The Power Fade: 2025 Mexico open
The Approach for Key fades at the 2025 Mexico Open
What’s going on TJ Nation! Ann Arbor's Own Good Ol' AK Allen Klutts here bringing you another edition of the Power Fade: The Fades 8K and Above You Need to Smash Your DraftKings GPP's!
The Iceman's Retribution. Ludvig Aberg shot the back 9 of the year to date at Torrey Pines to snatch the Genesis from Mav McNealy. After getting sick at the Farmers and having a Shakesperian-esque tragedy to finish the event, Ludvig delivered payback and picked up his second career victory.
Onward we go thou, as we head South of the Border. No, I'm not talking that little town tucked between North and South Carolina. I'm talking about Mexico!
Vidanta Vallarta is our host this week for the Mexico Open. A Par 71 playing 7,400 yards, we will see 3 Par 3's and 3 Par 5's. With two extra Par 4's this week, Par 4 Scoring will be paramount to success.
Jake Knapp looks to defend his lone PGA TOUR win, and the PF looks to finish strong on the West Coast Swing. Grab your passports and let's see whom our Power Fades are for the Mexico Open.
Kurt Kitayama ($10,200)
Our first Power Fade of the week is a man the models will be smitten with but in reality isn't worth his lofty price tag. Kurt Kitayama is our first Power Fade of the week at $10,200 on DraftKings.
Why The Fade Works:
As stated above, the models will be falling in love with Kitayama this week. However there are still some stats that are a cause for concern. Remember this is Kitayama at over 10K not his usual home in the Mid 7K to 8K range.
Par 4 Scoring, which will be one of the key stats this week is a weakness for Kitty. Ranking 76th in Par 4 Scoring is troubling, considering we have two extra par 4's this week.
Kitayama also has not been great when it comes to Birdie or Better Gained. Kurt heads to Mexico with a ranking of 68th. Considering that we are going to need about 21-23 birdies to win this week to have a serious chance to win, I'm just not sure Kitty can accomplish this feat.
DraftKings is also a points based game, and Kitayama for all his talents isn't exactly tearing up the DK leaderboards very well. Ranking 60th in DK Points at over 10K is a recipe for failure. I would proceed to other players such as Bhatia, or a Rasmus Hojgaard for the bounce back as better plays.
Jake Knapp ($8,600)
Our second Power Fade of the week is will be a lightning rod of controversy, but I don't care. As our own David Barnett would say " We standing on business" and fading Jake Knapp is what we are doing at $8,600.
Why The Fade Works:
Knapp beat us last year as the PF, and these things happen from time to time, but I am still standing on the premise that in a high variance birdie fest, anything can happen. A chalk Knapp can make your lineups take a dirt nap quickly, so I will be taking my chances with the fade.
Statistically, for all the love Jake Knapp will be getting there are some warts that cannot be ignored.
First off, Knapp was so electric with his irons last year in Mexico that it will be damn near impossible to replicate. Knapp gained over 11 strokes on approach, and since that triumph has had only 4 of his last 20 measured events where he gained on approach.
Our defending champion ranks 120th in Par 4 Scoring, and 99th in GIR Gained. If Knapp isn't electric like he was last year, he could be headed for big trouble.
Knapp isn't faring much better when it comes to DraftKings Scoring. Jake ranks 76th in DraftKings Scoring.
That's it folks for this week's edition of the Power Fade! We will return to you next week we head to Florida and one of the best events of the year: The Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches!
Follow me on X @AllenKlutts and on Instagram @Allen_Klutts906
Until Next Time.... Be Bold, Be Brave, and Let's Ride the Power Fade!
"Kitayama also has not been great when it comes to Birdie or Better Gained. Kurt heads to Mexico with a ranking of 68th. Considering that we are going to need about 21-23 birdies to win this week to have a serious chance to win, I'm just not sure Kitty can accomplish this feat."
— AK
Meet the Author:
Allen Klutts
A long time Tour Junkies fan and Nut Hut Member, Allen has always been an enthusiastic PGA DFS player and is looking to bring that passion to his writing. A frequent participant on the Wednesday Night Live Stage Chat, who DB once compared to Norm from the TV show "Cheers" for always kicking off the live stage segment, Allen lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with his wife and two year old son.
Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and commentary in this post belong to its author and do not necessarily represent the Tour Junkies as a whole.