Sleeper Picks: World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba

Maverick McNealy(+450 for a Top 10) … He’s a little longer off the tee than TOUR average but he’s made the most noise on shorter tracks where the entirety of his tool box has sharpened his game. Backdrops for his success stories have included familiar places like Pebble Beach and Silverado, but also sites like Harbour Town, Colonial and El Camaleón. In the two editions at Mayakoba since he debuted in 2019, he’s finished a respective T26 and T12, the latter primarily on the strength of lights-out putting. Meanwhile, it was taut ball-striking that yielded a T25 in his last start at Narashino. The icing on the cake, literally, would be for him to capture his maiden title on Sunday. It’ll be his 26th birthday.

Russell Henley(+160 for a Top 20) … The veteran of 224 PGA TOUR starts as a professional has some understanding of what Lucas Herbert experienced on Sunday. The 25-year-old Aussie was in his third start as a TOUR member; Henley broke through in his membership debut in 2013, also on a small island beside the sea – at Waialae. Now grizzled with 154 paydays on the board, the 32-year-old has been peppering leaderboards regularly since just before the pandemic shut down competition for three months in 2020. He has a pair of top 25s in as many starts to open this season, and while it’s ridiculously early, no one has a higher percentage of fairways hit (76.79) and greens in regulation (84.03) through six events. To be fair to him, his ball-striking was tiptop throughout last season, so he hasn’t relented.

Brice Garnett(+350 for a Top 20) … As a Sleeper for this tournament in 2019, he delivered a T11, yet it’s just his fourth-best performance in seven appearances. His comfort in these climes has extended to Corales where he broke through on the PGA TOUR in 2018 and finished T8 in March of 2021. He’s also capitalized on the paspalum in Puerto Rico with a 5-for-5 record punctuated by a T5, also earlier this year. All present as evidence for how and where he picks his spots; he doesn’t profile as streaky. The comparatively short-hitting 38-year-old ranked sixth on TOUR in fairways hit last season, 43rd in greens in regulation and 31st in Strokes Gained: Putting.

James Hahn(+550 for a Top 20) … It’s been over a year now since he strung together three top 10s that lopped off chunks of the target to fulfill his Major Medical Extension, which he did later en route to a return to the FedExCup Playoffs, but he hasn’t connected as much as a pair of top 40s since. The drought is poised to end at Mayakoba where he finished T28 in 2018 and his skill set can shine. Finished T15 in his last start at Narashino and concluded last season ranked T15 on TOUR in ball-striking. Turns 40 today, Nov. 2.

Sam Ryder(+700 for a Top 20) … The fifth-season product out of Stetson University took last week off after rising for a T7 at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. It was his fifth top 10 of 2021. His quietly balance attack has yielded four consecutive season-ending FedExCup rankings from 101st-112th and five podium finishes with at least one every season. With the momentum of his last start and rest since returning from Japan, and that he’s positioned to parlay the experience of four previous trips to Mayakoba into another payday, it’s all but a gimme that he’ll record his first top 50 on the course, but the prop for a top 20 is aggressive.

Odds were sourced on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. For live odds, visit betmgm.