The First Look: World Wide Technology Championship
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The Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal at Diamante in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, is set to host on the PGA TOUR for the second time with the return of the World Wide Technology Championship. World Wide Technology is the third-to-last in the eight-event FedExCup Fall – which means there is a lot on the line for many in the field.
Erik van Rooyen returns to defend after an emotional triumph a year ago.
Here’s everything else you need to know as the TOUR heads back to Cabo.
FIELD NOTES: Cameron Young is back in action for the first time since the BMW Championship. Young, who recorded six top-10 finishes this season, was as steady as they come – he’s missed just one cut over the last 11 months. Young finished 54th at El Cardonal last year but had a tidy first-round 65 and closing-round 64 … Van Rooyen is looking to become the event’s first back-to-back winner since Viktor Hovland in 2020-21. Another big week for van Rooyen could pay some serious dividends as he currently sits No. 67 in the FedExCup Fall … Nico Echavarria is set to return to action after capturing the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP two weeks ago in Japan … After finishing runner-up a year ago (before going on to win his first TOUR title in nine years at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship), Camilo Villegas is back in Mexico. Villegas has missed 12 of his last 14 cuts and is hoping for a spark this week – just like a year ago … This is a big week for players hanging around the No. 125 mark in the FedExCup Fall standings, with just three weeks remaining to secure a TOUR card for next season. Joel Dahmen, at No. 124, is teeing it up this week hoping to stay inside the full-status threshold. He’s just one point ahead of Matt Wallace (not in the field) at No. 125 and three points ahead of Joe Highsmith (in the field) at No. 126 … After finishing inside the top 10 at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, Rico Hoey, Alejandro Tosti and Max Greyserman all earned spots in the field. Greyserman is on a heater of late, having finished runner-up in three of his last five starts on TOUR.
SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS: Andrew Walker, a member of the APGA Tour, will make his PGA TOUR debut. Walker captured the APGA Ascension Classic to earn a spot in the field … Austin Hitt, a University of North Carolina alum who finished 48th on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List in 2024 on the back of three top-10 finishes, will also make his PGA TOUR debut … Neal Shipley returns to action on TOUR for his 10th event of the season. Shipley has missed just one cut on TOUR in 2024, with his T6 at the ISCO Championship marking his season high. Shipley finished 20th on the Fortinet Cup standings on PGA TOUR Americas … European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald is set to tee it up for the first time since the Genesis Scottish Open in July … Harry Higgs, who won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour this season and will return to the PGA TOUR next season after finishing No. 7 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, is also in action … TOUR winners Scott Piercy, Ryan Palmer and Billy Andrade also received sponsor exemptions … Mexican golfers getting to tee it up in their home country include Isidro Benitez, Santiago de la Fuente, Emilio Gonzalez and Omar Morales.
SIGNATURE EVENT STORYLINES: As part of the Aon Next 10, players ranked Nos. 51-60 through the FedExCup Fall will earn their way into two early season 2025 Signature Events – the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational … With his win at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, Echavarria jumped all the way from No. 113 to No. 65 in the standings … Ben Griffin, who finished T22 in Japan, moved from No. 62 to No. 60, and is in the final spot with just three weeks remaining … Jake Knapp sits at No. 61, 20 points back of Griffin … Seamus Power, Nick Taylor and Kevin Yu each moved up a spot with their finishes at the ZOZO and remain inside the Nos. 51-60 marker.
FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points.
The World Wide Technology Championship is the sixth event of the FedExCup Fall. At the end of the FedExCup Fall, those that rank from 126-150 on the final FedExCup Fall Points List will have conditional status for the 2024 PGA TOUR Season. All players outside the top 125 can improve or regain TOUR status via PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.
COURSE: El Cardonal at Diamante, par 72, 7,452 yards. The Tiger Woods design – the first by Woods to host a PGA TOUR event – is located on the Pacific side of Cabo San Lucas. A new bunker stand has been installed in all bunkers ahead of the TOUR’s return in 2024. The topography is demanding for both players and caddies as there is a dramatic 240-foot drop in elevation between the 17th tee and the third fairway. The wind should be a factor, but the fairways are very wide while the greens are gigantic. More information can be found here.
How to follow (all times ET)
Television
- Thursday-Sunday: 2-5 p.m. (Golf Channel)
- Thursday-Friday: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Saturday-Sunday: Noon-5 p.m.