3 months agoJustin Suh's last 15 months on the PGA Tour have been largely characterized by runs in and out of form. He strung together back-to-back top 10s at the ZOZO and World Wide Technology Championships last fall, before recording finishes of 64th, MC, MC, and 77th over his next four starts. Much of his week-to-week inconsistency can be attributed to his overreliance on his putter, which, although is ranked among the top on the PGA Tour, oftentimes isn't enough to carry his sub-par game from tee to green. Suh ranks 112th in this field in Strokes Gained: Approach over his last 50 rounds and 139th Around the Greens. Until these deficiencies are sorted out, he remains an untrustworthy option week-to-week on the PGA Tour.Source: PGA Tour
3 months agoOutside of the obvious, can't-miss entities like Will Zalatoris, Scottie Scheffler, or Sungjae Im, it's often difficult to discern which of the new Korn Ferry graduates is best set for success at the highest level. But while Jake Knapp didn't come onto the big stage with the greatestread more...
3 months agoIn his third full season on the PGA Tour, Brandon Wu has established himself as a solid all-around entity. He's made 10 of his last 12 cuts and ranked right around Tour average in the four strokes gained metrics. In two career starts around Vidanta Vallarta, however, Wu has proven himself as a different force entirely: recording finishes of 2nd and 3rd and gaining a combined 14.4 shots on these paspalum greens. It's difficult to say why a California kid who attended boarding school in Massachusetts has developed this sort of extreme affinity for this tropical grass type, but with two top finishes here already under his belt, plus an additional 3rd and 7th place finish at Cocoa Beach (the host of the Puerto Rico Open that also features paspalum greens), it's difficult to project anything less than another stellar performance this week.Source: PGA Tour
3 months agoAlex Smalley found his groove in June and July of 2023, but he's had a tough time regaining that form so far in 2024. The 27-year-old has lost strokes in at least three categories in each of his last three events, and there don't seem to be any signs of a bounce back coming this week. Smalley has played at Vidanta twice in his career with two very different results. Most recently, the New York native missed the cut and lost strokes in every category. While the approach game could spike at any moment and lead to a renaissance for the young pro, odds are Smalley won't be worth backing this week at the Mexico Open.Source: PGA Tour
3 months agoNate Lashley has missed the cut in three of his four 2024 appearances thus far, but his one made cut resulted in a T3 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open. Some might see a top-five finish and mistake it for actionable upside, but the reality is that the 41-year-old catapulted up the leaderboard thanks to 5.9 strokes gained putting at Torrey Pines. The Nebraska native hadn't reached that number since May of 2022, so it's not likely we see such a spike again. The rest of Lashley's game is in a rough place, so despite a good showing at the Mexico Open in 2022, it's safe to stay away from the aging veteran.Source: PGA Tour
3 months agoA mediocre showing at the Mexico Open last year placed Maverick McNealy at T60 in his debut in the midst of his lowest point of the 2023 season. This year, the 28-year-old has already started to trend upwards in all areas of his game, recently gaining 9.2 total strokes en route to a T6 finish at the Phoenix Open. The California native had lost strokes with his irons in four straight events to start 2024 before his Waste Management spark, but that upside is enough to make DFS managers interested at a valuable $8,100 price tag on DraftKings. With a slice of course familiarity and numbers trending in the right direction, McNealy may be set up to find some success among a relatively week field this week.Source: PGA Tour
3 months agoMichael Kim has made seven of his last eight cuts leading into the Mexico Open. He has not lost strokes on approach in a measured start during that stretch. He marks third in the field over the past 24 rounds in par four scoring between 450-500 yards, a range which seven of the nine par four's this week fall into. While Kim may not have win equity, he seems to have a pretty high floor. Source: Fantasy National
3 months agoDavis Thompson heads to Vidanta for his first-ever Mexico Open this week, and he's coming off his best iron performance on tour a couple of weeks ago at the Phoenix Open, where he gained 4.2 strokes on approach. The 24-year-old has a couple of top-10 finishes in his career, but a recent jump in his approach game, combined with some putting spikes so far in 2024, has some of the sharper golf minds excited about the Georgia native. It's been the off-the-tee game that's held Thompson back early this season, but past trends indicate those woes will come to pass, which could lead to some more top-10s for the youngster if he can keep his putter and irons in a good place in 2024.Source: PGA Tour
3 months agoCameron Champ has missed four straight cuts to start 2024 and hasn't really shown any sign of life since mid-October. That said, Champ has an incredible track record at this event. He finished 8th here last year and 6th back in 2022. Champ's strong off the tee game should be a huge advantage this week. He is a clear boom or bust option, but there's no doubt he likes this course. Source: PGA Tour
3 months agoDuring his best run of 2023, Aaron Rai was a ball-striking machine with his irons, and he was able to gain a stroke or two in all other areas en route to a few strong Sunday finishes. However, the 28-year-old has shown nothing of the sort in 2024, losing strokes on approach in all but one of his four events thus far. The Englishman is struggling in all facets of his game right now, and with the lack of firepower in the Mexico Open, he still finds himself priced in the mid-$8k range on DraftKings. Coming off a missed cut in 2023, Rai is an easy fade for DFS managers and golf bettors alike.Source: PGA Tour
3 months agoThrough four events this season, Thomas Detry has spent some time near the top of leaderboards but hasn't come through with a win. Detry's statistics show he gains the most strokes with his driver (No. 19) and putter (No. 13). However, he loses strokes on approach, which could be a problem this week. While length off the tee is valuable at Vidanta Vallarta, approach play is also important. If Detry can take advantage of his drives and set up birdie chances, this could be his breakthrough week with a win.Source: PGATOUR.com
3 months agoSince securing his tour card last season via the Korn Ferry Tour points list, Chris Gotterup has been hard-pressed to find any momentum yet in 2024. The longest man on tour (with an average drive of 317.8 yards) is a sight to behold with a driver in his hand. He's ranked modestly at 46th in strokes gained off the tee (0.300), but is ranked outside the top 100 in every other strokes-gained statistic. The former Sooner has certainly displayed his ability to compete at a high level, but the bright lights of the PGA Tour take some time to get used to. At $9,300 on FanDuel, he's a little too pricey to take the risk on this week.Source: PGA Tour
3 months agoChesson Hadley is back in action after missing the Waste Management Phoenix Open cut two weeks ago. Before his missed cut at TPC Scottsdale, Hadley finished T56 at The American Express and T25 at the Farmers Insurance Open. Hadley may find the Vidanta Vallarta course to be challenging for his skillset. At last year's tournament, over 63% of approach shots were over 200 yards, and over the previous 12 months, Hadley ranked in the 63rd percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from over 200 yards in the fairway. Hadley is a player worth considering for DFS lineups, but including him comes with some risk.Source: Data Golf
3 months agoAustin Eckroat did not participate in the Genesis Invitational last week but played at the Waste Management Phoenix Open two weeks ago, where he missed the cut. However, in the first three events of the 2024 season, Eckroat made the cut each time, with his best finish being T25 at the American Express. This weekend, he will play at the Mexico Open, his second appearance at the tournament. Although he finished T49 last year, this tournament was crucial in launching his successful 2023 season, where he made six consecutive cuts, including two top-10 and two top-25 finishes. Despite missing the cut in the previous event, Eckroat could be a valuable pick for DFS lineups.Source: Data Golf
3 months agoCharley Hoffman had a great start in the first round of last week's Genesis Invitational, firing a 69. This came after he finished second at the Waste Management Phoenix Open two weeks earlier. However, his performance declined in the following three rounds, where he carded over 70 each time. This week, Hoffman will be participating in the Mexico Open for the second time, having finished T55 last year. He has been in top form lately and could potentially beat his previous finish. In the last 12 months, Hoffman has ranked in the 97th percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots in the fairway from over 200 yards, and over 63% at the previous year's tournament approach shots came from over 200 yards. Hoffman could be an interesting pick for DFS lineups this week.Source: Data Golf