Go low or go home.

That has certainly been the theme – as expected – at the World Wide Technology Championship in Los Cabos, Mexico, where Matti Schmid put up a beautiful 9-under 63 on Friday to move to the solo lead at 17-under.

The German is the halfway leader at El Cardonal, with American Nick Dunlap and Finland’s Sami Valimaki just a shot behind after they followed their Thursday 61s with Friday 67s. Chad Ramey (65) is in fourth at 15-under while Victor Perez (65) and Ryder Cupper Ben Griffin (65) sit well-poised in a tie for fifth at 14-under.

Trevor Cone and Mason Andersen are 13-under while Eric Cole, Justin Lower, Carson Young, Taylor Moore, Francesco Molinari, and Patrick Rodgers round out those in the top 10, all tied at 12-under, five shots off the pace.

With the simple knowledge that “birdies or bust” is the language of the tournament, it’s time to think about who we can look at to make moves on the leaderboard this weekend, and perhaps wager accordingly.

The current odds from DraftKings Sportsbook have Schmid as the betting favorite at +320, with Griffin just behind at +400. Dunlap, chasing a third PGA TOUR win, sits at +550 with Valimaki +750 and Ramey +900. Perez is +1200 but the rest of the field are +3000 or higher.

Perfect weather, coupled with fairways wide enough that a double-digit handicapper can find them at an 80 percent clip, puts Erik van Rooyen’s 27-under total from two years ago under threat.

Here’s a few bets that pique my interest heading into the weekend in Mexico:

Carson Young: Top 10 and ties (+175), Top 5 and ties (+500), Outright (+5000)

Young’s previous trips here have certainly caught my attention despite his less-than-stellar form this season on the PGA TOUR. He was T2 a year ago and ninth the year prior at El Cardonal, so clearly he enjoys the layout. But you might balk at the fact that his only top-five finish this season was a T5 at the John Deere Classic in July, one of just two top 10s. The other came as a T10 in March at the Puerto Rico Open. Hardly an advertisement for this play.

But sometimes, the universe is weird and tries to tell you things. Guess what Young’s previous top 10 was before his runner-up at the World Wide Technology Championship in 2024? A T5 at the John Deere Classic. What I gather from this is that Young doesn’t need to be “in form” to contend on tracks he likes. And this one, he clearly likes, including the Paspalum putting surfaces.

Matti Schmid: Outright (+320)

I know, I know – jumping on the short-priced favorite with 36 holes to go is an easy pick. But sometimes you must trust the numbers you ran before the tournament, and Schmid was on my longshot shortlist to begin the week at +7000 because he can go super low when a course demands it.

His strength is putting, especially in the 10- to 15-foot range, something needed here, and his Proximity to Hole this season ranks 31st on TOUR. In terms of scoring, he is 32nd on TOUR in Birdie or Better Percentage, second if only counting the players in this field. He is bogey-free through 36 holes and has only missed one green each day.

It won’t be easy, but if anyone can run away from the pack, it could be this man, and if he does so on Saturday, these odds will have drifted off on the breeze.

For resources to overcome a gambling problem, call or text 1-800-522-4700 today.