Spring Training games are blooming as the PGA Tour kicks into full gear, going south of the border to the Club de Golf Chapultepec, in Mexico City, for their portion of the World Golf Championship.
Club Chapultepec logs in at a hefty 7,276 yards with a par of 71 and featuring three monster par fives of 625 yards, 622 yards, and 575 yards, with four threes, and the balance of par fours ranging from 316 to 505 yards. However, with the course at an elevation of 7,500 feet, the ball should indeed carry. Still, it is the big hitters I will be looking at.
Don’t forget you can join a foursome playing the DraftKings Weekly Hybrid PGA.
Phil Mickelson ($9300): What can I say? Manlove? It is just tough to be against at least the possibility that Phil might miss a cut (though he did once this year), especially when there is no cut. Still, six-for-seven in cuts along with four top 10s and an 87.4 point average is good enough for me.
Bubba Watson ($8900): A resurgent Bubba, with a win at the Genesis a few weeks back, was a disappointment for me last year, but, truth is, apparently health issues were dogging the likable lefty. Even before his struggles, Watson was among the biggest hitters, ranking #13 at distance with a 311 yard average.
Alexander Noren ($8800): Boy is Noren, who finished third last week at the Honda, as hot as they get. The Swede has made nine cuts of nine tries and has a pair of top10s to go with a 77 point average. And Noren ranks 55 at distance but still can average a 300-yard poke, so there you go.
Tony Finau ($8500): Finishing just behind Watson at the Genesis a couple of weeks back, Finau is averaging 78.1 points per week, and has three top10s among his eight tries this season. And, at 327 yards, Finau leads the tour in distance from the box.
Charl Schwartzel ($7400): Though I tried to budget largely through the middle of the financial pack, Schwartzel still makes a solid enough selection, albeit a lower-end one this week. Schwartzel had made seven straight cuts this season, though with no top10s. Still steady is good, cuts or not. The South African averages 297 yards a drive, placing him at the #97 slot.
Charlie Hoffman ($7300): In the tighter field of 65, Hoffman, like Schwartzel, is pretty steady with six cuts of seven tries and a 65.7 point average per week. Hoffman has a 300.9 yard average off the tee, good for #54 among the pros, so as a bargain pick Charlie makes sense.
