Hola, friends and degenerates! This week, the world’s best put California in their rearview mirrors and head south of the border for the first World Golf Championship of the calendar year — the WGC-Mexico Championship.
Last year, Phil Mickelson ended a 101-start winless streak by taking down Justin Thomas in a playoff. This year, Lefty heads to Club de Golf Chapultepec having already picked up a win on the campaign. He’s simply looking to stay hot in Mexico.
Speaking of Justin Thomas, he’s looking to rebound from a disappointing final round at the Genesis Open last week and seeking some redemption here after his aforementioned playoff loss last year.
For bettors, the WGC events always offer a unique opportunity. Short fields with no cuts mean the odds of making some serious cash improve immensely.
So, who will be pounding celebratory tequila shots on Sunday night? Here’s a look at your can’t-miss, sure-fire, no-doubt, mortal locks for the WGC-Mexico Championship:
WGC-Mexico Championship
Club de Golf Chapultepec – Mexico City, Mexico
February 21 – 24, 2019
(Courtesy: GolfOdds.com)
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ODDS to Win:
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| Dustin Johnson | 10/1 |
| Justin Thomas | 10/1 |
| Rory McIlroy | 12/1 |
| Jon Rahm | 16/1 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | 16/1 |
| Rickie Fowler | 18/1 |
| Brooks Koepka | 20/1 |
| Tiger Woods | 20/1 |
| Xander Schauffele | 25/1 |
| Tony Finau | 25/1 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | 25/1 |
| Jordan Spieth | 30/1 |
| Phil Mickelson | 30/1 |
| Marc Leishman | 30/1 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | 30/1 |
| Paul Casey | 30/1 |
| Patrick Cantlay | 30/1 |
| Webb Simpson | 30/1 |
| Gary Woodland | 40/1 |
| Bubba Watson | 40/1 |
| Sergio Garcia | 40/1 |
| Francesco Molinari | 50/1 |
| Matt Kuchar | 50/1 |
| Patrick Reed | 50/1 |
| Rafael Cabrera Bello | 50/1 |
| Cameron Smith | 50/1 |
| Charles Howell III | 50/1 |
| Ian Poulter | 50/1 |
| Haotong Li | 60/1 |
| Henrik Stenson | 60/1 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | 60/1 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | 60/1 |
| Alex Noren | 80/1 |
| Byeong Hun An | 80/1 |
| Matt Wallace | 80/1 |
| Shane Lowry | 80/1 |
| Matthew Fitzpatrick | 80/1 |
| Lee Westwood | 80/1 |
| Billy Horschel | 80/1 |
| Russell Knox | 80/1 |
| Branden Grace | 100/1 |
| Thorbjorn Olesen | 100/1 |
| Joost Luiten | 100/1 |
| Keegan Bradley | 100/1 |
| Kevin Kisner | 100/1 |
| Emiliano Grillo | 80/1 |
| Chez Reavie | 100/1 |
| Tom Lewis | 100/1 |
| Abraham Ancer | 125/1 |
| Kevin Na | 125/1 |
| Aaron Wise | 125/1 |
| Danny Willett | 125/1 |
| Lucas Bjerregaard | 150/1 |
| Eddie Pepperell | 150/1 |
| Patton Kizzire | 150/1 |
| Kiradech Aphibarnrat | 150/1 |
| Shubhankar Sharma | 150/1 |
| Aaron Rai | 150/1 |
| Kyle Stanley | 200/1 |
| Alexander Bjork | 200/1 |
| Shugo Imahira | 250/1 |
| David Lipsky | 250/1 |
| Richard Sterne | 250/1 |
| Erik Van Rooyen | 300/1 |
| George Coetzee | 300/1 |
| Satoshi Kodaira | 300/1 |
| Sanghyun Park | 300/1 |
| Jake McLeod | 300/1 |
| Shaun Norris | 300/1 |
| Matthew Millar | 300/1 |
| Adrian Otaegui | 250/1 |
| Ryan Fox | 150/1 |
Mortal Locks:
Dustin Johnson – The 2017 winner of this event may be the favorite this week, but he’s still worth putting your money on. Johnson’s scoring average of 67.73 is a testament to the fact that he loves this golf course — and you know how I feel about horses for courses. At 10/1, DJ is about as sure a thing as there is this week south of the border.
Rory McIlroy – If he can ever get the putter going in the right direction consistently, McIlroy will be a force once again. He’s opened the season T-4, T-5, T-4, so he’s trending in the right direction for sure. We saw a flash of that brilliance at Riviera on Saturday. Hopefully for McIlroy and his fans, it’s a sign of things to come. At 12/1, this could be the week the Irishman returns to the top.
Best Bets:
Marc Leishman — Don’t sleep on Big Leish this week. The Aussie talent has very quietly been playing some great golf in the early part of 2019 and looks to keep it going at Club de Golf Chapultepec. In his last seven starts, Leishman has collected five top-4 finishes, including a T-4 last week at Riviera. At 30/1, he’s impossible to ignore.
Rafael Cabrera Bello — Now, I wouldn’t exactly say Rafael Cabrera Bello is a powder keg waiting to explode or anything, but he has been playing solid enough golf and is getting great odds this week at the WGC-Mexico championship. Those two points of fact are enough have me intrigued. Cabrera Bello is 5-5 this season with four top-25 finishes. He returns to this event seeking a little redemption after missing last year’s playoff by a single stroke. At 50/1 the Spaniard is a great sleeper.
Fun Under $5:
Matt Kuchar – Already a winner in Mexico on the 2018-19 season, Matt Kuchar is my out-on-a-limb bet this week at the WGC-Mexico Championship. Despite winning twice already this year, Kuchar hasn’t been quite as sharp in recent weeks. Up against a short field at the Club de Golf Chapultepec, Kuchar at 50/1 is a great choice.
There you have it, friends and degenerates. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to find my sombrero and passport. Win, lose or draw I’m long overdue for good night’s sleep on a beach in Tijuana.
Until next time, go and choose wisely…
-Golfstradamus.
