Sitting just outside the cool kids' club at 53rd on the FedEx Cup Points List, Max Homa is preparing for an important season next year. One that could give him crucial opportunities early, with a strong showing during this fall run. The 35-year-old already posted a T26 in Utah and a T13 in Japan in his first two starts during this alternate season. However, his iron play and short game are terribly suspect, ranking outside the top 100 in both strokes gained metrics. Putting needs to save the day more often than not, and while that has worked to some degree throughout the year, it's much more proficient at tournaments where the winning score stays less than -20 under par. This week's Mexico Open has hit or exceeded that mark in two of the four years played as a PGA Tour stop. Homa could be a decent filler piece with a strong chance of playing all four rounds, but expectations for how high he could climb this leaderboard should be tempered.

After doing just enough to sneak into the top 50 in the FedEx Cup with a decent summer run, Ben Griffin is hitting up the fall events with a trip to Vidanta Vallarta this week to revisit the track where he finished T4 last season. A long course used to be exactly the kind of place where the former Tarheel could flex his muscle, especially when putting was the ultimate decider. However, 2026 has been different than the previous breakout season. The 30-year-old has seen a significant decline in long-iron performance, with a 30% drop since January in strokes gained per shot, greens in regulation, and proximity to the hole from beyond 200 yards from his two-year baseline. Not only that, but despite closing the regular season ranked 45th in strokes gained putting, he lost strokes in four of his final five starts. All of this suggests a hefty amount of work was needed between then and now, which seems far-fetched given the time of year. It's okay to keep Griffin on the shelf this week.

It was a disappointing trip to Japan for Wyndham Clark for the Baycurrent Classic a couple of weeks ago, finishing T63. It was the first appearance in a month, and while the lack of strokes-gained data makes it hard to pinpoint what exactly went wrong, it's easy to assume that the putter wasn't working with the same efficiency that won three times in 2026. The US Open Champion will make his third career appearance this week at the Mexico Open, his first since 2023. He's struggled off the tee at this venue, averaging -0.307 strokes gained over his eight rounds played. Vidanta Vallarta is a bigger ballpark, and the 32-year-old needs his driver to cooperate more to improve his record here, especially when scores reach -20 under par or more. Though he still commands consideration in DFS lineups.

Davis Thompson was on a hot streak going into the Fall Swing. The American golfer had three straight results inside the Top 15 including back-to-back Top 10 efforts. At Asheville, that all changed when Thompson could not get out of his own way in a second round that saw him miss the cut with a 75. Missed putts and errant shots continue to plague him in Utah and especially at the Baycurrent Classic. Thompson opened up with a 73 there and never truly factored into contention. Bermuda could feature its own issues as the golfer averages 29.45 putts per the first two rounds. Add in his 30.4% birdie or better conversion percentage (116th) and Thompson could be one to fade especially from a betting perspective.