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DraftKings PGA: Mayakoba Golf Classic Picks and Analysis

By Benjamin Main

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 09: Matt Kuchar of the United States celebrates his birdie with his caddie on the 15th green during the second round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic at El Camaleon Mayakoba Golf Course on November 09, 2018 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 09: Matt Kuchar of the United States celebrates his birdie with his caddie on the 15th green during the second round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic at El Camaleon Mayakoba Golf Course on November 09, 2018 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – NOVEMBER 25: Matt Kuchar of the USA plays a shot during day four of the 2018 World Cup of Golf at The Metropolitan on November 25, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) /

DraftKings PGA: Mayakoba Golf Classic Picks and Analysis

This week the PGA Tour returns from its Asia swing, landing in Mexico at El Camaleon. In case you forgot, the Mayakoba Golf Classic was the infamous site of the Matt Kuchar snub of El Tucan. Kuchar pledged $5,000 to El Tucan for his efforts, despite winning the tournament and taking home over 1 million dollars in prize money. I am intrigued to see who Kuchar has on the bag this week. But I digress.

El Camaleon is a paltry 6,987 yard par-71. Emphasis is placed on accuracy off the tee, as there are plenty of hazards to be had. Ball-strikers who are accurate off the tee should have success this week. Looking at the past leaderboards, accuracy has won out. El Camaleon Golf Club has hosted this event since 2007. This is one of the shortest courses on the PGA schedule. The course, situated on the Mexican coast just south of Cancun, can play difficult if the winds pick up. But typically this event plays as one of the easiest courses on the PGA schedule. Since 2014, the average winning score is 20-under. Kuchar posted a 22-under in route to victory last year. Patton Kizzire fended off Rickie Fowler for his first career PGA Tour victory in 2017.

In order to master El Camaleon, golfers will have to be accurate off the tee. The fairways are average in terms of width, but they are lined with native fescue that is extremely challenging. The key to success in the past has been keeping drives in the short grass. The course is only 6,900 yards, so some pros may only hit driver on a couple holes. Length off the tee does not do much for you at this course, but we have seen it in the past where big hitters succeed on short courses. The big hitters may be hitting 2-iron then wedge in, whereas the shorter hitter may need a 3-wood or driver.

We get Seashore Paspalum grasstype this week, which I think should be similar to Bermudagrass based on the location / climate. Speaking of climate, we have no idea what could happen here. If you have been to Cancun, you probably cannot remember whether it was windy or not. The course is on the water though, so I assume it will be windier than your average golf course. Keep an eye on weather conditions in case a weather stack precipitates.

Congrats to Tiger Woods on the victory at the Zozo. I was not on the big cat, but a Tiger win is always a community win! Hopefully we am on him for his 83rd! On to the Mayakoba Golf Classic.

 Key Stats

The keys stats that I am focusing on this week for Mayakoba Golf Classic DraftKings PGA GPP contests:

Fairways Gained

Tee to Green Gained

Approach Gained

Birdie or Better Gained

Par 4 Scoring gained

As always, you should be building your own models. FantasyNational.com and FutureOfFantasy.com are great tools to use.