Sleeper picks: World Wide Technology Championship

Editor's note: Sleeper Picks did not appear in Rob’s Power Rankings, but each presents value for the bet specified.

Outright

Cameron Champ (+10000) … When Nico Echavarria appeared atop my Power Rankings for the Myrtle Beach Classic, I know that it generated surprise. While it’s never my intent to be provocative, there’s a subset of talent for which I’ve gone out on a limb over time. With his makeup and progression through the ranks that included a breakthrough victory at the Puerto Rico Open a year prior, and in the absence of a bonafide favorite in that inaugural competition, the Colombian fit the bill. And then he missed the cut. The upshot is that this group often warrants consideration for at least a fraction of a unit in the outright market. Lo and behold, Echavarria prevailed at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP two weeks ago with pre-tournament odds of +20000.

Champ is on the same shortlist. He’s worn down faith throughout 2024, but there have been signs of life in recent months. He had concluded the 3M Open with a blistering 63 for a season-best T12, and he signed for 13 red numbers across 15 rounds spanning five starts. En route to a T45 on El Cardonal at Diamante last year, he was able to send it off the tee as usual (ranking second in measured drives; ShotLink isn’t used) and yet missed only six fairways all week. The freedom to lean on his power without penalty elevates his expectations here perhaps more than anywhere else. He leads the PGA TOUR in both Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and total eagles, and he’s T3 in Par-5 Scoring.

Top 5

Matt Kuchar (+550) … The fixture inside the top five of many Power Rankings over the years was a co-runner-up here last year. It occurred at a time when he had turned a corner and concluded 2023 with a flourish. And while history doesn’t predict the future, it’s still relevant to relay the trend that he’s enjoying another second-half surge this year. Since the 3M Open in late July, the 46-year-old is 5-for-6 with a T3 among four top 15s. He’s also a winner on Paspalum at Mayakoba six years ago this week.

Top 10

Tom Hoge (+350) … The only two golfers in the field with more than his four top 10s on the season are Cameron Young (six) and Max Greyserman (five), both of whom are in the Power Rankings. That duo also sits atop the market for this finish – Greyserman is +150 and Young is +200 – so the value in Hoge’s kickback is considerably more attractive even though he’s the only one among the three who advanced to the TOUR Championship. Since then, he connected for a T7 at the Procore Championship. His firepower is his calling card and he continues to pace the PGA TOUR with 66 red numbers. Expect another four in his debut at El Cardonal at Diamante.

Top 20

Wesley Bryan (+350) … The last guy bumped from the Power Rankings has gone on a modest heater since experiencing defeat in a playoff at the inaugural Creator Classic in late August. He’s finished a respective T13, T37 and T21 in the FedExCup Fall. With a solo second at the Corales Puntacana Championship in April contributing, he’s 138th in the FedExCup, so the 34-year-old is poised to record his best season since surgery for a torn labrum in his left shoulder shoved him off course, literally and figuratively, early in 2019. That he performed his best at Corales, which sets up similarly to El Cardonal at Diamante, portends a good fit, while the recent surge yields faith to reach for this finish.

Top 40

Emilio Gonzalez (+220) … Given the construct of the field, finding plus value worth your investment is more challenging than usual, even in this market, but the 27-year-old steps forward as the kind of speculative stock ready to be taken for a ride. Of the five natives of Mexico in play this week, his Official World Golf Ranking (447th) is the best, and it’s improved measurably in the last three months during which he recorded three top 20s and another two top 30s on the Korn Ferry Tour. He’s also fresh off an 18th-place finish at a Mexican Golf Federation tournament in Monterrey. His strongest attribute is ball-striking but his recent form easily is enough to devote an entire unit for this result.

Odds were sourced at BetMGM.

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