Power Rankings: World Wide Technology Championship

Editor's Note: Cameron Young withdrew from the World Wide Technology Championship on Wednesday, Nov. 6, and was replaced in the field by Sean O'Hair.

With campaigns reaching their conclusion and elections in the United States arriving at outcomes, it’s as fitting as it is timely that the PGA TOUR heads to where many Americans escape from intensity and stress: Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula in Mexico.

El Cardonal at Diamante in Los Cabos hosts the World Wide Technology Championship for the second time. If its return is as fun as its foray – and there’s no reason why it won’t be – then a good time is guaranteed. No matter one’s political persuasion, the enjoyment of this experience draws unanimous approval.

Continue reading beneath the ranking of those projected to contend for how the course sets up, what last year’s inaugural field learned and more.

As advertised. That’s how the debut of Tiger Woods’ debut as an architect on the PGA TOUR can be defined.

El Cardonal at Diamante embodies Woods’ mission as a designer to give golfers the opportunity to have fun, but giving professional golfers of the highest level that same opportunity can yield remarkable results.

With no rough and giant greens, the scoring average on the stock par 72 landed at 68.993. Erik van Rooyen prevailed by two strokes at 27-under 261. Of the 292 scores posted by the 73 golfers who completed 72 holes, 265 (or 90.7 percent) were red numbers.

For the week, all golfers averaged 12.67 (of 14) fairways hit and 14.59 greens in regulation per round. That slotted El Cardonal as the easiest off the tee and second-easiest on approach of 58 tracks played across the extended 2022-23 season. And in terms of difficulty, the sets of par 3s, par 4s and par 5s ranked a respective 57th, T52 and T45. Even inexperience wasn’t a headwind.

On top of the overall ease, the bones that Woods tossed to golfers who go off in split tees also fulfilled the predictions of ensuring everyone a smooth transition from the practice area. The 582-yard, par-5 first hole averaged just 4.317, while the drivable par-4 10th at 344 yards checked in at 3.668. Both holes ranked inside the top 10 among all of their respective pars for the season.

If those components of El Cardonal remind you of Black Desert Resort Golf Course, host of the inaugural Black Desert Championship four weeks ago, you deserve a FedExCup point. With expansive landing areas and welcoming targets, the 92 (as of Sunday) in this field of 120 who navigated golf’s version of “The Floor Is Lava!” understand the assignment. They can move it off the tees on the 7,452-yard layout overlooking the Pacific Ocean and play aggressively with every club in the bag. Paspalum grass covers the course and greens are dialed back to 11 feet on the Stimpmeter this year. That’s a reduction of 6 inches compared to last year’s plan and respectful of the winds that can blow in these exposed parts.

In fact, the wind won’t be too bad all things considered. Stronger sustained breezes are the norm in other tropical TOUR stops like Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. This week’s worst may not even measure 20 mph. It even calms on the weekend, so scoring should drop comparably. Daytime highs will flirt with 80 degrees and sunshine will rule.

NOTE: ShotLink is not utilized for this tournament.

ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE
MONDAY: Power Rankings
TUESDAY: Sleepers
WEDNESDAY: Golfbet Insider
SUNDAY: Points and Payouts; Medical Extensions; Qualifiers; Reshuffle