Welcome back, everyone! We have returned after a brief break to watch the World Series and are ready to tackle the World Wide Technology Championship. Any PGA Tour event held in Mexico will always have a special place in my heart (RIP to the WGC-Mexico Championship; you were truly too beautiful for this world), so I am very excited for this week's return to El Cardonal.
This is the third year of El Cardonal hosting the tournament, holding its distinction as the only PGA Tour event hosted on a course designed by Tiger Woods. The lengthy par-72 boasts wide, undulating fairways and intense elevation changes, making it a fun setup that should continue the aggressive tendencies of players in years past.
Because it's still a newer course, there's not a ton of historical course data to go on, but we do know that past high finishes don't necessarily predict future success here. Only one player has finished in the top 10 in both playings at El Cardonal, so course history won't be a key indicator for this week.
Look, we got battered around by the lava rock in Utah. Our best non-honorable mention finish was Jason Day at T20, so I'm putting my hand up and calling the Bank of Utah Championship an unmitigated disaster for the rankings. We've done some reflecting here in the research department, and we feel confident that this week will be a return to our normal level of performance. We're going to steal some of Tiger's magic this week and pull out another winner.
Honorable Mentions: Michael Brennan, Wyndham Clark, David Lipsky, Si Woo Kim, Carson Young
9. Pierceson Coody
Even though it feels like golf fans have been hearing about Pierceson Coody for what feels like forever now, he's still only 25 years old. While he didn't have the best of starts to his PGA Tour career, Coody has spent time bouncing back and forth between the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA, which seems to have really helped the young Texas product grow.
We've seen more consistent play from Coody, currently on a run of three straight top-15 finishes that include a T3 in Utah. His distance off the tee should let him take advantage of the wide fairways at El Cardonal.
8. Doug Ghim
I am once again begging that Doug Ghim learns how to putt. All of his strokes gained categories are well above Tour average, but his putting just drags his average total SG number down to near zero. Something about El Cardonal does agree with his game, as he's come in the top 20 the last couple of years at this course. Currently on the outside of the top 125, he's going to feel motivated to chase his points to keep full Tour privileges for next season.
7. Justin Lower
Another outsider looking in right now, Justin Lower probably wishes the PGA Tour played more events outside of the contiguous 48. Four of his seven career top-5 finishes on Tour have been outside of the U.S., including a T2 at last year's World Wide Technology Championship.
Not only is he coming off a T3 finish at the Bank of Utah, but Lower also finished T3 at the American Express this year, played at a course that lines up extremely well for the skill set needed to succeed this week. Definitely a boom-or-bust guy, I expect big things from Lower this week.
6. David Ford
Another one of the big group at T3 in Utah, David Ford was almost the forgotten man when it came to the crop of young collegiate golfers coming out like Luke Clanton, Jackson Koivun, and Michael La Sasso.
Ford's game isn't predicated on driving distance, but rather keeping the ball in the short grass and letting his irons do the talking. He'll have a ton of confidence coming into this week, and one of these young stars is bound to win at some point, so why not Ford?
5. Johnny Keefer
I wrote about Johnny Keefer at the RBC Canadian Open, and now, freshly after being named Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year, I think he's ready to keep rolling. The 24-year-old's route to the PGA Tour has seen him graduate in back-to-back years from the PGA Tour Americas to the KFT and now finally to the PGA Tour. No one makes that sort of run on pure luck, and with three wins over the last two seasons, it's clear that Keefer has talent in abundance.
4. Garrick Higgo
We haven't seen him play in almost a month, but Garrick Higgo had been red hot, going T7-2-T4 in his last three starts. The lefty South African is a really strong putter of the golf ball, and can absolutely mash the golf ball off the tee, meaning a pretty open setup like El Cardonal should fit his eye very well.
Playing with house money after winning in Puntacana, I know that Higgo wants more on Tour, and I could see him putting up some low numbers this weekend.
3. Kevin Yu
Kevin Yu is what could happen for Doug Ghim if Doug Ghim became a good putter. After three straight top-20s in the month of October, Yu feels close to having the results start matching the talent.
He ranks 21st on Tour in average strokes gained: total per round, placing his floor higher than a large number of the other players in the field. If we get a peak week from Yu, then he should be able to run away with this tournament.
2. Max Greyserman
Max Greyserman's last full swing that he took on Tour was a 7-iron that came up 18 inches short of forcing a playoff with Xander Schauffele at the Baycurrent Classic. The 30-year-old has been racking up close calls the last couple of seasons, and seems ready to finally break the door down for his maiden victory.
Very similar to Higgo, Greyserman should be able to pounce all over this course setup like he did last year, when he finished fourth. Somebody needs to improve New Jersey's vibes after Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere flopped, and I think Max Greyserman can be the man to do it.
1. Ben Griffin
After a well-deserved break, Ben Griffin makes his first PGA Tour appearance since the Ryder Cup this week. Far and away the highest-ranked player both in the OWGR and FedEx Cup in the field, it'll be interesting to see if Griffin's run through the summer was just a hot streak or not.
He didn't have a great week in India a couple of weeks ago, but Delhi Golf Club is always a strange venue that is really the complete opposite of what the players will see this week. Don't be surprised to see those aviators staring down the trophy come Sunday.