World Wide Technology Championship 2025 Betting Tips: Five spicy picks for Mexico

The PGA Tour begins its final three-event stretch of the season in Mexico this week, with the World Wide Technology Championship at El Cardonal.

Our resident golf tipster Jamie Worsley is back with five more value each-way picks this week, so let's check out his World Wide Technology Championship 2025 Betting Tips here at Betfred Insights...

*You can bet on the tournament and check out the latest World Wide Technology Championship Odds over on betfred.com

For the majority in action, the next three weeks are all about survival, with the top 100 on the FedExCup standings at the end of the RSM Classic in two weeks' time retaining full playing privileges for 2026, and those from 101–125 receiving conditional status.

It ensures drama of the highest order until the very last putt of the season is holed, with heartache and elation expected in equal measure over the coming weeks.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

The World Wide Technology Championship (formerly the Mayakoba Classic) was first staged in 2007. Every edition has been held in Mexico, with El Camaleon Golf Course hosting from 2007-2022 before El Cardonal at Diamante took over in 2023.

Recognisable names such as Harris English (2013), Graeme McDowell (2015), and Matt Kuchar (2018) have all recorded wins in this event. However, there has been just one repeat winner, as Viktor Hovland claimed back-to-back victories in 2020 and 2021.

Last five winners:

• 2024 (El Cardonal)

Winner: Austin Eckroat (-24)

Runners-up: Justin Lower, Carson Young (-23)

• 2023 (El Cardonal)

Winner: Erik Van Rooyen (-27)

Runners-up: Matt Kuchar, Camilo Villegas (-25)

• 2022 (El Camaleon)

Winner: Russell Henley (-23)

Runner-up: Brian Harman (-19)

• 2021 (El Camaleon)

Winner: Viktor Hovland (-23)

Runner-up: Carlos Ortiz (-19)

• 2020 (El Camaleon)

Winner: Viktor Hovland (-20)

Runner-up: Aaron Wise (-19)

Austin Eckroat won in style last year, shooting a superb nine-under 63 in the final round to see off Justin Lower and Carson Young by one shot. He returns to defend this week.

THE COURSE

The El Cardonal course at Diamante opened in 2014 and was the first completed golf course designed by Tiger Woods. Located on Mexico's west coast, it is somewhat of a tribute to the courses he played during his younger years in Southern California.

It plays as a par 72, measuring 7452 yards and possesses 4x par 3s (154-208 yards), 10x par 4s (344-489 yards), and 4x par 5s (554-601 yards).

El Cardonal is an undulating, hilly and exposed course, with mild elevation changes throughout. Although the fairways are extremely generous – ranking as the easiest to find on the PGA Tour – and there is little rough, the course is penal should you miss the short grass. With arroyos (unforgiving steep-sided gullies that frame most of the holes) providing the main defence around this layout.

The strongly contoured paspalum greens are large but typically receptive and will play at a slow 11 on the Stimpmeter. Many are long and narrow in shape, enabling the use of various testing pin positions, whilst run-off areas and false fronts will leave players with difficult up-and-downs from tightly-mown chipping areas if found.

They have ranked as the third-toughest greens to scramble around on tour. However, also displaying the second-highest greens-in-regulation percentages, it's not a problem that players will often be tasked with overcoming.

With wide fairways, large, easy-to-hit greens, and a bunch of clear birdie chances – including four reachable par 5s and two potentially drivable par 4s (the 351-yard 3^rd and 344-yard 10^th) – there is just not enough at El Cardonal to keep scoring down. The two editions have been won in scores of -24 (2024) and -27 (2023), and without some wind to amp up the challenge, we can expect another birdie-fest in Mexico.

THE WEATHER

Similar to the previous two years, the players are set to be welcomed by warm, bright, and generally calm weather. It is forecast to hit 30°C every day, and with little more than a 7mph breeze to worry about, scoring should again be low.

KEY STATS

• SG: Approach/Proximity from 175-200 yards
• SG: Putting (paspalum)
• Birdie-or-Better %

The lack of strokes-gained data always leaves us a little in the dark with this event. Having said that, as a birdie-fest on a course with wide fairways and large greens, it's safe to say that the key to unlocking El Cardonal lies in the quality of approach play and putting.

Both 2024 winner Austin Eckroat and 2023 winner Erik Van Rooyen had been showing form in approach prior to winning here, as were runners-up Carson Young (2024) and Camillo Villegas (2023). Furthermore, it's also a course where the mid-long irons are the most important, with many approaches falling into that 175-200-yard range.

Many of the main contenders were putting well leading into this event, with particular attention paid to players who have excelled on paspalum greens in the past. Meanwhile, with the score likely to again hit 20-something under par, those who rank highly in birdie-or-better % are respected.

CORRELATING EVENTS (COURSES)

Corales Puntacana Championship (Corales Golf Course)

Like El Cardonal, Corales Golf Course is another wide open, paspalum-covered venue with extremely generous fairways – which rank as the third-easiest to find on the PGA Tour – and large greens. With that, it has developed strong form ties with this week's event.

Notable correlating form:

Austin Eckroat:

WWTC (1^st) / Corales (5^th)

Justin Lower:

WWTC (2^nd) / Corales (4^th)

Andrew Putnam:

WWTC (5^th) / Corales (5^th)

Garrick Higgo:

WWTC (6^th) / Corales (1^st)

Wesley Bryan:

WWTC (6^th) / Corales (2^nd)

Sam Stevens:

WWTC (6^th) / Corales (3^rd)

David Lipsky:

WWTC (6^th) / Corales (7^th)

Mackenzie Hughes:

WWTC (7^th) / Corales (2^nd, 3^rd)

Puerto Rico Open (Grand Reserve Country Club)

Staying in the Caribbean, the Puerto Rico Open at Grand Reserve Country Club could prove a useful guide. Although the fairways are narrower there, the lack of punishment off the tee allows players to use driver regularly, whilst the big, slow paspalum greens rank similarly in putting difficulty.

Notable correlating form:

Carson Young:

WWTC (2^nd) / Puerto Rico (3^rd)

Andrew Putnam:

WWTC (5^th) / Puerto Rico (5^th)

Joe Highsmith:

WWTC (5^th) / Puerto Rico (6^th)

Nico Echavarria:

WWTC (6^th) / Puerto Rico (1^st)

Wesley Bryan:

WWTC (6^th) / Puerto Rico (6^th)

Chesson Hadley:

WWTC (7^th) / Puerto Rico (1^st)

Mexico Open (Vidanta Vallarta)

The Mexico Open at Vidanta Vallarta is another obvious route to go down. It is open and exposed, with wide fairways and large paspalum greens. Countless approaches fall into that 175-200-yard range, and it compares closely to El Cardonal in short-game difficulty.

Notable correlating form:

Erik Van Rooyen:

WWTC (1^st) / Mexico (8^th)

Justin Lower:

WWTC (2^nd) / Mexico (3^rd)

Carson Young:

WWTC (2^nd) / Mexico (8^th)

David Lipsky:

WWTC (6^th) / Mexico (6^th)

Bank of Utah Championship (Black Desert Resort)

Having staged just two events of the low-scoring Bank of Utah Championship, the Black Desert Resort is also a relative newcomer to the PGA Tour. With closely-matched driving accuracy, greens-in-regulation, and scrambling percentages to El Cardonal, this exposed course, with its wide fairways, large, sloping greens, and moderate elevation changes, looks an ideal comp for this test.

Notable correlating form:

Justin Lower:

WWTC (2^nd) / Bank of Utah (3^rd)

Carson Young:

WWTC (2^nd) / Bank of Utah (11^th)

Joe Highsmith:

WWTC (5^th) / Bank of Utah (6^th)

Cognizant Classic (PGA National)

I'll finish with Cognizant Classic host PGA National. This coastal venue has some eye-catching crossover form with this week's event, especially since they switched to an easier setup in 2024, which has resulted in the fairways and greens being much simpler to find.

Notable correlating form:

Austin Eckroat:

WWTC (1^st) / Cognizant (1^st)

Erik Van Rooyen:

WWTC (1^st) / Cognizant (2^nd)

Camilo Villegas:

WWTC (2^nd) / Cognizant (1^st)

Justin Suh:

WWTC (4^th) / Cognizant (5^th)

Joe Highsmith:

WWTC (5^th) / Cognizant (1^st)

Ryan Palmer:

WWTC (5^th) / Cognizant (2^nd, 4^th)

Wesley Bryan:

WWTC (6^th) / Cognizant (4^th)

Mackenzie Hughes:

WWTC (7^th) / Cognizant (2^nd)

THE FIELD

This year's dramatic U.S. Open champ J.J. Spaun is the top-ranked player in the field at No. 6, and the only player from inside the world's top 10. There are an additional five players from the top 50, including fellow Ryder Cupper Ben Griffin, and Michael Brennan, who impressed everyone when winning the Bank of Utah Championship two weeks ago on his first PGA Tour start as a professional.

Austin Eckroat returns to defend the title he won last year. He is one of four former winners in attendance, joined by Erik Van Rooyen (2023), Matt Kuchar (2018), and Patton Kizzire (2017).

The leading player on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2025 Johnny Keefer receives a sponsors exemption; as does current No. 11 amateur Tyler Weaver (son of British jockey Jason Weaver); and Matt Wallace makes the tough decision to tee it up here in an attempt to sure up his PGA Tour status for next year, instead of playing in the more lucrative Abu Dhabi Championship on the DP World Tour.

SELECTIONS 

Market leaders (1/4 5 places): J.J. Spaun 12/1, Ben Griffin 12/1, Si Woo Kim 16/1, Max Greyserman 18/1, Rico Hoey 22/1, Michael Thorbjornsen 22/1

1 pt Johnny Keefer each-way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 50/1

Johnny Keefer has torn it up on the Korn Ferry Tour this season, and before bringing his talents to the PGA Tour full-time in 2026, he gets another taster of what awaits in Mexico this week. The youngster has a strong all-round game and after seeing what Michael Brennan achieved at the very beginning of his own PGA Tour career just two weeks ago, I fancy him to produce a similarly bold showing at El Cardonal.

Keefer turned pro in June 2024 following a strong amateur career that took him to No. 24 in the rankings. He initially teed it up on the PGA Tour Americas, winning once and hitting the top 10 in all bar one of his 10 starts.

That earned him the step up to the Korn Ferry Tour this season and he has again taken this upgrade in his stride, with two wins and several other contending efforts helping him finish top of the Korn Ferry Tour Points List. He broke through on the tour in the Veritex Bank Championship back in April and doubled his tally for the season in the NV5 Invitational in July – each victory coming in extremely low-scoring conditions, with winning scores of -30 (Veritex) and -26 (NV5).

The American ranked among the top players in just about every stat this year. He scored heavier than anyone, ranking 1^st in birdie-or-better % and was also 4^th in total driving, marrying power with accuracy. With additional rankings of 10^th in putting average and 15^th in greens-in-regulation, he's a player who should excel at this course.

Though relaxed about his future, the world's 53^rd-best player still has plenty to play for, with the top 50 in the rankings at year's end earning a highly sought-after Masters Invitation for 2026. That should be more than enough to motivate him and as a proven birdie-fest performer, I expect Keefer to challenge in Mexico.

1 pt Eric Cole each-way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 66/1

Eric Cole is a player who has done much of his best work on the PGA Tour in events where birdies have flowed. He’s recently returned to form in approach after two months of subpar performances, and as a strong putter who went well on his only prior start in Mexico, this looks like the ideal time to strike.

Cole began the season positively, finishing 5^th in the Sony Open on his second start of 2025. He was largely consistent following that, picking up another 5^th-place finish in the CJ CUP Byron Nelson back in May, but he lost complete control of his irons and found top-40 finishes hard to come by.

The clubs sparked back into life at the Wyndham Championship, ranking 8^th. Though due to an unusually poor week on the greens he only managed to finish 74^th. He again hit them strongly in the Sanderson Farms Championship two appearances ago, ranking 11^th, and with the putter cooperating this time – and area in which he ranks 8^th in this field over the last six months – he was able to record a first top-10 since the CJ Cup Bryson Nelson, finishing 9^th.

Cole finished 48^th on his latest start in the Baycurrent Classic, but he signed that event off by hitting more greens than anyone in round four, helping him to a five-under 66. That should give him some momentum entering this week and with finishes of 2^nd in the Cognizant Classic and 5^th in the Mexico Open to his name, he should enjoy what he finds at El Cardonal.

1 pt Matti Schmid each-way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 90/1

Sitting at No. 70 in the FedExCup, Matti Schmid is safe in the knowledge that he’ll again be teeing it up on the PGA Tour full-time next season. He should be in relaxed mood as he arrives here, and with stats and comp form that suggests El Cardonal is a good fit, I’m hoping he can take advantage of this to earn a maiden professional victory this week.

Schmid’s results in 2025 have been all or nothing. He’s missed 12 cuts, but when he has made the weekend he’s often sat near the top of the leaderboard. His best effort came when he finished a close 2^nd to Ben Griffin in the Charles Schwab Challenge, and he’s recorded a further four top-10s, including in the correlating Puerto Rico Open (6^th) and Corales Puntacana Championship (9^th).

He was 14^th two starts ago in the Sanderson Farms Championship and predominantly relied on the putter, ranking 6^th – an area in which he ranks 30^th season-long. However, most promising has been his long-iron play, ranking 1^st from 175-200 yards, and sitting 22^nd in birdie-or-better %, this big-hitter has the firepower to make plenty of birdies around this course.

Despite missing the cut at El Cardonal last year, Schmid did show potential at the venue on debut in 2023, opening with rounds of 65-68 to sit 9^th after 36 holes. He shot a third-round 73 to slide down the leaderboard but responded positively with a 67 in round four to finish 38^th. Having finished 5^th at Black Desert, 6^th and 10^th in Puerto Rico, and 9^th at Corales, I’m certain he has the game to contend here.

1 pt Sami Valimaki each-way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 90/1

I’m going to finish with two players who sit just outside those all-important top-100 positions in the FedExCup, starting with No. 103, Finland’s Sami Valimaki. Although his recent PGA Tour results don’t show it, he’s been playing steady golf of late, and with form not only in Mexico, but on exposed paspalum-covered courses on the DP World Tour, this is a perfect event for him to lock up his place on tour for 2026.

Valimaki was performing consistently at the beginning of the year, missing just three of his first 13 cuts and recording five top-20s, including bests of 4^th in the Houston Open and 7^th in the Myrtle Beach Classic. He has hit a flat spot on the PGA Tour since, picking up just one further top-20 in the Rocket Classic, though his game did appear in good shape on a recent trip to Europe, finishing 2^nd in the European Masters and 8^th in the Danish Golf Championship.

He arrives with form figures of MC-MC-72, but he’s remained in excellent form in approach, ranking 1^st in this field over the last three months, and 18^th season-long on the PGA Tour. He’s been especially strong with the mid-long irons, ranking 18^th from 150-175 yards and 43^rd from 175-200. When combined with being the 10^th-best putter on tour, he’s a strong candidate for this challenge.

Valimaki’s two DP World Tour victories came in Oman in 2020 and Qatar in 2023 – both exposed courses with wide fairways and large, undulating paspalum greens. With that, it’s no surprise that his standout PGA Tour result to date is a 2^nd-place finish in last year’s Mexico Open, further underlying how comfortable he is on the type of layout that awaits at El Cardonal.

1 pt Isaiah Salinda each-way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 100/1

Isaiah Salinda was among my selections on his latest start in the Bank of Utah Championship. Though he ultimately failed to strike a blow, there were plenty of positives to be found. He is hitting the ball strongly at present, and with his best performance of the year coming in the Mexico Open back in February, he should be relishing returning to the country.

Salinda’s rookie season showed promise from the beginning, picking up finishes of 3^rd in the Mexico Open and 11^th in the Houston Open across his first eight starts. He was largely disappointing following that – his results strewn with withdrawals and underwhelming results – but he returned to form in the Procore Championship four starts ago, finishing 13^th.

The Californian was 42^nd two weeks ago at the Black Desert Resort, but he shot every round under par and threatened to play a bigger part. He hit the ball superbly, ranking 1^st in greens-in-regulation and 4^th in ball-striking.

It is the long game that has shone for him throughout 2025, ranking 10^th off-the-tee, 38^th in greens-in-regulation, and encouragingly for this week, he sits 12^th in proximity from 175-200 yards. The putter has been the main hindrance, but he did produce his best putting performance of the season on the paspalum greens in the Mexico Open, ranking 10^th, and he should appreciate this return to a similar surface.

That resulting 3^rd-place finish at Vidanta Vallarta will serve him well and currently sitting at No. 104 in the FedExCup, the talented Salinda has every reason to perform this week.

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