The PGA Tour coming off a week off, heads to sunny Cabo San Lucas this week for the World Wide Technology Championship, hosted at El Cardonal at Diamante.
With the last two winners of this event eclipsing -24, we are sure to see a shootout in the sun! This layout features wide fairways, Paspalum greens which are very receptive, and Pacific Ocean backdrops.
If the wind stays down, these players can score on this course as they have the past couple seasons. Players who control their ball in the wind and roll it confidently on large greens should compete this weekend.
El Cardonal is a par-72 course stretching roughly 7,452 yards, set on the Baja Peninsula overlooking the Pacific. It is a course designed by Tiger Woods, and it reflects his preference for strategy and risk-reward play.
The fairways are wide, but misses can put players at a disadvantage. This is one of the events that does not have shot link data from the PGA Tour, so the data we do get is minimal.
The greens themselves are large, and players who are good putters on Paspalum will have a slight advantage this weekend. Players who can control their irons in the wind and land with some proximity will also be at an advantage. Par-4 scoring will be critical here, and players must avoid bogeys at all costs!
Success at El Cardonal will likely come down to a few measurable traits:
● Birdie-to-Bogey Ratio – This is one of the strongest indicators of success at El Cardonal. Players who minimize mistakes, even making more birdies than pars, will be able to separate quickly in a tournament where the winning score will likely exceed -20.
● Birdie Average / Birdie or Better % – With reachable par-5s and short par-4s, you have to capitalize on scoring chances.
● Strokes Gained: Total – Overall form still matters, and SG: Total captures the best all-around performers. Consistency off the tee, solid ball-striking, and putting confidence can be a big factor when there is a large group with low numbers.
● Other key stats to consider (3-Putt Avoidance & Greens in Regulation %).
Garrick Higgo — $9,300
Higgo has quietly found form again as we stepped into September. Reeling off a T7, 2, and T4 in his last three PGA events, he is poised to finish his 2025 strong. His combination of distance and ball-striking fits perfectly at El Cardonal. He’s proven he can go low in birdie-fests, and his last win was at Corales Puntacana, another resort-style course!
Thorbjørn Olesen — $9,200
Olesen is an aggressive player who can compete on scoring courses. His results have been unconscious, and thus, he must be on my card this week. He has finished inside the top 20 in six of his last eight events! In this field, over their last 20 rounds, he ranks the 8th best total strokes gained per round.
Pierson Coody — $8,600
If Pierson can hit his putts, he will finish inside the top 40, if not 30! Pierson is coming off three strong performances, all inside the top 15, two of which were PGA events. He has finished inside the top 25 in five of his last eight events. He has been excellent off the tee. If he can find his range, he can compete!
Nico Echavarría — $8,500
Echavarría has been trending upward, coming off a 9th-place finish at the Baycurrent. He has finished inside the top 22 in four of his last eight events. What I love about Nico is that he always shows up in resort-style courses, and he finished last season very strong!
Johnny Keefer — $7,900
Keefer is one of the top young talents coming off a stellar Korn Ferry season where he picked up multiple wins and posted elite scoring averages. To say Keefer dominated his last year and a half of golf would be an understatement. In his first PGA event, he finished T13, and he has all the skills to compete here!
Adam Svensson — $6,500
Having to find someone in this price range was relatively easy for me here. Svensson has had lots of success when priced in this range, and he has had good success at this course. His finishes of T39 and T45 would work just fine here for us. He is coming off a T56 and has a chance to make another cut here!
Keefer’s red-hot Korn Ferry form makes this an attractive play. I even love his +100 to finish top 30 on Bet365, but BetRivers is offering a fair price for top 40.
His results have been on the Korn Ferry Tour, but he is coming in finishing T12, 7th, Cut, T4, T15, Cut, T7, and 1st in his last eight events. He’s a proven winner at the developmental level with a calm demeanor and an ability to score low!