The OHL Classic at Mayakoba may not have the strongest field year in and year out, but find me a better course name than El Camaleon on the PGA Tour calendar. This year’s tournament will be on The Chameleon and will feature a very top-heavy field that includes Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Tony Finau, and Gary Woodland.
You can take those guys if you’d like, but we’re always on the lookout for those bargain bin prices on players with upside.
Here are the value picks for this week’s OHL Classic:
Pat Perez ($7,700) – Coastal courses seem to play well for the older crowd and that includes 42-year-old Pat Perez. Perez skipped last week’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open to give himself a week after returning from the Asian swing to get ready for this event. Perez won this tournament two years ago and it has been a bit of a theme to see older players take down this title. Perez is one of eight players on the plus side of 30 to win this event in its 11 years. Perez did have a couple of wayward rounds on the Asian swing, as he fired an 80 in the third round at Sheshan and followed it up with a 74, but he was seventh at the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges, so the trip wasn’t a total loss. He’s a past winner here and is quite a ways down the salary board.
Bud Cauley ($7,200) – Bud Cauley was solid for us last week at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open by finishing tied for 10th with a score of 14-under. He struggled in the first round with a 72, but he fired 66-67-65 after that and only had six bogeys over 72 holes. Cauley last played this event in 2017 and missed the cut with a score of 1-under par. Cauley was really strong around the greens last week in Vegas and that is a big help here at Mayakoba. The fairways are rather forgiving, but this tournament is about making up strokes and scrambling around the dance floor, especially if the wind picks up. Cauley should be in good shape for that type of event. He’s only had one really bad round out of his eight so far this season.
Scott Brown ($6,800) – We’re digging really deep this week to find Scott Brown. Brown is 0-for-2 on cuts made this season, but he hasn’t played bad. He’s been 2-under in both events after 72 holes, but just wasn’t able to get above the chopping block. This has been a really good course and event for the 35-year-old. Brown tied for sixth last year at Mayakoba. Two years ago, he tied for 55th at 5-under, but was 6-under through 36 holes. Three years ago, Brown tied for fifth. Four years ago, Brown was in a good position after 54 holes, but shot a 1-over 72 on Sunday to drop to 16th. He’s a tremendous value play this week in a horse for course sense.
Carlos Ortiz ($6,700) – Carlos Ortiz is one of two Mexican graduates of the Web.com Tour to be in the field this week. Ortiz struggled last week at TPC Summerlin, but it’s fair to say that he may have been looking ahead to one of the two events held in Mexico annually on the PGA Tour. Ortiz played exceptionally well at the Sanderson Farms Championship when he finished third. Ortiz was eighth in the alternate event at Corales Puntacana Resort last year and second in the Bahamas. Coastal courses certainly seem to fit his game.
Scott Piercy ($8,000) – Scott Piercy seems to be in form. He’s got back-to-back top-10 finishes at the CJ Cup and the Shriners Open as he looks to make it three in a row down in Mexico. Piercy didn’t play in this event last year, but he finished fourth two years ago at Mayakoba. Piercy fits the mold as an older guy and those are guys that have had a lot of success at this tournament. This isn’t a course that rewards length off the tee as much as other courses. That’s important for Piercy because he’s not a long hitter, but he traditionally plays in the short grasses. He’s a little pricier than our other options, but he’s worthy of a roster spot this week.
