World Wide Technology Championship Best Bets and Golf Odds:

Andrew Novak shot rounds of 61 and 62 in the second and third rounds to establish a six-shot lead at the VidantaWorld Mexico Open heading into Sunday. Despite some inevitable putting regression, losing four strokes on the greens in Sunday’s final round after gaining over 12 strokes with the flat stick through 54 holes, Novak shot 25 under (259) to win by five strokes and earned his first solo PGA Tour victory at a pre-tournament price of 36-1. 

Novak had been a PGA Tour winner before when teaming with Ben Griffin last year at the 2025 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Griffin (16-1 this week) is the defending champion of this week’s World Wide Technology Championship, which completes the two-week Mini Mexico swing.

Griffin settles for second favorite on the board behind Ryan Gerard (14-1), who has done everything this season except get into the winner’s circle. Gerard has finished runner-up three times this season — Sony Open in Hawaii, The American Express and the Memorial Tournament — and has two other top-four finishes and three other top-10 finishes.

Two PGA Tour rookies who joined the tour immediately from the college ranks — Jackson Koivun and Ben James (both 18-1) — have already had success, with Koivun winning the 3M Open in just his third start as a professional and James, who has four top-5 finishes in his last eight starts. 

Keith Mitchell (30-1) was runner-up four weeks ago at the Baycurrent Classic and Harry Hall (33-1) was third at the Omega European Masters back in early September.

Both Blades Brown (30-1) and Kris Ventura (35-1) have recent runner-up finishes — Brown at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship four weeks ago and Ventura last week shared second with Steven Fisk (45-1) at the Mexico Open. 

Players have multiple motivations this week. Some, like Michael Kim (40-1) and Jordan Smith (40-1), are just outside the 51-60 cut-off to make the first two Signature Events of 2026, and others like Marco Penge (40-1), at No. 54 in the OWGR, are looking to get into the OWGR Top 50 by Christmas to be exempt in all of the 2027 major championships. 

The Event

The World Wide Technology Championship debuted as the Mayakoba Golf Classic in February 2007 as an alternate event that was held opposite the WGC Match Play. In 2013, the event was moved to November as part of the PGA Tour’s Fall Series. With that move, the tournament became designated as a “full event,” meaning that full FedEx Cup points would be allocated along with a Masters invitation for the winner. 

In 2021, St. Louis-based technology services provider World Wide Technology, named as one of the 100 Most Influential Companies by Time Magazine, signed on as the title sponsor of the tournament through 2027. 

The FedExCup Fall events no longer guarantee a Masters invitation, but the winner receives 500 FedExCup points.

With this event and only two more tournaments in terms of 2026 PGA Tour events left to play, there are plenty of motivating factors this week such as:

  • Official World Golf Ranking top 50 spot (invite for the 2027 Masters arriving pre-Christmas for those not already exempt)
  • AON Next 10 FedExCup Fall Series spot (entry into the big money AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Genesis Invitational tournaments early in 2027)
  • FedExCup Fall Series top 100 (Full Tour Card playing privileges for 2027 for those not already exempt)
  • FedExCup Fall Series top 101 – 125 (Conditional Your Status for 2027 for those not already exempt)

Here are the current FedExCup Fall standings.

The Field

120 players are in this week’s World Wide Technology Championship field, playing for a $6,000,000 purse with $1,080,000 going to the winner. 

The Course

El Cardonal at Diamante, which opened in 2014, is the initial foray into golf course design for Tiger Woods. It is located in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, at the Diamante Cabo San Lucas Resort located at the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula in the state of Baja California Sur. It is a par-72 of 7,452 yards.

The course is set in desert terrain. There is zero rough at El Cardonal and errant tee shots in many cases will find arroyos in a sandy or rocky location. Fairways are generous at 60 yards wide (widest on tour) in landing areas, with only the Plantation Course at Kapalua featuring such wide landing areas. 

That link to Kapalua fits, as this layout is set on land which drops 240 feet along the mile-long stretch from the 17th tee to the third fairway. The undulations and this terrain will prove to be demanding. Flat holes are few and far between, with ascending (par-5 14th climbs the most at 80 feet) and descending (par-5 sixth falls the most at 70 feet) holes.

Last year, El Cardonal played as the third-easiest course on tour, and there are not many hazards to give the players trouble with only 48 bunkers and one water hazard. 

Greens (rolling at 11-12 feet on the stimpmeter) are huge at an average of 8,300 square feet and are the second largest on the PGA Tour. The course is Platinum Paspalum from tee to green.

Every hole basically has an open front, so players can run the ball up onto the green.

El Cardonal is similar to Vidanta Vallarta, which hosted last week’s Mexico Open. Both courses have wide fairways and are comprised of Paspalum from tee through green. It can be exposed to wind, but that is essentially the lone defense on this track. 

Aside from the aforementioned Plantation Course at Kapalua and Vidanta Vallarta, Corales, TPC Craig Ranch, and Black Desert, Port Royal and Grand Reserve are also correlated courses to El Cardonal.

The Los Cabos Beach Golf Real Estate page provides a short video on YouTube.

Weather

Conditions look ideal this week for low scoring per the AccuWeather forecast. There was a little over eight inches of rain last month in Los Cabos, so the course should play soft. 

World Wide Technology Championship Recent History

2025: Ben Griffin (-29/259); 12-1*

2024: Austin Eckroat (-24/264); 45-1

2023: Erik van Rooyen (-27/261); 100-1

2022: Russell Henley (-23/261); 55-1

2021: Viktor Hovland (-23/261); 18-1

2020: Viktor Hovland (-20/264); 22-1

2019: Brendon Todd (-20/264); 110-1

2018: Matt Kuchar (-22/262); 60-1

2017: Patton Kizzire (-19/265); 70-1

2016: Pat Perez (-21/263); 125-1

2015: Graeme McDowell (-18/266); 33-1 **

2014: Charley Hoffman (-17/267); 60-1

2013: Harris English (-21/263); 25-1

2012: John Huh (-13/271); 35-1***

2011: Johnson Wagner (-17/267); 150-1****

2010: Cameron Beckman (-15/269); 100-1 

All-Time Event Scoring Record – *

Playoff win over Jason Bohn and Russell Knox – **

Playoff win over Robert Allenby – ***

Playoff win over Spencer Levin – ****

NOTE: This event was played at El Cardonal at Diamante in 2023. All of the previous events were played at El Camaleon at Mayakoba.

Statistical Analysis

We do not have ShotLink data for the last two years of this event, so it is a bit of a guessing game in terms of modeling, but we can make educated guesses based on the layout of the course.

For instance, the fairways are so wide here that the average Driving Accuracy percentage was near 90%, plus the field rankings of the last three WWT Championship winners were 60th, 60th and 43rd, respectively, so not exactly a bomber’s paradise. You probably will not include or factor in much off-the-tee metrics this week.

The best starting point this week should be with the irons since players will be hitting their second shots almost exclusively from the fairways.

Strokes Gained: Approach — Average Per Round (Last 36 rounds)

  1. Ben Kohles 0.85
  2. Blades Brown 0.83
  3. Chris Kirk 0.80
  4. Jackson Suber 0.75
  5. Tom Hoge 0.72
  6. Billy Horschel 0.70
  7. Christiaan Bezuidenhout 0.61
  8. Trace Crowe 0.60
  9. Lucas Glover 0.60
  10. Zac Blair 0.59
  11. Davis Chatfield 0.53
  12. Jackson Koivun 0.52
  13. Joel Dahmen 0.52
  14. Kris Ventura 0.51
  15. Ben James 0.50
  16. Kevin Roy 0.48
  17. Johnny Keefer 0.48
  18. Emiliano Grillo 0.46
  19. Luke Clanton 0.46
  20. William Mouw 0.46
  21. Ben Griffin 0.42

There is little wind this week, and El Cardonal is a resort course that will not pose much of a challenge to these players.

Birdie Or Better Percentage (Last 36 rounds)

  1. Ben Kohles 28.4%
  2. Ben James 27.6
  3. Trace Crowe 27.6
  4. Zach Bauchou 27.2
  5. Mackienzie Hughes 26.9
  6. Kevin Yu 26.9
  7. Jackson Suber 26.7
  8. Blades Brown 26.5
  9. Seamus Power 26.5
  10. Stephan Jaeger 26.2
  11. Billy Horschel 26.1
  12. Gordon Sargent 26.0
  13. Rico Hoey 25.9
  14. Chris Kirk 25.9
  15. Hayden Springer 25.8
  16. Tyler Duncan 25.6
  17. Kevin Roy 25.5
  18. Marco Penge 25.4
  19. Kris Ventura 25.2
  20. Will Gordon 25.2
  21. Christian Bezuidenhout 25.0
  22. Keith Mitchell 25.0

Six of the 10 par-4s at El Cardonal are between 450 and 500 yards.

Strokes Gained Par-4 450-500 Yards (Last 36 rounds)

  1. Ryan Gerard 21.1
  2. Jordan Smith 14.8
  3. Luke Clanton 14.7
  4. Sudarshan Yellamaraju 14.5
  5. Kris Ventura 12.4
  6. Jackson Koivun 12.0
  7. Billy Horschel 12.0
  8. Adrien Dumont de Chassart 11.1
  9. Emiliano Grillo 11.0
  10. Max Greyserman 11.0
  11. Joel Dahmen 10.6
  12. Lee Hodges 10.5
  13. Rico Hoey 1.04
  14. Marco Penge 9.8
  15. Christiaan Bezuidenhout 9.3
  16. Blades Brown 8.1
  17. Ben Griffin 8.0

The par-5s are must-birdie holes or better when the scoring is this low.

Strokes Gained Par-5 (Last 36 rounds)

  1. Gordon Sargent 21.4
  2. Max Greyserman 18.3
  3. Chris Kirk 18.1
  4. Trace Crowe 17.5
  5. Billy Horschel 16.9
  6. Stephan Jaeger 14.7
  7. Mackenzie Hughes 13.7
  8. Chad Ramey 12.9
  9. Ben James 11.2
  10. Jackson Koivun 10.8
  11. Zach Bauchou 10.0
  12. Rasmus Neergaard-Peterson 9.4
  13. Taylor Moore 9.0
  14. William Mouw 8.8
  15. Max McGreevy 8.3
  16. Marco Penge 7.9
  17. Kris Ventura 7.7
  18. Pierceson Coody 7.5
  19. Rico Hoey 7.3

The average Scrambling percentage on the PGA Tour is 59.43% but has averaged a little under 55% at El Cardonal due to the tight lies on the Paspalum. 

Scrambling Percentage (Last 36 rounds)

  1. Takumi Kanaya 70.5%
  2. Zac Blair 68.6
  3. Denny McCarthy 68.6
  4. Neal Shipley 68.4
  5. Blades Brown 68.3
  6. Ben Kohles 67.9
  7. Seamus Power 67.2
  8. Kevin Streelman 67.0
  9. Chandler Phillips 66.5
  10. Steven Fisk 66.5
  11. Matt Kuchar 66.3
  12. Ryan Gerard 66.2
  13. Ben James 65.8
  14. Mackenzie Hughes 65.2
  15. Paul Peterson 65.2
  16. Ben Griffin 65.0
  17. Joel Dahmen 64.9
  18. Stephan Jaeger 64.8
  19. Christiaan Bezuidenhout 64.6
  20. Luke Clanton 64.6
  21. Tyler Duncan 64.6
  22. Jackson Suber 64.2

Paspalum greens are more regularly featured on coastal courses near bodies of saltwater because they are more tolerant to salt. Paspalum is typically south of the border and used on many courses in Asia. Players on the PGA Tour only see these greens a couple of times per season.

Strokes Gained: Putting — Paspalum Greens — Average Per Round (Last 36 rounds)

  1. Seamus Power 1.66
  2. Peter Malnati 1.50
  3. Mackenzie Hughes 1.44
  4. Ben Griffin 1,44
  5. Marty Dou 1.41
  6. Harry Hall 1.37
  7. Adrien Dumont de Chassart 1.15
  8. John VanDerLaan 1.15
  9. Alvaro Ortiz 1.11
  10. Steven Fisk 1.10
  11. Chandler Phillips 1.07
  12. Pierceson Coody 0.99
  13. Max Greyserman 0.93
  14. Trace Crowe 0.92
  15. Garrick Higgo 0.87
  16. Chad Ramey 0.83
  17. Neal Shipley 0.83
  18. Vince Whaley 0.82
  19. Aaron Wise 0.81
  20. Emiliano Grillo 0.72

Due to these greens being large, the three-putt rate at El Cardonal is one of the higher ones on tour.

Three-Putt Percentage (Last 36 rounds)

  1. Beau Hossler 1.08%
  2. Jackson Koivun 1.31
  3. Davis Riley 1.39
  4. Adrien Dumont de Chassart 1.39
  5. Michael Kim 1.39
  6. Brice Garnett 1.39
  7. Blades Brown 1.50
  8. Patton Kizzire 1.52
  9. Denny McCarthy 1.54
  10. Nick Taylor 1.54
  11. Ben James 1.54
  12. Christiaan Bezuidenhout 1.54
  13. Ryan Gerard 1.54
  14. Luke Clanton 1.54
  15. Ben Silverman 1.54
  16. Marty Dou 1.54
  17. Ben Martin 1.61
  18. Austin Eckroat 1.70
  19. Chris Kirk 1.70
  20. Paul Peterson 1.70

El Cardonal at Diamante played as the third easiest course on the PGA Tour last year.

Strokes Gained Total — Easy Courses (Last 36 rounds)

  1. Gordon Sargent 49.2
  2. Keith Mitchell 35.3
  3. Kris Ventura 31.5
  4. Blades Brown 31.3
  5. Ryan Gerard 28.8
  6. Ben James 28.0
  7. Ben Kohles 25.3
  8. Jackson Suber 24.1
  9. Rasmus Højgaard 22.5
  10. Chris Kirk 22.4
  11. Christiaan Bezuidenhout 21.9
  12. Camilo Villegas 21.4
  13. Mac Meissner 21.2
  14. Jordan Smith 20.8
  15. Harry Hall 20.4
  16. Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen 20.2
  17. Steven Fisk 19.7
  18. Zach Bauchou 19.4
  19. Pierceson Coody 19.1
  20. Max McGreevy 18.0

Selections

Ben James (18-1, BetMGM)

At No. 62, James is set for full-time PGA Tour status next season but is just two spots out of the 51-60 range to earn entry into the first two Signature Events of 2027. He is also No. 78 in the OWGR and a victory in the final events of the season would clinch his entry into all of the majors. 

James has finished inside the top 5 in three of his last five events and has four top-5s since turning pro in June, including at the Corales Puntacana Championship on the Paspalum.

In finishing T-16 last week at the Mexico Open, James led the field for Greens In Regulation and was fourth for Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. 

Ben Kohles (43-1, DraftKings)

Kohles is No. 78 in the FedExCup Fall and heading back to the PGA Tour courtesy of consistent play all season.

After his Korn Ferry Tour victory in late May, Kohles has this form line in PGA Tour events — 29th, 23rd, 3rd, 15th, 9th, 26th, 29th, 15th, 13th, 17th, 17th. 

He is first in this field for Strokes Gained: Approach and Birdie Or Better Percentage over the last 36 rounds. 

Steven Fisk (55-1, Circa Sports)

Fisk looks set for next season as he is No. 54 in the FedExCup Fall courtesy of his T-2 last week at Vidanta Vallarta and a T-7 last month at the Bank of Utah Championship.

He also won this summer at the ISCO Championship and is currently No. 65 in the OWGR and lurking just outside that Top 50.

His driver stood out last week, ranking eighth in SG: OTT, and was almost equally good with the irons and putter, ranking 11th in Strokes Gained: Approach and 12th in Strokes Gained: Putting en route to shooting a 63 in Sunday’s final round. 

Seamus Power (55-1, Fanatics)

We were aboard Power two weeks ago in Bermuda when he made the weather-shortened Monday playoff and lost to Austin Smotherman, settling for a runner-up. 

Power’s runner-up in Bermuda and seventh in Asheville boosted him to No. 70 in the FedExCup Fall and he will be back full-time on the PGA Tour for 2027. 

The Irishman has finishes of third and 11th when it was held at Mayakoba, so he has shown an affinity for playing south of the border over the years. 

Trace Crowe (65-1, Fanatics)

Crowe is No. 115 in the FedExCup Fall and is in the midst of a late rally to get into the top 100 for full PGA Tour playing privileges in 2027.

He has finished 24th, 3rd, 34th and 11th in his last four starts in the fall series and arrives after finishing off the Mexico Open with an 8-under-par 63, helping him to an 11th.

Crowe ranked second in last week’s field for both Strokes Gained: Approach and Strokes Gained: Putting, so he has clearly taken to the Paspalum. 

Matthieu Pavon (100-1, FanDuel)

Frenchman Matthieu Pavon is No. 132 in the FedExCup Fall and in danger of losing his full PGA Tour status.

Pavon has missed 11 cuts on the PGA Tour season, but a return to his old stomping grounds of the DP World Tour last month and finishing third at his home Open de France has seemingly been a major boost to his confidence. 

He led the field for both Strokes Gained: Approach and Strokes Gained: Ball Striking last week en route to a T-11 at the Mexico Open. 

Garrick Higgo (125-1, Circa Sports)

Higgo is exempt for 2027 because of his win last year at the Corales Puntacana Championship. However, he is just No. 168 in the FedExCup Fall due to a PGA Tour season that has seen him miss 13 of 22 cuts and have one finish in the top 25.

Nevertheless, he could be worth a shot this week as he has finished fourth and sixth here at El Cardonal the last two years. 

Placement market, matchup, and/or other futures bets, including from the DP World Tour’s Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, will be available Wednesday at VSiN.com and VSiN.com/picks. 

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