This article is part of our FantasyDraft PGA series.
WGC-MEXICO CHAMPIONSHIP
Mexico City
Club de Golf Chapultepec - Par 71 - 7,330 yards
Field - 65 entrants
Purse - $10M
The Preview
Situated just outside of Mexico City at more than 7,500 feet above sea level, the Club de Golf Chapultepec will play host to the first World Golf Championship event of 2018 as a majority of the OWGR's top-50 are slated to tee it up. The elite 65-entrant field calls for the absence of a 36-hole cut, so everyone will be playing four rounds this week. Chapultepec's aforementioned elevation will certainly play a role, as the thin air will reduce the lofty yardage of the par-71 layout seen on paper. The course features tight fairways, Poa (mixed with bent) greens and just three par-fives, placing an emphasis on driving accuracy as many players could be forced to leave the driver in the bag as they elect to hit long irons off the tee instead. Other key statistics include the usual SG: Tee-to-Green, par-breakers and SG: Approach. Look for the field's best iron players to have the upper-hand here. As for the weather, expect near-perfect scoring conditions with sunny skies for a majority of the week, high temperatures reaching 80 degrees and very little wind.
Past Champions
2017- Dustin Johnson
2016 - Adam Scott
2015 - Dustin Johnson
2014 - Patrick Reed
2013 - Tiger Woods
2012 - Justin Rose
2011 - Nick Watney
2010 - Ernie Els
2009 - Phil Mickelson
FantasyDraft Value Picks - based on $100,000 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Dustin Johnson - $17,900
The defending champion was victorious at the inaugural WGC-Mexico Championship held at the Club de Golf Chapultepec last year, and he's maintained the No. 1 spot in the OWGR ever since. He's currently leading the PGA Tour in birdie average with just over five per round, while he's also first in par-five scoring and second in par-four scoring. Johnson's natural power should allow for him to combat the tight fairways with plenty of long irons off the tee as he won't need driver to keep up.
Tommy Fleetwood - $16,400
Fleetwood was runner-up to Johnson by just one stroke at the WGC-Mexico Championship in 2017, despite missing the cut in two of his three starts prior to the event. This time around, he's up to a career-best 11th in the OWGR and has finished top-six five times in his last six starts. The Englishman ranks second on Tour in SG: Tee-to-Green, 13th in driving accuracy and first in average distance from the edge of the fairway. Fleetwood could very well end up in the winner's circle if he's able to figure out his putting on these sometimes tricky greens.
Alex Noren - $15,700
Noren, who owns a pair of top-three finishes in his past four starts, has a chance to surpass Henrik Stenson as the top Swede in the OWGR. Noren ranks top-12 in total driving, SG: Approach and SG: Putting as he's up to third on Tour in SG: Total.
Glue Guys
Patrick Cantlay - $15,100
As the Club de Golf Chapultepec draws numerous comparisons to Riviera Country Club, Cantlay's top-five performance at the Genesis Open becomes more notable. He was the leader in GIR percentage and ranked seventh among the field in SG: Approach at the event, which could translate to success in his first career appearance at the WGC-Mexico Championship.
Xander Schauffele - $14,300
Schauffele was another top-10 performer at the Genesis Open hosted by Riviera, where he carded 19 birdies in four rounds en route to his second consecutive top-20 finish. Schauffele pounds the ball off the tee, so we could see him afford to sacrifice distance for accuracy with long irons and hybrids in Mexico. He's also second on Tour in par-five par-breaker percentage.
Ross Fisher - $14,200
A staple on the European Tour, Fisher has finished runner-up in three of his past seven starts worldwide. The 27th-ranked player in the OWGR posted a T3 result at the WGC-Mexico Championship last year when he finished top-five among the field in both GIR percentage and SG: Putting. Throughout the Euro Tour's 2017 season, Fisher ranked fourth in GIR percentage and ended sixth in the Race to Dubai.
Bargain Bin
Kevin Chappell - $14,100
Not a bad price for someone who ranks fourth on Tour in SG: Tee-to-Green and 10th in scrambling, but he'll need to improve with the flat stick in order to have any shot at winning this week. Despite his putting troubles, Chappell has managed to finish top-20 in five of his past eight starts due to such quality ball-striking. He also ranks 14th in par-four par-breaker percentage.
Dylan Frittelli - $13,800
Frittelli, who finished T4 at the DP World Tour Championship before winning the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open near the end of 2017, has posted six consecutive top-20s to move inside of the top-50 in the OWGR for the first time in his career. The South African finished T5-T6 at the Maybank Championship and Omega Dubai Desert Classic before placing 11th stateside at the Honda Classic last week, where he ranked fifth in SG: Off-the-Tee and T4 in birdies made with 15.
Joost Luiten - $12,700
Luiten is up to ninth in the European Tour's Race to Dubai after his win at the NBO Oman Open followed a T11 at the Maybank Championship. During his 2017 campaign, the 32-year-old Dutchman ranked 12th in stroke average, 45th in driving accuracy and 29th in GIR percentage. He also has experience at Chapultepec, finishing T25 at the venue in 2017.
