PGA Power Rankings: 2019 World Golf Championships – Mexico Championship

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – MARCH 04: Phil Mickelson shakes hand with Justin Thomas after winning the tournament on an play off hole during the final round of World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship at Club De Golf Chapultepec on March 4, 2018 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

In the ever evolving nature of FantasyCPR, I would like to welcome another new golf article to the mix. We do a lot of DFS site specific coverage, so in an effort to bring in new golf fans, and look at Fantasy Golf as a whole, I am excited to premiere PGA Power Rankings for this weeks World Golf Championships – Mexico Championship.

This will be 2019’s first installment of the acclaimed World Golf Championships series. A star-studded field of PGA and European Tour professionals will tee off on Thursday morning at Club de Golf Chapultepec, in Naucalpan de Juarez, Mexico, just outside of Mexico City. For the first time in weeks, the players should not have to worry much the weather.

This PGA Power Rankings article will cover the top 30 golfers for this event, and with each golfer will come a short blurb with some justification to their respective rankings. Before we do that, let’s touch a bit on the history of the WGC-Mexico, and Club de Golf Chapultepec.

PGA Power Rankings: WGC-Mexico – Course and History

2019 marks the third WGC-Mexico, as this event was previously known as the WGC-Cadillac Championships from 2011-2016. The event as a whole has existed with different sponsors since 1999, and with this being the third year in Mexico, we only have two years of course history to sift through.

Club de Golf Chapultepec is the highest elevation the players will play at on tour. The thin air helps the ball carry bit, much like the ball carries for the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field, and what that does is make a 7,300+ yard, par-71 course play at likely less than 7,000 yards.

The field consists of the top 50 players from the OWGR, combined with the top 30 in the current FedEx Cup standings, and the top 20 players from the European Tour. When the field is finalized, there will be roughly 70 players in all. There is no cut in this event.

Last year, Phil Mickelson was able to hold off Justin Thomas in a playoff, and that was basically the start of Mickelson’s return to good form. He returns looking to repeat, along with 2017 Dustin Johnson, and 2017 runner-up Tommy Fleetwood.

PGA Power Rankings: WGC-Mexico Championship

The following golfers are my top 30 overall. Each golfer will be followed by their official golf world ranking (OGWR) in parenthesis.

30. Kevin Kisner – (47)

Kisner struggled at times last season, but has made every cut since the Mayakoba, and comes into Mexico with a decent record here. He last teed it up at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am two weeks ago, where he tied for 28th. Kisner finished a solo 29th here last year at 3-under, and just missed a top-10 in 2017, with an 8-under score, and a solo 11th place finish.

29. Haotong Li – (36)

Li made some headlines a couple of weeks ago, when a third round 62 highlighted by four eagles propelled him into contention for the Saudi International’s inaugural title. After going back-and-forth with Dustin Johnson all day Sunday, Johnson eventually came out on top, and Li had to settle for second place. He really struggled here last year finishing near the bottom, but his recent form suggests he is a much better player now. Li has seven top-15’s in his last nine starts.

28. Patrick Reed – (15)

Reed continues to be solid off of his 2018 Masters Championship, but the 15th ranked golfer in the world hasn’t cracked a top-10 since October. He recently had back-to-back T-13 finishes at the Sony Open and the Farmers Insurance Open, which was followed with a T-22 at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.  Reed really struggled here at Club de Golf Chapultepec in 2017, finishing +6 and T-61st. 2018 was better but not great, as he finished T-37.

27. Abraham Ancer – (61)

Hype will surround Ancer this week leading up to the tournament, as he has the narrative of playing in his home country. I remember the talk well last year, as he found my DFS lineups, and didn’t quite live up to the expectations. He tied for 52nd at +3, and maybe with that ship already sailed, Ancer can relax and focus on just the golf part this time around. His recent form is shaky with two missed-cuts in his last three events, but he did survive the cut last weekend at the Genesis Open, and finished T-44.

26. Charles Howell – (49)

A late addition to the field, Howell’s solo 6th place finish at the Genesis Open last weekend propelled him into the 49th spot in the OWGR, and will grant him his first trip to the WGC-Mexico. Howell has been as consistent as any since his win at the RSM Classic in November, and his sixth place finish last week gives him three top-10’s, and five top-20’s in his last six events.

25. Jordan Spieth – (25)

Spieth was really starting to look like he was putting it together last week at the Genesis Open, but a 10-over-par 81 on Sunday really stopped that thought quick. It was another solid opening round, followed by a slow demise, for the third week in a row. Once arguably the best putter in the world, Spieth is bound to get to it going at some point, as his problems are clearly just in his head. For what it is worth, he has played well here in Mexico. He finished T-12 in 2017, and T-14 last year.

24. Cameron Smith – (28)

Another first timer for this event, the Aussie Cameron Smith slipped a bit last week at the Genesis Open with a T-49 finish, ending a streak of three straight top-25’s. Going back to the Asian swing, Smith notched a top-10 at the CJ Cup with a T-7 finish, and he also grabbed another top-10 more recently at the Farmers Insurance Open. The 25-year-old keeps getting better, and with favorable conditions this week, he could be right in the thick of things.

23. Matt Kuchar – (22)

Kuchar is still playing solid golf, but he did slip out of the top-25 last week at the Genesis Open for the first time since early November, so there could be some cause for concern. It seemed he had to be more focused on putting the recent controversy surrounding the Mayakoba behind him, than he could be on the tournament. Hopefully it is all behind him this week, as he looks to improve on a less than stellar record here in Mexico. Kuchar cracked the Top-20 in 2017 at 5-under, but last year was not so good. Stats show he didn’t putt very well, as he struggled to +8 and a T-58 finish.

22. Gary Woodland – (23)

You know this is a solid field, if Woodland isn’t quite cracking the top-20. The only thing really holding him back is his sub par performance here the last two years at Club de Golf Chapultepec. He finished even par in 2017, good for a T-38 finish, and struggled to +2 last year, finishing T-50th. On the other hand, since the fall, Woodland has been cruising, and in contention of nearly every tournament he has played. He has seven top-10’s in his last nine starts, which is a pretty incredible stat.

21. Tyrell Hatton – (33)

Typically a European Tour stud, Hatton has played on this side of the pond twice since the end of January. He finished a solid T-15th at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, but failed to fight through the rough conditions at the Genesis Open last week, and missed the cut. Hatton is one of the few however that has played really well here in Mexico the last two years. He finished just one stroke off the lead and T-3 last year at 15-under, and notched another top-10 in 2017, with a solo tenth place finish.

PGA Power Rankings: WGC-Mexico Championship

20. Webb Simpson – (21)

Simpson has played limited golf since the fall, but the 21st ranked golfer in the world has been solid when in action. He shook off the rust a bit at the WMPO, where he was able to land in the top-20, shooting all four rounds under par for the fourth straight tournament he has played. Simpson shot 1-under here last year, and finished T-37th.

19. Patrick Cantlay – (20)

Things were on the up-and-up for Cantlay not too long ago, when he followed up his T-5th at the Hero World Challenge with a T-9 at The Desert Classic. Big things were expected heading into the west coast swing, as he was teeing it up at the courses he grew up on, but things just didn’t work out. He missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open, but was able to bounce back a bit last week at The Genesis Open, tying for 15th. He shot 2-under here in Mexico last year, and finished T-30th.

18. Tiger Woods – (13)

Tiger won this event way back in 2013 when it was still played in Florida, but has yet to compete here at Club de Golf Chapultepec. He played well in his first action of 2019 at the Farmers Insurance Open, highlighted by a 5-under final round, pushing him up to a T-20th. Woods was not in action again until last weeks Genesis Open, where a long Sunday no doubt caught up to him. He shot 6-under in the third round which was technically also on Sunday, but his final round finished +1, which moved him into a tie for 15th place.

17. Hideki Matsuyama – (26)

Matsuyama was one of the more steady players at the Genesis Open last weekend, fighting through the late wind and sloppy first three days. After an opening round of even par, Matsuyama went on to shoot three straight rounds under par, capped by a 4-under final round. The T-9 finish gave him three straight top-15’s. He shot 3-under here in 2017 for a T-25 finish, and was not in the field last year.

16. Sergio Garcia – (29)

There was a lot of talk surrounding Garcia last week, with many experts seeing The Riviera as a place where he would contend for a title. It didn’t quite work out, as Sergio had to bounce back from an opening round +4 to fire a second round -4 just to sneak in the cut line. He shot even par in the final round, and finished T-37th. Well we are in the same boat this week with Garcia, as he has played well in Mexico the last two years as well. Garcia T-7 last year, and T-12 in 2017.

15. Paul Casey – (19)

Casey was on a nice run during the Asian swing and the Sentry TOC, which saw four straight top-20’s, In a rare feat however, he missed the cut at the Sony Open, and subsequently did not return to action until the Pebble Beach Pro-Am two weeks ago. It was a fantastic story there, as Casey wasn’t able to overcome Mickelson despite play being suspended into Monday, and he finished alone in second place. Casey T-25 at the Genesis Open last week, and this will be his third trip to the WGC-Mexico. He grabbed top-20’s both times, with a T-16 in 2017 and a T-12 last year.

14. Marc Leishman – (16)

Another golfer who has had his share of hot streaks over the last year or so is Leishman. This will be his second trip to Mexico for the WGC, as he struggled with the putter a bit last year, and will be looking to improve on his 1-under, T-37 finish. Leishman is six for six making cuts since the fall, and along with his win at the CIMB Classic in October has notched three more top-fives. In fact, with his T-4 last week at the Genesis Open, he now has three top-fives in his last four events.

13. Rafa Cabrera-Bello – (31)

Rafa didn’t make many birdies last week at the Riviera, but was still able to notch another top-25 finish, giving him four straight. Another potential horse for the course this week with the limited sample size we have, Cabrera-Bello came up just short here last year with a T-3 finish, shooting 15-under par. In 2017, he shot even par, and T-38th.

12. Tony Finau – (12)

It will be interesting to see how the players bounce back from the poor weather and scheduling chaos that was the Genesis Open. One of the players most effected by the long Sunday had to have been Finau, as he slowly watched his chances at breaking out of his funk slip away. Finau was 8-under and in contention through two rounds, but +1’s in rounds three and four basically all played on Sunday led to a T-15 finish. He made his debut in Mexico last year, and finished T-27th at 4-under par.

11. Francesco Molinari – (10)

Last years Open Championship champion and European Tour favorite Francesco Molinari has not been in action much in 2019, with his only appearance coming in early January at the Sentry TOC. His T-27 finish there in the small field led his world ranking to drop from six to nine, and inactivity later dropped him to the ten spot. Who knows which Molinari we will see this weekend, but when on top of his game he is among the greats. This is his third trip to the WGC-Mexico. He T-20 here in 2017, and T-25 last year.

PGA Power Rankings: WGC-Mexico Championship

10. Xander Schauffele – (7)

The winner of the last WGC event, which was the WGC-HSBC Championships back in October, is our first golfer cracking the top ten in the power rankings of this weeks highly competitive field. Xander Schauffele has seen his world golf ranking jump three spots from number ten to number seven since the end of 2018, following his second victory of the season at the Sentry TOC. Schauffele made his debut at the WGC-Mexico last year, and was one of the best in the field in strokes gained: tee to green, while finishing T-18 at 7-under par. He is coming off of a T-15 at The Genesis Open, and with two wins already under his belt this season, is always a threat to contend.

9. Rickie Fowler – (9)

Last time Fowler was in action, he somewhat got the monkey off of his back, and came out victorious at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. He battled through rough Sunday conditions to shoot three over par, but it was still enough to hold on, as pretty much everyone else struggled through it as well. Fowler decided to skip the California tournaments the last two weeks, but will be back at it this week at Club de Golf Chapultepec. He tied for 37th here last year at 1-under par, which was a little short of the T-16 he notched in 2017.

8. Tommy Fleetwood – (14)

You have to go back to October of 2018 and the last WGC Championship to find Fleetwood’s last top-10, but he still carries the world’s 14th overall ranking. Fleetwood cracks the top-10 this week coming off of a T-28 at the Genesis Open last week, but it is what he has done here at the WGC-Mexico the last two years that gives him the bump in the rankings. He was the runner-up in 2017, losing by a stroke to Dustin Johnson, and he finished a solid 8-under last year, good for a T-14.

7. Bryson DeChambeau – (5)

Although this is his first trip to Club de Golf Chapultepec and the WGC-Mexico, early talk is that DeChambeau is no doubt among the favorites to contend for a victory this week. Bryson tied for 15th last week at the Genesis Open, as the adverse conditions got the best of him for the most part, or he likely would have been right in the thick of things once again. That T-15 is actually his worst finish in five events this season, and after finding success on his European Tour stint last month that saw a victory in Dubai, he moved all the way up to fifth in the world..

6. Brooks Koepka – (2)

Koepka is still the worlds number two ranked golfer, but the fact that we have not seen much of him as of late makes him this weeks sixth golfer with the hefty competition. He most recently played overseas, where he cracked the top-10 in Dubai with a T-9 finish, but was disappointing at the inaugural Saudi International the following week, where he T-57th. Koepka struggled to a +2 here in Mexico in 2017, which equaled a T-48 finish. He was not in the field last year.

5. Phil Mickelson – (18)

Another week, another course that Mickelson has been victorious at. Last year’s champ and the world’s 18th ranked golfer, Mickelson followed up his win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with a T-37 at the Genesis Open last week. There was little doubt he was rattled by the weather and having to play basically all day on Sunday, because he looked beat when he took his hat off at the end of the final round. It is always tough to go back-to-back years winning an event, but a T-7 in 2017 to go along with the win last year suggests he should be en route to another top-10 this week at the very least.

4. Rory McIlroy – (8)

There was a moment sitting on my couch watching golf all day on Sunday, when I really thought Rory was going to pull out the victory. Justin Thomas was slipping a bit, and McIlroy and others were making the charge, but all ultimately gave way to eventual champion JB Holmes. McIlroy went on to T-4 at 11-under, and lead the field in strokes gained: tee-to-green. That marks three straight top fives for Rory, and although he was not in the field last year, he did T-7 here at the WGC-Mexico in 2017.

3. Dustin Johnson – (3)

Limited sample size course horse, DJ was the champion here at Club de Golf Chapultepec in 2017, and finished T-7 here last year at 12-under. He has played the last two weeks in California on the Tour, after checking out (and winning) the inaugural Saudi International early this month. It was a rough go at the Pro-Am, as DJ seemed to lose interest and drift off into a T-45 finish two weeks ago. Johnson was then able to shake off a rough +2 first round at the Genesis Open last week, and show some life and climb into the top ten. He went -5, -2, -2 to finish T-9, and he looks to carry that momentum into Mexico this week.

2. Jon Rahm – (6)

Even a young buck like Rahm struggled with the long day on Sunday, as an even par round of 71 was the best he could muster up. Like McIlroy, there was a moment where it looked like Rahm was about to make his move, but the wind picking up and the pace of play really killed the momentum. The T-9 finish was Rahm’s sixth straight top-10 which started with a win at the Hero World Challenge, and with this talent, he will no doubt be notching another victory soon. He T-3 here at the WGC-Mexico in 2017, and shot a solid 6-under last year to finish T-20.

1. Justin Thomas – (4)

JT was just one bad three-putt hole down the stretch that cost him dearly. He lipped out twice from short distance, and the look of disbelief on his face was truly tough to watch. Thomas was in good spirits on social media, saying he just couldn’t finish the job in the conditions, and that he will bounce back. There is little doubt in my mind that is 100% true, as Thomas is my pick to win this week. He has finished third or better in his last four tournaments without a victory, so to say he is knocking on the door would be an understatement. Thomas was the runner-up here in Mexico last year losing to Mickelson in a playoff, and he T-5 in 2017, shooting 11-under par. This is his week.

Thanks for stopping by FantasyCPR and checking out our ever expanding PGA coverage. Be sure to keep an eye out for my FanDuel article coming soon, and possibly even more WGC-Mexico coverage if time permits. Please give me a follow on Twitter with the link at the top of the page, and feel free to ask any questions if you wish. Good luck with your Fantasy Golf this weekend!