Draws and Fades: Anyone’s game with Sunday shootout ahead at Tiger’s El Cardonal

Tiger Woods always loved a Sunday showdown on the PGA TOUR and while the legendary player isn’t in the field at the World Wide Technology Championship, his first TOUR course design of El Cardonal will play host to final round fireworks.

Nico Echavarria is in great position to go back-to-back on the PGA TOUR but with a birdie barrage still available to the chasers on this resort design from Woods, and with 29 players within six shots of the lead, this championship is well and truly wide open.

Echavarria won the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in Japan in the prior FedExCup Fall event leading into this and for a long time looked set to streak away with another title. But a run of six pars to finish his third round left him in a three-way tie for the lead at 16-under.

Justin Lower showed what’s possible for the chasers on Sunday with a Saturday 9-under 63 to join Echavarria at the top. Carson Young’s 67 also found him sharing the 54-hole lead as he chases a first TOUR win.

With similar weather conditions expected on Sunday – that being sunny with winds around 7-12mph with some slightly gustier periods – the ability to go low should still be available at El Cardonal. We’ve already seen a 61 this week and last year’s winner – Erik van Rooyen – closed with a 63 to take the title.

This time around Joe Highsmith (65), Austin Eckroat (66) and Max Greyserman (69) share fourth just one off the pace at 15-under while Ben Griffin (66) and Maverick McNealy (67) are tied seventh just two shots back of the lead. Five players sit four back, seven others are within five and nine more are six off the pace with dreams of winning still alive.

The oddsmakers at BetMGM Sportsbook are also wary of multiple players having a shot at the trophy. The outright odds are as follows with eight players at +1200 or lower.

• +450: Nico Echavarria (-16, T1); Max Greyserman (-15, T4)
• +500: Justin Lower (-16, T1)
• +550: Carson Young (-16, T1)
• +700: Austin Eckroat (-15, T4)
• +800: Joe Highsmith (-15, T4)
• +1200: Maverick McNealy (-14, T7); Ben Griffin (-14, T7)
• +6600: Daniel Berger (-10, T9); Tom Hoge (-10, T9)

So let’s take a look at the in-play betting options ahead of the chase for glory.

Nico Echavarria +450 to go back-to-back

Before the final holes, Echavarria looked like he could take this tournament and run with it, backing up his ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in fine fashion. Now the question is whether the treadmill finish is a sign of things to come or just a cold stretch he will shake off Sunday. Leads the field in Driving Accuracy, Scrambling, Par 4 Scoring, and Bogey Avoidance (he has none)! Is also second in Greens In Regulation so his form does appear ominous …

Max Greyserman +450 to go from groomsman to groom

Greyserman has the chance to go from the guy with three runner-up finishes so far this season on the TOUR to a breakthrough winner. The narrative of a good player unable to truly close can be smashed into smithereens or it can grow bigger … I love the talent of this player and seeing he leads the field in Putting Average and Back 9 Scoring gives me hope. But he’s lagging in Par 5 Scoring compared to others and is T35 in GIR. He will need to hit more greens to let his putter cook.

Justin Lower +500 to shock many

I must admit Lower was not on my radar this week but perhaps he should have been given his best TOUR result was a T3 at the Mexico Open at Vidanta and he was also T4 at the Corales Puntacana Championship off the U.S. mainland. Also leads the field in Par 5 Scoring. Despite his lofty leaderboard position the fact he admitted to suffering from an illness through the week has me staying off this storyline.

Carson Young +550 to shock Cameron Young

You could have got great odds for Carson Young beating Cameron Young to a TOUR title but with the former Rookie of the Year withdrawing pre-tournament this week it’s been left to Carson to fly the flag and move into the top spot. Leading the field in Driving Accuracy, Par 4 Scoring and Total Birdies plus having put up the lowest round (61) this week and running second in GIR, this could be the guy to take on Echavarria.

Ben Griffin +1200 to be the spoiler

We highlighted Griffin at +2500 pre-tournament because he was 51st in SG: Putting and 24th in SG: Around-the-Green, two stats that appeared key to this course. This week he is tied best at total birdies and Par 5 Scoring and he’s second in Putting Average. As hard as it is to admit, Golfbet’s Matt Delvecchio might be signing off his time with a winner having picked Griffin as his man on Tuesday.

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