This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba
Riviera Maya, Mexico
El Camaleon Golf Club - Par 71 - 7,017 yards
Field - 132 entrants
Purse - $7.2M
The Preview
The past couple weeks on the PGA Tour have been less than captivating due to a combination of poor field strengths, time-zone differences and lousy weather, but the beautiful shoreline of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula has come to save the day for those traveling to the Riviera Maya this week. Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau are among the handful of bigger names returning to action down by the Caribbean Sea. El Camaleon Golf Club, which rewards accurate tee shots and precise approaches, once again plays host to the event as it has every year since 2007. The eventual champion has reached or surpassed the 20-under-par mark in three straight editions here, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see that happen again with mild winds expected for the first two rounds.
Recent Champions
2020 - Viktor Hovland
2019 - Brendon Todd
2018 - Matt Kuchar
2017 - Patton Kizzire
2016 - Pat Perez
2015 - Graeme McDowell
2014 - Charley Hoffman
2013 - Harris English
2012 - John Huh
2011 - Johnson Wagner
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Approach
Driving Accuracy
Birdie-or-Better Percentage
SG: Putting
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Viktor Hovland - $43
The defending champion led the field in GIR percentage, par-4 scoring and par-breakers (26) en route to his one-shot victory here last year, ultimately playing his final 36 holes in a collective 14-under-par. Now, Hovland ranks top-4 in both SG: Off-the-Tee and SG: Approach over his past 12 rounds, and he combatted poor around-the-green metrics by posting the best statistical putting performance of his entire career in his most recent showing at the CJ Cup. The 24-year-old's driving accuracy has been sneaky good, with him hitting 81 of a possible 112 fairways in regulation so far this season.
Abraham Ancer - $42
Ancer has been even more accurate off the tee than Hovland, as the former resides second in driving accuracy this season and seventh over his last 24 rounds. He's coming off a top-15 at the CJ Cup where he gained three strokes with his irons, and he's also gained at least five strokes with the flat stick in two of his past four starts. Ancer has finished T21 or better in four consecutive trips to El Camaleon, so he'll be an extremely popular selection this week on home turf.
Glue Guys
Talor Gooch - $32
Gooch has yet to place worse than a T11 through three events played to begin his 2021-22 campaign, climbing to a career-best 51st in the Official World Golf Ranking after his T5 at the CJ Cup. He's gained an average of 7.6 strokes from tee to green per tournament during this recent stretch, and Gooch is second to only Mito Pereira ($34) in SG: Approach over their last 12 rounds.
Aaron Wise - $30
Wise secured runner-up honors to Hovland at the Mayakoba in 2020 as he paced the field in par-5 scoring and fired a final-round 63. He's No. 1 among this week's field in birdie or better percentage over his last 24 rounds, and he's coming off back-to-back top-8s during the Las Vegas Swing where he finished on the positive side of every Strokes Gained subcategory in both events. Wise also notched a T10 here in 2018.
Bargain Bin
Joel Dahmen - $23
Dahmen's T24 at the Shriners Children's Open might not appear all that spectacular on the surface, but he posted his best tee-to-green performance since early May's Wells Fargo Championship while losing nearly two strokes with the putter. He's now 16th in SG: Approach over his last 12 rounds and 23rd in driving accuracy over his past 24. Additionally, Dahmen's track record at El Camaleon is admirable with three top-25s and zero missed cuts in four voyages to the venue, including a T6 two years ago.
Russell Knox - $20
He's a perfect 8-for-8 in made cuts with three straight top-10s at the Mayakoba from 2015-2017, so Knox is clearly comfortable down in the town of Playa del Carmen. He just tied for 12th at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship where he fired a 68 or better in Rounds 2-4. Knox has gained strokes on his approach shots in seven of eight measured starts dating back to the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
