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Leader seeks third PGA Tour title
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Class-act Griffin the most likely challenger
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Too tough to call with 18 to play
09:40 - November 9, 2025
There's just 18 holes to play at the World Wide Technology Championship and after a sensational 11-under-par 61 on Moving Day, Garick Higgo has moved up 14 places to hit the front. Here's the 54-hole leaderboard with prices to back at 9:30.
Garrick Higgo -22 2.466/4
Carson Young -216.611/2
Ben Griffin -20 4.94/1
Chad Ramey -20 11.521/2
Trevor Cone -20 16.015/1
Sami Valimaki -19 23.022/1
Matti Schmid -18 48.047/1
-17 and 120.0119/1 bar
This is only the third time that the World Wide Technology Championship has been staged at El Cardonal so we have very little to go on but for what it's worth, the first two course winners were both trailing by a stroke with 18 holes to play.
Austin Eckroat shot 63 to win by a stroke 12 months ago and Erik Van Royen won by two after he too fired a 63 on Sunday two years ago.
It's tough to make up ground in these low scoring events but as Higgo showed yesterday, it is possible to make a huge move, if the frontrunners stall.
Higgo shot 11-under-par in round three yesterday. The front three at halfway, Matti Schmid, Sami Valimaki and Nick Dunlap, posted a combined five-under.
This is the second time the two-tine PGA Tour winner, Higgo, has led with 18 to play on the PGA Tour and it's the second time in just over a month.
The 26-year-old South African was two clear of the field and trading at around even money at the Sanderson Farms Championship at the start of October but he was beaten by two by Steven Frisk.
Firing a four-under-par 68, Higgo did very little wrong in round four and he finished three clear of the trio of players tied for third, but he couldn't live with Frisk, who posted an eight-under-par 64 on Sunday.
Higgo's two previous PGA Tour wins came from behind. He was third and second with 18 holes to play and he finished one in front of a collection of players on both occasions, but he led by two with 18 to play when he won two of his three DP World Tour titles and he also won a minor tour event in South Africa when leading by two.
He's solid enough in-contention but whether he's a fair price at around 6/42.50 is debatable.
It's always hard to back up a super low round but Higgo has managed it in the past. When he won the Gran Canaria Lopesan Open in 2021 he shot 63-63 on the weekend and two weeks later he shot 64-64 to win the Canary Islands Open.
Ben Griffin is the man the market views most likely to win should Higgo fail and that looks fair.
He's only won one individual event on the PGA Tour so far but he's the class-act in the frame and he looks more likely to put the pressure on than the man in second, Carson Young.
Young was one of the three men tied at the top with 18 to play last year and he didn't do much wrong, shooting 65 on Sunday to finish tied second, beaten by one, but that was by some distance his best effort in-the-mix.
He led the Puerto Open by four at halfway last year but finished third, beaten by five and he led the Myrtle Beach Classic by a stroke with 18 to play in May but finished 13th, beaten by four.
The 30-year-old may well improve greatly on that performance, and he clearly loves this venue, but I can see why he's trading at more than 5/16.00.
Chad Ramey, who like the leader, Higgo, is a winner of the Corales Puntacana Championship, is an interesting runner at a double figure price but I'm happy to leave the event alone now and continue to shout on Valimaki.
The Finn can't be ruled out from three back, although he'll need a special round today if he's going to figure at the finish.
15:15 - November 8, 2025
There's just 18 holes to play at the Abu Dhabi Championship and there's isn't much change at the very top of the leaderboard after round three.
Arron Rai remains in the lead, Tommy Fleetwood trails by a shot, having been tied at the top with Rai after 36 holes, and last night's in-play pick, Nicolai Hojgaard, has gone from tied third and two back to tied second and one back. Here's the latest state of play with prices to back at 15:00.
Aaron Rai -20 3.185/40
Tommy Fleetwood -19 2.982/1
Nicolai Hojgaard -19 5.59/2
Nacho Elvira -18 24.023/1
Andy Sullvan -17 34.033/1
Daniel Hillier -17 34.033/1
Richard Sterne -16 95.094/1
Shane Lowry -15 75.074/1
Keita Nakajima -15 120.0119/1
Jordan Smith -15 160.0159/1
Alejandro Del Rey -15 240.0239/1
Rory McIlroy -14 80.079/1
Tyrrell Hatton -14 110.0109/1
-14 and 220.0219/1 bar
It's always very hard to make up ground in low scoring events like this so it's no surprise to see that the three previous event winners at Yas Links were all up with the pace with a round to go.
Last year's winner, Paul Waring, was leading by a stroke and the first two course winners, Thomas Pieters and Victor Perez, were both trailing by a stroke with 18 to play.
The likes of Rory McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton and the off-the-pace specialist, Kristoffer Reitan, will all feel like they're still in with a shout if they can go super low but in reality, it would be quite a shock if one of the front three didn't close out the event from here.
Having backed Hojgaard at halfway at 14/115.00, I'm happy to stick with what I have.
Rai won the Hong Kong Open by a stroke in 2018 having led by as many as six with 18 to play and he won the Le Vauxhall Golf Challenge on the HotelPlanner Tour in 2017 having been tied for the lead after 54 holes but I can see why the more experienced Fleetwood is trading at a shorter price.
On the last two occasions he's been in front with 18 to play, Rai has finished second, shooting 70 in round four at the Irish Open, after he'd led by one with a round to go and having been tied for the lead through 54 holes at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last year, he lost by a stroke after a 72 on Sunday.
I'm far from convinced Rai will kick on and seal the deal and Fleetwood winning his third event in six starts is a distinct possibility but I don't want to side with him at 2/13.00.
The penultimate three-ball is an interesting group of pre-event outsiders - Daniel Hillier, Andy Sullivan and Nacho Elvira - and one of the trio may well make a big enough early move to throw their hat in the ring but it's very hard to imagine any of the three holding their nerve should they hit the front.
09:30 - November 8, 2025
Pre-event 250.0249/1 chance, Nick Dunlap, was matched at as low as 3.185/40 to win the World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico yesterday after he'd played his first nine holes of round two in six-under-par.
Dunlap had ended day one alongside my Find Me a 100 Winner pick, Sami Valimaki, who started his second round slowly but at the end of the day, the two were back alongside each other on the leaderboard after both men followed up their opening 11-under-par 61s with five-under-par 67s around the very easy Tiger Woods designed El Cardonal Golf Course at the Diamante Cabo San Lucas resort.
With the front two failing to back up their super low starts on Thursday, Germany's Matti Schmid has hit the front after he equalled the best round of the day on Friday - a nine-under-par 63.
Here's the 36-hole leaderboard with prices to back at 9:20.
Matti Schmid -17 4.84/1
Sami Valimaki -16 7.06/1
Nick Dunlap -16 8.07/1
Chad Ramey -15 10.519/2
Ben Griffin -14 6.05/1
Victor Perez -14 15.529/2
Trevor Cone -13 60.059/1
Mason Anderson -13 140.0139/1
-12 and 40.039/1 bar
There have been only two previous renewals at El Cardonal so we don't have much to go on but for what it's worth, the two winners sat fifth and three and four strokes off the lead at this stage.
The two men tied for the lead last year, Max Greyserman and Nico Echavarria, finished fourth and sixth and the man to lead by two at halfway two years ago, Camilo Villegas, finished second.
That isn't great news for Schmid backers and his record when in front after two rounds isn't great either...
The German has never held a clear advantage, but he's been tied for the lead once on the DP World Tour and three times on the PGA Tour and he's yet to convert.
He finished way down in 37th after sitting tied for the lead through 36 holes at the Soudal Open in Belgium back in 2022 but he has been improving since.
On the three occasions he's been tied at the top in the States he's finished eighth, third and second.
He was beaten by three strokes at the Shriners Children Open last year and he was beaten by just a stroke at the Charles Schwab Challenge in May.
The man that beat him that week, Ben Griffin, is the man the market views most likely to beat the German this week, even though he trails him by three with 36 to play.
The world number 12 is the class act on the leaderboard, and he's enjoyed the best year of his career to date, but that victory at Colonial in May remains his only individual title and he was poor in-contention in each of his last two starts.
He finished only second in the Procore Championship in September, having led by three at halfway, and he fell from seventh place at halfway to tied 32nd last time out in the India Championship.
I'm very happy with Valimaki's position at this stage and I was sorely tempted to sit on my hands for now but Dunlap was on my shortlist before the off so I've felt compelled to get him onside at 7/18.00.
Dunlap has been a selection for the Find Me a 100 Winner column a couple of times when conditions have suited and this definitely looked like a week to side with the two-time PGA Tour winner so I'm kicking myself for not backing him before the off at a huge price.
His first success was in The American Express in the Californian desert as an amateur in January last year, where low scores are essential, so a course like this, where accuracy off the tee is unimportant, is perfect for the wayward 21-year-old.
Dunlap ranks way down in 173rd place for Driving Accuracy on the PGA Tour this year but that makes no odds here. These fairways are so wide that they're almost impossible to miss and although his scruffy finish yesterday is a bit of a concern, he looks nicely priced at 7/18.00 given he knows how to win.
Back Nick Dunlap
18:45 - November 7, 2025
The second round of the World Wide Technology Championship is underway in Mexico and I'll take a look at that event tomorrow, once they've reached the halfway stage, but for now I'm concentrating on the week's DP World Tour event - the Abu Dhabi Championship - where five years after they met in a playoff at the Scottish Open, the English pair, Tommy Fleetwood and Aaron Rai, are tied for the lead with two rounds to go. Here's the state of play with prices to back at 18:30.
Tommy Fleetwood -14 2.767/4
Aaron Rai -14 5.49/2
Nicolai Hojgaard -12 14.527/2
Andy Sullvan -12 30.029/1
Richard Sterne -12 36.035/1
Shane Lowry -12 20.019/1
Keita Nakajima -12 32.031/1
Alejandro Del Rey -12 80.079/1
Nacho Elvira -12 100.099/1
Alex Noren -10 32.031/1
Rory McIlroy -8 22.021/1
-10 and 44.043/1 bar
There have only been three previous editions of the Abu Dhabi Championship at the Yas Links, and all three winners were within two strokes of the lead at halfway.
Thams Pieters was tied for sixth and two adrift in January 2022 and Victor Perez was also two back (tied for fourth) in January 2023 but in benign conditions this time last year, the eventual winner, Paul Waring, was five in front at halfway after he'd broken the DP World Tour's 36 hole record, and the course record, having shot rounds of 64 and 61 to get to a staggering 19-under-par.
The market makes Fleetwood the warm favourite and that's perfectly understandable given he's looking to win for the third time in five starts and that he was leading by one at halfway when he won in India last time out and that he was tied for the lead with Russell Henley after 36 holes when he won the Tour Championship in August.
He won nicely at East Lake, but he was trailing by two in Delhi with 18 to play after an ordinary third round and prior to his breakthrough victory on the PGA Tour four months ago, his record was zero from 14 when in front after 36 holes.
Rai has led or been tied for the lead at halfway seven times, and he's gone on to win twice but he was two clear when he won on the HotelPlanner Tour way back in 2017 and four in front when he won in Hong Kong a year later.
On the last occasion he was tied for the lead, at the John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour last year, he finished seventh, beaten by seven.
I'm happy to swerve the front two and at the prices, the one I like at halfway is the 24-year-old Dane, Nicolai Hojgaard.
Hojgaard's first victory was in the Italian Open in 2021 but his next two victories both came in the desert.
He won the Ras Al Khaimah Championship by four strokes three years ago and he won the DP World Tour Championship two years ago so it's no surprise to see him in contention here.
Having starred in the European Ryder Cup team in 2023, Nicolai had to sit and watch his twin, Rasmus, play in this year's winning team and that may well have inspired him.
He's no bigger than 11/112.00 on the High Street so at around 14/115.00 on the Exchange, he strikes me as a very fair price.
Back Nicolai Hojgaard