Andrew Novak claimed victory on Sunday at the Mexico Open and the PGA Tour stays south of the border for a second tournament - the World Wide Technology Championship, which takes place at the El Cardonal at Diamante in Los Cabos.
Again, with the end of 2026 in sight, many of the PGA Tour's bigger names will be sitting this one out, but a host of young hopefuls are looking to follow in last year's winner Ben Griffin's footsteps by claiming a breakthrough Tour victory.
Plenty of FedEx Cup points, which could come in handy once 2027 kicks into gear, will be up for grabs and a fast start will be essential for those looking to make their mark.
The first-round leaders carded rounds of 61 last year, so expect a competitive first day, and we have three selections who could head into Friday at the top of the leaderboard.
World Wide Technology Championship First-Round Leader Tips Summary
Best bet - Kristoffer Ventura each-way @ 45/1
Alternative bet - Jackson Suber each-way @ 45/1
Alternative bet - Taylor Moore each-way @ 70/1
World Wide Technology Championship Prediction
Best bet - Kristoffer Ventura each-way @ 45/1
Novak won by five shots last week at Vidanta Vallarta, but Kristoffer Ventura was among his closest competitors, and he can build upon that this week.
He heads to Los Cabos in excellent form after his closing 63 helped him finish strongly after starting the final round 11 shots off the pace.
That was his fourth top-five finish of the year if you include the second-place finish he posted at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a pairs event in which he partnered fellow Norwegian Kristoffer Reitan.
Ventura has posted just one opening round in the 70s in his last seven efforts and his Thursday 64 here 12 months ago deserves respect as it was only three behind the blistering pace set by Sami Valimaki and Nick Dunlap.
He finished 27th on that occasion, but he could fly out of the blocks as he rides last week's momentum.
Alternative bet - Jackson Suber each-way @ 45/1
Jackson Suber has had a decent year, registering three top-10 finishes and his performances have been characterised by some strong starts.
Since the beginning of May, he has started with a round in the 70s just twice. One of those was at the US Open at Shinnecock Hills, where he can be excused for a few nerves in what was only his second Major appearance.
The 27-year-old sits sixth in the first-round scoring averages and bounced back from the Thursday 72 he fired at the Baycurrent Championship with a 66 at last week's Mexico Open.
His opening 71 last year left him 10 shots off the pace, but he stormed through the field to finish 11th with a closing 63 so he seems comfortable with the layout and a strong start can be anticipated this time.
Alternative bet - Taylor Moore each-way @ 70/1
Taylor Moore posted his best result since March when finishing third at the weather-affected Bermuda Championship.
He sits fourth in the first-round scoring charts and got off to a swift start at Port Royal GC with a 65.
Moore finished a creditable 21st in this tournament last year and this looks like a good chance for him to build on that strong recent showing.
Key Tournament Stats
El Cardonal at Diamante, which was designed by Tiger Woods, first staged the World Wide Technology Championship in 2023
The par 72 course features the traditional four par threes and four par fives and measures 7,452 yards
World number 23 Ryan Gerard is the highest-ranked player in this week's field
Finland's Sami Valimaki and American Nick Dunlap were joint first-round leaders 12 months ago when they shot rounds of 61
Last year's winner Ben Griffin was four shots behind after the first round but went on to win by two strokes
Kevin Streelman, Tom Whitney and Rico Hoey all shared first-round-leader honours at the venue in 2024
Read more golf betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
