Staying on the away-day theme, the PGA Tour ship docks on the shores of Mexico this week, where some of the golfing elite will battle it out in the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba.
World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba General Information:
- Date: November 4 – November 7, 2021
- TV-Time: Golf Channel, 3:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: El Camaleón Golf Course
- Location: Playa del Carmen, México
- Prize Money: $7,200,000 ($1,125,000 1st Place)
- Winner last year: Viktor Hovland
Tournament, Conditions & Course Info
After almost the entirety of the world’s top 30 missed the Bermuda Championship last week, there will be more top-tier talent on the course this week. Last year’s winner and current world number 17 Viktor Hovland will be in attendance to defend his crown, while other top-20 players such as Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Tony Finau and Abraham Ancer all feature too.
Striking to the eye and a tough test for even the most seasoned of players, El Camaleón Golf Course, which is situated right on the ocean, is often hit by the elements, and how low a player can go in terms of score often depends on the wind. Ball strikers who can plot their way round the varied layout often thrive, while those who can hit no shortage of greens in regulation are likely to do well too. In fact, with narrow fairways, plenty of hazards, tricky greens and the elements to contend with, this venue tests all aspects of a players game, so an all-round, measured approach is what’s required.
Expert Pick #1 – Abraham Ancer Top 10 Finish @+230
Only well-rounded players with few weaknesses are likely to rise to the challenge in Mexico this week, and there are few on tour more well-rounded than the man who will be on home soil this week. Abraham Ancer not only picked up his first PGA Tour victory last season, but showed his class in several high-profile events.
Last term, the 30-year-old was everything that a player who wants to do well in this sort of event needs to be. He was steady off the tee, strong on approach, and nifty with the putter. Only fourteen players, few of which are involved this week, gained more strokes overall on the golf’s most elite tour during the 2021 campaign, so it would be little surprise if Ancer enjoyed himself this week, especially since this is a venue where he’s played well before, finishing no lower than 21st in any of the last four renewals, registering two top-tens in that time.
Fedex Cup Rank: 94 | Fedex Cup Points: 54 | OWGR: 14
Expert Pick #2 – Patrick Reed Top 10 Finish @+375
It’s been a while since the opinion-splitting Patrick Reed got his nose in front, but he returned to form last week with a fine performance in Bermuda, finishing in a tie for second place. With his game in such shape, the American probably deserves a bit more respect in the betting ahead of this event, and he’s certainly not to be discounted.
Recent renewals of this tournament have shown that a steady hand with the putter is required, and there are few better with the flatstick than the man who finished the previous campaign as the fourth-best on tour in terms of strokes gained: putting.
Reed did miss the cut in his only previous appearance at El Camaleón back in 2017, but we shouldn’t read too much into that. At the end of the day, he has the skill set required, plus an in-form and fired-up Patrick Reed can be a dangerous animal, so if he’s in anything like the same form as last week, expect fireworks from the big-hitting Texan.
Fedex Cup Rank: 16 | Fedex Cup Points: 248 | OWGR: 24
Expert Pick #3 – Russell Knox Top 20 Finish @+400
Russell Knox showed once again that he’s a player for the seaside occasion last week, and at a course that shares some similarities with Port Royal, the Scotsman can enjoy another pleasing four days of golf.
After a T12 on the Bermuda coast, Knox has his game in good shape, and if it wasn’t for a first round 72, he probably would’ve got closer than five shots off the winner. That effort was the latest in a long line of respectable finishes on coastal tracks of this nature. What’s more, this is a venue where the man from Inverness has performed well before, posting two top-three finishes, plus a top ten, in the last six seasons.
By making the cut in eight out of eight at El Camaleón, finishing no lower than 33rd, Knox has shown that he’s suited by this test and thus cannot be overlooked in the top-20 market. Add in that he’s in good form right now and odds of +400.
Fedex Cup Rank: 288 | Fedex Cup Points: 92 | OWGR: 56
2021 World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba Odds
*Odds as of Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. ET
| Player | Odds |
| Justin Thomas | +1400 |
| Viktor Hovland | +1600 |
| Abraham Ancer | +2000 |
| Tony Finau | +2200 |
| Billy Horschel | +2800 |
| Tyrell Hatton | +2800 |
| Brooks Koepka | +2800 |
| Scottie Scheffler | +3300 |
| Aaron Wise | +3300 |
| Patrick Reed | +3500 |
Before returning to US shores, the PGA Tour stops in Mexico, and what is expected to be a sun-kissed El Camaleón, with temperatures set for the high 80’s across the opening three days, provides players with a true golfing test. All aspects of the game will be tried this week, so those without glaringly obvious weaknesses and who can plot their way round in measured fashion are likely to thrive.
