Niall Lyons has six selections for the World Wide Technology Championship this week.
World Wide Technology Championship
The World Wide Technology Championship will be held at El Cardonal At Diamante, Los Cabos, Mexico.
Mayakoba was ditched last year for this Tiger Woods designed golf course and the two couldn't be any more different.
Whilst El Cameleon was all about fairways and greens this golf course has some of the widest fairways and easiest to hit greens on tour.
The winner Erik Van Rooyen hit a whopping 86% of greens throughout the week and only ranked 18th in that category.
Unfortunately we don't get strokes gained statistics from the first renewal last year. We did assume that it would suit the longest hitters in the field with the ability to open the shoulders and not give a monkeys about where it goes.
Adam Long in fact hit every fairway last year whilst Van Rooyen hit 92% and only ranked 27th.
Fairways and greens are easy here, and in fact what it came down to was a putting contest.
Five of the top 7 in the field were in the top 10 for putting average for the week and there's little doubt that's where it will be won and lost again this year.
Therein lies a problem as predicting the best putters on the week is often a thankless task.
Below is a look at the stats of top performers in last year's edition of this competition which was held in El Cardonal at Diamante.
World Wide Technology Championship Tips
- 3pts WIN M.Greyserman 19/1 (Bet365 enhanced win market)
- 1.25pts each-way N.Echavarria 55/1 (1/5 8) Paddypower, Betfair Sportsbook
- 1pt each-way Pierceson Coody 90/1 (1/5 8) Paddypower, Betfair Sportsbook
- 0.75pt each-way D.Lipsky 150/1 (1/5 8) Paddypower, WilliamHill, Ladbrokes, Coral
- 0.75pt each-way N.Xiong 150/1 (1/5 8) Paddypower, WilliamHill, Ladbrokes, Coral
- 0.5pt each-way D.Willett 400/1 (1/5 6) Skybet
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Max Greyserman at 19/1 (WIN)
In an event that looks primed for some big price contenders I'm surprised by how much I like the favourite.
I guess the fact that Max Greyserman hasn't won yet is a big red flag, and maybe playing so beautifully and not getting over the line is worrying, but it looks like this venue should be absolutely perfect for his game and he has a big chance to capitalise on a weak field.
His maiden PGA Tour season has gone swimmingly but has taken off in the last number of months with three runner up finishes in his last five starts.
Greyserman looks the real deal and crucially he is a slick operator on the greens.
There is no doubt he has been a little unlucky in a few defeats and normally I'd be wary of these type of results playing out without a victory.
After all, the second fav Cam Young is still waiting and he is at the end of season three on tour.
This venue looks to have come at the perfect time for somebody who is flying with the putter and I fully expect him to make a bold bid for this title.
It really is for the taking if Cameron Young fails to deliver and in Greyserman we could be looking at a future top ten player in the world.
Nico Echavarria at 55/1 (Eight Places)
Nico Echavarria produced a spectacular performance in Japan to hold off many high profile names and the manner in which he did so suggests there is plenty more in the locker from this South American.
Already a winner on tour last year in Puerto Rico, Echavarria wasn't on many people's lips as a potential winner in the Zozo last time out.
He had Fowler and Thomas breathing down his neck and I was hugely impressed by the way he held his nerve in the closing stages there.
20 under par there, and 21 under par in Puerto Ruco suggests Nico prefers these birdie fests, and he'll need to go even lower to win here this week.
Nevertheless I believe he has it in him and a week break between his win and this event on the tour is perfect and relieves the pressure and demands on him a little if there had have been no break in between.
This way he is fresher and if he can hole as many putts as he did a few weeks ago he will have a massive chance.
The price is the thing that entices me the most here as I believe his ceiling to be higher than many above him in the market and with two victories in the space of 18 months the 50/1 looks interesting.
1.25pts each-way N.Echavarria 55/1 (1/5 8) Paddypower, Betfair Sportsbook
Pierceson Coody at 90/1 (Eight Places)
My next bet is someone who is extremely reliable on the greens in the shape of Pierceson Coody.
Still only 24 years of age Coody has a trio of Korn Ferry victories to his name and even though his first season hasn't gone exactly to plan he has come close to winning.
He was defeated in a five man playoff at the Isco Championship which could be a decent guide to this event.
He is consistently good with the putter which is a trait I'm looking for in most of my selections at this track and although I'd like his recent iron play to be a shade better you get what you pay for and at 90/1 he looks worth the risk.
1pt each-way Pierceson Coody 90/1 (1/5 8) Paddypower, Betfair Sportsbook
David Lipsky at 150/1 (Eight Places)
We need another year of evidence here at least but it really does look like a putting contest here at El Cardonal coupled with some good iron play.
That makes me think swinging for a few big prices is the way forward and a triple figure golfer worth considering this week is David Lipsky.
The Californian has gone close on a handful of occasions on the PGA Tour, with the latest of those being in the Procore Championship in September finishing 2nd, 5 shots behind the winner.
I believed this venue last year would suit the bigger hitters, but in fact it was opposite given how easy fairways were to hit. This suits Lipsky and he is prone to spikes with his putting.
There are a little too many weeks where he performs poorly on the greens, but on the good weeks he can be great.
5th on the greens at the Procore was one of those weeks, whilst on his next start despite missing the cut he putted extremely well.
He has won on the Korn Ferry Tour and with a handful of high profile victories on the DPWT he more than has what it takes to give this a good bash in a field of this quality.
0.75pt each-way D.Lipsky 150/1 (1/5 8) Paddypower, WilliamHill, Ladbrokes, Coral
Norman Xiong at 150/1 (Eight Places)
Norman Xiong gave us a good run for our money at the Shriners last time out and at 150/1 could be worth supporting once again.
Xiong was highly thought of after coming off the Korn Ferry Tour with a couple of victories but with an injury blighted season I think the jury is still well entitled to look at more evidence.
Lately that evidence has been solid with a really good long game in operation at the Black Desert and TPC Summerlin.
Generally speaking Xiong has a really nice touch with the putter also which bodes well for a trip around El Cardonal.
His price has understandably condensed since his last outing but it's worth noting he won the Wichita Open by five shots with a score of 26 under so he certainly isn't afraid to go super low which will be needed this week.
This course is all about a putting contest and with his irons firing these last few weeks I'll stick with him for another event.
0.75pt each-way N.Xiong 150/1 (1/5 8) Paddypower, WilliamHill, Ladbrokes, Coral
Danny Willett at 400/1 (Six Places)
This certainly seems like a week to fire a few darts at big prices and I'll include Danny Willett at 300/1 or above.
The Englishman has struggled badly all year but again it has been a difficult period following surgery on a serious shoulder injury.
There were glimpses of his former self with opening 68s at Wentworth and Augusta National, but for the most part it has been a painful process.
He did speak about speed coming back to his swing and almost learning again so there is plenty of hope left that he can recover and become a winner again.
This track could be perfect for him to score on given length off the tee didn't provide much of an advantage last year and instead it was all about what you done on and around the greens.
Willett can still compete in that department and he can tale heart from his last round of competitive golf, a 66 at Summerlin during the Shriners where he ranked 1st from tee to green, and 3rd with his approach play.
That 5 under par round was one shot off the best of the day and if there's any continuation of that play then he could be a runner at a massive price.
