World Wide Technology Championship Betting Preview: Options, Including Favorites Ben Griffin and Ryan Gerard

We need only look at last week’s VidantaWorld Mexico Open as the latest example, as Andrew Novak and his putting ranking of 158th for the season looked like Ben Crenshaw for the first three rounds and cruised to victory.

All of which leads to one very relevant question: How do we identify the individual player who’s going to putt better than everyone else this week? The cliched answer is that it could be literally anybody in the field, but I’m going to play the percentages and target some of the PGA Tour’s better long-term rock-rollers at a place where that talent might offer a bigger payoff. In theory, a poor putter can get hot with the flatstick for a week, but I’d rather bank on a strong putter catching those vibes instead.

There are very few weeks when we get to play a favorite at a number this big, but Ben Griffin (+1400) and Ryan Gerard (+1400) offer some theoretical value at the top of the board, if that’s where you’d like to start your card. Each finished T-4 in his most recent start and when we consider that tourney faves are often half this price, the odds make some sense. The variance factor has me eschewing both, but if you like the idea, at least the price is right.

Similarly, I’ll be avoiding the next 8-10 names on this board, though Keith Mitchell (+3300), Harry Hall (+3000) and Chris Kirk (+4000) hold some interest for me in the top-10/20 finishing position markets. I can make a strong case for Kirk, especially, as an outright, considering he’s been 21st or better in three fall starts so far and owns a fantastic conversion rate, having won a half-dozen times on the PGA Tour.

Instead, I’ll officially start the card with Kristoffer Ventura (+3500), though he’s admittedly a bit short after last week’s share of runner-up honors. With that result, he moved from outside the top-100 on the points list to safely inside that number, clinching his playing status for next season. Which means this week’s performance can go one of two ways: Either a little relaxation and complacency could set in after getting that pressure lifted from his shoulders or he steps on the gas pedal in what is essentially a free-roll situation. I’ll pay to take a chance on the latter.

Like some of those names mentioned above, Ben Kohles (+4000) and Jordan Smith (+4000) also feel more like floor plays than ceiling options, but it’s the group just behind them who really intrigue me.

I’ve been waiting for a week to bet Neal Shipley (+4500) and this is finally the one. He owns three finishes of 16th or better in four fall starts, he’s one of the PGA Tour’s better putters and, quite simply, I still believe he’s got a little star-power which goes hand-in-hand with some win equity. The man who offered the greatest side-eye meme in golf history could be on the verge of bigger and better things.

I’ve written this about Nico Echavarria and I’ve written it about Lee Hodges and I’ve probably written it about a handful of others, as well, but if we’re making a list of the most overlooked/underrated players on the PGA Tour – guys who consistently turn in solid results, but wouldn’t get recognized at your local 19th hole if they were wearing a nametag – then Steven Fisk (+4500) should be included.  A two-time PGA Tour winner at the age of 29 who just posted another runner-up result last week, Fisk is exactly the kind of player some will argue “came outta nowhere” when he starts playing well in some bigger events, despite the fact that he did not, indeed, sneak up on anyone, instead piling up strong results with a low profile.

In addition to being one of the more intelligent and eloquent players on the PGA Tour, I’ve long believed Mackenzie Hughes (+4500) is one of the best fast-greens putters in the big leagues, which doesn’t contrastly mean he’s a poor putter on mid-speed greens. He ranked fourth in putting during last week’s T-4 finish and while it feels too chase-y to back Ventura, Fisk and Hughes from last week’s top-five, I do believe there are some definitive correlations between the two Mexico-based events.

Look, if we’re picking one player to out-putt everyone else in the field, it would make sense that we go with Denny McCarthy (+5500), who’s annually one of the best in the game. That includes this season, when the rest of his previously burgeoning ball-striking skills seemed to have left him for much of the year, but he’s found a little something recently. It would hardly be a surprise to see his first victory happen in what turns into a putting contest.

There’s a lot to like about Beau Hossler (+6000) this week. In the last three years at this event, he’s finished T-15, T-20 and T-17. He also happens to rank inside the top-10 on the PGA Tour in putting this season, at times displaying a streakiness which can lead to going low in a hurry. The only drawback? If we’re betting this five-time runner-up in the outright market, we’re doing so knowing he’s yet to win in 256 career starts. Even so, there’s reason for some optimism at this one and this ranks as one of my favorite plays on the board.

If you backed Taylor Moore (+6000) in the betting markets last week, you were simply refunded the wager after his pre-tourney WD. If you played him in DFS, though, it represented a big fat goose-egg for the week. Because of that, some might be reticent to play him here, but he’s still fresh off a title contention in his most recent start, which – like Ventura – helped ease the pressure of getting his card for next season.

I was more bullish on Luke Clanton (+6600) last week, though I can’t help but notice his top-30 finish somehow resulted in a 40 percent increase in price. At the very least, this is a good number.

Same goes for Kevin Roy (+6600), who like others on this list, still feels like more of a floor staple than a ceiling reach.

It’s a recurring theme for this week’s preview, but again, if I’m delving into the longshots, then I want some guys who can get red-hot with the putter. A.J. Ewart (+10000), Chad Ramey (+10000) and Hayden Springer (+10000) fit the profile perfectly. We haven’t had a winner here with triple-digit odds since Brendon Todd in 2019, though this is the type of place where it’s a viable scenario. It doesn’t have to be some massive stake, obviously, but these are exactly the types of players who could flourish this week.

And two more just a bit further down the list: Former champion Matt Kuchar (+15000), whose SG: Putting number of .490 would rank 11th on the PGA Tour if he had enough starts, and Davis Riley (+20000), who, strangely enough, owns that exact same putting stat. On a week when so many contenders will be searching for a first win, finding a couple of guys deep into the triple-digit range who have multiple wins on their resumes could be beneficial.