One of the hottest players in the world, rookie Viktor Hovland, will be among the most-watched players in the field this week at the 2019 Mayakoba Golf Classic. Hovland hasn't missed a cut since last January and has eight top-15 finishes in 14 starts since then. And he ranks in the top 30 in all three major strokes gained categories, pivotal stats at the 6,987-yard, par-71 El Camaleon Golf Course. Hovland is one of four players tied as favorites at 18-1 Mayakoba Golf Classic odds, with defending champion Matt Kuchar, U.S. Presidents Cup member Tony Finau and PGA Tour veteran Billy Horschel also at 18-1. Other notables in the 2019 Mayakoba Golf Classic field include Jason Day, Joaquin Niemann and Adam Hadwin. The very first 2019 Mayakoba Classic tee times are on Thursday at 7 a.m. ET. Before locking in any 2019 Mayakoba Golf Classic picks of your own or entering any PGA DFS tournaments on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings, listen to the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the team at SportsLine.

SportsLine's prediction model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has nailed two of the last three majors entering the weekend. It predicted Gary Woodland's first career major championship at the U.S. Open even though he wasn't the favorite entering the weekend. The result: Woodland held off a late charge from Brooks Koepka and won by three strokes. The model also called Koepka's historic victory at the 2019 PGA Championship, predicting he'd hold his lead in the home stretch. In all, their advanced computer model has nailed a whopping six majors entering the weekend, and anyone who has followed it is way up.

Now that the 2019 Mayakoba Golf Classic field is locked, SportsLine simulated the event 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. One huge shocker the model is calling for: Kuchar, the defending champion and one of the top Vegas favorites, makes a strong run but falls short of winning it all.

Kuchar defeated Danny Lee by one stroke at this event last year, earning his eighth career PGA Tour victory. His victory at El Camaleon Golf Club was the beginning of a sensational campaign last season. In fact, Kuchar recorded two victories and eight top-10 finishes, which included a eighth place run at the PGA Championship. 

Despite his dominant season, the nine-time PGA Tour champion struggled to find consistency late last season, finishing outside the top-40 in four of his last five starts on the PGA Tour. Kuchar's inconsistent performances can be directly attributed to his putter. The 41-year-old finished last season ranked 91st in total putting (203.8) and 98th in overall putting average (1.609), which doesn't bode well for his chances to finish on top of the 2019 Mayakoba Golf Classic leaderboard this week.

Another surprise: Abraham Ancer, a 33-1 long shot, makes a strong run at the title. He has a much better chance to win it all than his odds imply, so he's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday.

The affable Mexican and soon-to-be Presidents Cup member is already off to a strong 2019-20 start, finishing fourth at the WGC-HSBC Champions two weeks ago. Ancer also got off to a quick start last season, recording two top-five finishes in October and November of 2018. Ancer continued that hot play in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, finishing one stroke behind Patrick Reed for a solo second at the Northern Trust.

That performance propelled Ancer to 21st in the final FedEx Cup rankings and capped a season that saw him win almost $2.7 million. Ancer knows the home soil of the El Camaleon Golf Course well, finishing ninth at the Mayakoba Golf Classic two years ago. He has all the tools needed to climb the Mayakoba Classic 2019 leaderboard in short order.

Also, the model says three other golfers with odds of 25-1 or longer will make a strong run at the title. Anyone who backs these underdogs could hit it big.

So who wins the Mayakoba Golf Classic 2019, and which long shots stun the golfing world? Check out the odds below and visit SportsLine now to see the projected 2019 Mayakoba Golf Classic leaderboard from the model that's nailed six golf majors, and find out.

Matt Kuchar 18-1
Tony Finau 18-1
Billy Horschel 18-1
Viktor Hovland 18-1
Jason Day 20-1
Charles Howell III 22-1
Russell Knox 25-1
Joaquin Niemann 28-1
Abraham Ancer 33-1
Emiliano Grillo 33-1
Denny McCarthy 33-1
J.T. Poston 33-1
Scottie Scheffler 33-1
Aaron Wise 33-1
Keegan Bradley 40-1
Lanto Griffin 40-1
Kevin Kisner 40-1
Cameron Champ 45-1
Dylan Frittelli 50-1
Carlos Ortiz 50-1
Pat Perez 50-1
Chez Reavie 50-1
Rory Sabbatini 50-1