For the third year in a row, the World Wide Technology Championship will be played at El Cardonal at Diamante (par 72, 7,452 yards, paspalum greens) in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. This course was designed by Tiger Woods, and at El Cardonal last season, Austin Eckroat (-24) won by one stroke. This week’s field consists of 120 players, and there will be a standard top-65 and ties cut after the first two rounds.
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Rico Hoey ($10,000)
Hoey finished a respectable T45th in his first start at El Cardonal last season, but this time around, he should contend at the coastal venue. Thanks to an outstanding recent run of golf, Hoey currently sits at a career-best No. 76 in the world rankings, which is 33 spots higher than his ranking heading into last year’s World Wide Technology Championship.
This fall, Hoey has finished T9th, MC, T4, and runner-up, with that runner-up finish coming at the Bank of Utah Championship two weeks ago. The 30-year-old has gained strokes on approach in all four of these starts, and he has carded a 63 at back-to-back events, which is his career-low on the PGA TOUR.
Hoey ranks first in SGT2G when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds, and he is a difficult fade in this incredible form.
Stephen Jaeger ($7,800)
Jaeger has made 18-of-25 cuts with eight top-25 finishes this season, including a T11 at the Bank of Utah Championship two weeks ago. This marked his third made cut in a row and the second straight event that he has gained strokes on approach and with his putter.
He now travels to El Cardonal, where he finished T45 in his only start at the venue two years ago. The 36-year-old has won on the PGA TOUR since then, and during his career, he has been very successful when competing on paspalum greens.
Jaeger has made 9-of-11 cuts at venues with paspalum putting surfaces, and five of these finishes have been top-20 results, including a T6 at the Mexico Open this past February. He warranted an $8,000 salary in this weak field, and he can be confidently rostered in both cash games and GPPs.
Jeremy Paul ($6,500)
Paul should come with minimal ownership and is a worthwhile, cheap gamble for GPPs this week. The German professional has made three of his past four cuts worldwide, and while he has never teed it up at El Cardonal before, Paul is a strong match for this venue, given El Cardonal features paspalum greens.
Paul has made three career starts at tracks with paspalum putting surfaces, and he has finished inside the top-25 at all these events. Most notably, Paul just finished runner-up at the Corales Puntacana Championship this past April, which is his best PGA TOUR finish to date.
Paul ranks second in strokes gained per round when we compare this field’s histories at venues with paspalum greens, and a top-25 finish at El Cardonal isn’t out of the question for the 31-year-old this week.
