
El Cardonal at Diamante
Los Cabos, Mexico
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Chalk (via Bet365.com)
My thoughts on the top 10 players
Ludvig Aberg (+900): Nothing has slowed him down over the last two months and I don’t believe a resort course setting is going to do the trick. The problem with a shootout and appears to be what we will have on the cards this week, is making enough putts over four days to win. Remember in Las Vegas he needed 62 on Sunday just to hit T13. He won’t be in my win tickets.
Cameron Young (+1200): Rest or rust? Returning to tournament competition for the first time in ten weeks, the big bomber should be licking his chops and cleaning the grooves on his wedges. Time to exact his revenge for the Ryder Cup snub?
Sahith Theegala (+1400): The interesting angle this week involves, for me, putters versus ball-strikers. With massive targets off the tee and into the greens, I would think the less accurate will have more chances to wield the putter. The absence of rough (there literally isn’t any) combined with only one water hazard should make for a less stressful week. Not many are better on and around the greens than Theegala. With a trophy on the shelf from Fortinet, he should be playing freely for the rest of the FedExCup Fall.
Beau Hossler (+2500): Looking to breakthrough for the first time on TOUR, he continues to sniff around over the last three months. Back-to-back top-10 paydays plus a run of T30 or better highlights his consistency. Add a few more bucks and take the top 20 price.
Stephan Jaeger (+2800): Making his 125th start on the PGA TOUR, he is still looking for his first podium finish. Cashing in 28 of his last 31 events including too many in a row to count, the German is on great form but hasn’t been pushing into contention on the weekends.
Lucas Glover (+3000): Nobody was interested in thinking he would end the regular season with a win and follow it up with another in the first FedExCup Playoff event. Never posting a two-win season in his career, he’s now checked that box. Time for three? I don’t think so. The putter, which was white hot for a month, has had ten weeks off from competition.
Akshay Bhatia (+3000): If this week wasn’t on Paspalum, I’m not sure he’s up here. The winner at Barracuda in July, the lefty hasn’t popped a top 20 in his last six on TOUR. BUT MAN HE LOVES PASPALUM. Opening the 2022 KFT season he won on this surface in the Bahamas, In 2023 he’s cashed solo second in Puerto Rico, T24 Corales Puntacana and solo fourth at Vidanta Mexico Open.
J.J. Spaun (+3000): After cashing in eight straight on TOUR, Spaun rolls in after his best result (T6) last week since The Sentry last January. Finding his form in the FedExCup Fall, he sits at No. 56 entering the week. One more decent finish will push him into The Ten for 2024. Everyone is playing for something!
Emiliano Grillo (+3000): Fade or follow. The man is in form, and he absolutely shreds on Paspalum. With a victory at Colonial in May, another course he annually produces on when playing, stacking his first, two-win season is on the cards. The Argentine is my first name on the team sheet this week.
Thomas Detry (+3300): The only man listed at 33/1, the Belgian has cashed eight straight worldwide. On closer inspection his best of the bunch was T13 at The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. His only win in professional golf was in 2016, but he has cashed second multiple times. Digging deeper, he’s posted T15 or better the last three times at Mayakoba and never missed in five visits.
NOW PLAYING:
| Host Course | El Cardonal at Diamante. |
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,452. |
| Par: | 72 (36-36). |
| Greens: | Platinum Paspalum. |
| Stimpmeter: | 11.5 feet. |
| Rough: | There isn’t any! |
| Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play | 48/1/1. |
| Architect(s): | Tiger Woods (2014). |
| Defending Champion (event): | Russell Henley (not entered). |
| Multiple Champion(s) Entered: | N/A. |
| Course Record (last): | Inaugural event. |
| 72 Hole Tournament Record (last): | Inaugural event. |
| Fact of the Week: | First Tiger Woods designed course to be used on the PGATOUR. |
| Fact of the Week II: | Resort course Par-72. |
Notes:
- Field of 132
- The OWGR is represented by 5 of the top 50.
- Nine of the top 10 FedExCup Fall are entered.
- Fifth event of the FedExCup Fall season (seven events).
- $8.2 million – $1.475 million – 500 FedExCup points – Sentry and Masters ticket punched.
Season Winners
2022-2023 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| Fortinet Championship | Max Homa |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Mackenzie Holmes |
| Shriners Children’s Open | Tom Kim |
| ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP | Keegan Bradley |
| CJ CUP at CONGAREE | Rory McIlroy |
| Butterfield Bermuda Championship | Seamus Power |
| Mayakoba Championship | Russell Henley |
| Cadence Bank Houston Open | Tony Finau |
| The RSM Classic | Adam Svensson (first TOUR win) |
| Sentry Tournament of Champions | Jon Rahm |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Si Woo Kim |
| The AMERICAN EXPRESS | Jon Rahm (2) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Max Homa (2) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Justin Rose |
| WM Phoenix Open | Scottie Scheffler |
| The Genesis Invitational | Jon Rahm (3) |
| The Honda Classic | Chris Kirk |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win) |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Valspar Championship | Taylor Moore (first TOUR win) |
| Corales Puntacana | Matt Wallace (first TOUR win) |
| WGC – Dell Technologies MP | Sam Burns |
| Valero Texas Open | Corey Conners |
| Masters | Jon Rahm (4) |
| RBC Heritage | Matt Fitzpatrick |
| Zurich Classic of New Orleans | Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each) |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Tony Finau (2) |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win) |
| AT&T Byron Nelson | Jason Day |
| PGA Championship | Brooks Koepka |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Emiliano Grillo |
| Memorial | Viktor Hovland |
| RBC Canadian Open | Nick Taylor |
| U.S. Open | Wyndham Clark (2) |
| Travelers Championship | Keegan Bradley (2) |
| Rocket Mortgage Classic | Rickie Fowler |
| John Deere Classic | Sepp Straka |
| Genesis Scottish Open | Rory McIlroy (2) |
| The Open Championship | Brian Harman |
| 3M Open | Lee Hodges (first TOUR win) |
| Wyndham Championship | Lucas Glover |
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | Lucas Glover (2) |
| BMW Championship | Viktor Hovland (2) |
| TOUR Championship | Viktor Hovland (3) |
| Fortinet Championship | Sahith Theegala |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Luke List |
| Shriners Children’s Open | Tom Kim |
| ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP | Collin Morikawa |
Recent Winners – World Wide Technology Championship
Italics – not entered this week.
| Year | Winner | Notes |
| 2022 | Russell Henley | Posted 23-under, won by four. Paspalum layout at Mayakoba. |
| 2021 | Viktor Hovland | Posted 23-under, won by four. Paspalum layout at Mayakoba. |
| 2020 | Viktor Hovland | Posted 20-under, won by a shot. Paspalum layout at Mayakoba. |
| 2019 | Brendon Todd | Posted 20-under, won by a shot. Paspalum layout at Mayakoba. |
| 2018 | Matt Kuchar | Posted 22-under, won by one. Paspalum layout at Mayakoba. |
Longer Shots, Longest Shots, Others
Now, let’s have some fun! New course, no weather, big fairways, big greens, and plenty of rounds in the 60s should be flying around.
There is plenty of like-for-like between 35 and 50 but I’ll point out Adam Svensson (+3500) has cashed nine straight T41 or better. … I keep falling back to Las Vegas guys again this week in the arid, desert-like setting so don’t be surprised if 54-hole leader in Japan, Justin Suh (+5000), starts rolling in putts from everywhere. … Taylor Montgomery (+6000) is starting to come around again and enjoys Par Breakers for breakfast. … Brandon Wu (+7000) loves Mexico and Paspalum. … Maverick McNealy (+8000) returns this week after a long layoff rehabbing a shoulder. I don’t like the number but when healthy, he can get it going with the putter. … Mackenzie Hughes (+10000) always pops up this time of year and has two previous podiums on this surface. … There’s my Paspalum buddy Cam Percy (+30000) sitting in the weeds. … My three best BOOM OR BUST picks are Harry Hall (+10000), Ryan Moore (+20000), and Brice Garnett (+30000).
Good luck!
Glass Houses 