BlogMayakoba Golf Classic Preview and Picks

The Buzz:

The last of the six fall events in the new wrap-around schedule for 2014.  This event gets the biggest face-lift because it’s moves away from the Accenture Match Play Championship.  So for pros that want to play in this event they can since it’s the only event of the week on the PGA Tour schedule.

For many these six weeks have become a God send because for some it’s almost guaranteed their 2015 tour cards before the end of 2013.  Example of that, in 2014 the top-125 off the FedEx Cup point list will get a tour card for 2015.  Last year Ben Crane was 125th with 369 points after the Wyndham Championship.  If you look at this year’s FedEx Cup point list the five winners of the year are over the 369 list but for those 6th, Vijay Singh he is at 346 points which isn’t at the 369 point but the fact is that he has done all the hard work already.  Vijay along with six others have between 274 points (Jason Bohn) and Briny Baird (346 points).  There are 16 players with 200 or more points so you can see that for them playing well in these six events have either secured their cards for 2015 or made a drastic push toward that goal.  It’s also interesting to note that last year Jimmy Walker missed getting into the Tour Championship by just 80 points.  Of course he didn’t play well enough in the first three Playoff events to get him into the Tour Championship but the point is today he is at 684 points, if he would of had those points added to his 2013 totals he would of qualified at 1,682 points which would of placed him 5th when they redid the points which would of guaranteed him a spot in the Tour Championship.

So it has proved out that for those playing these first six weeks it’s been very lucrative.

Course information:

El Camaleon was built by Greg Norman and opened in 2004. The course wines through three distinct landscapes tropical jungle, dense mangroves and sand-lined oceanfront. The design even incorporates a cenote – an underground cavern common to the area – into the heart of the first fairway. The PGA Tour made its first stop in 2007, spending six years opposite the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship until getting its own fall date this year. In 2016, El Camaleón will serve as one of two hosts for the World Amateur Team Championships.

Located 45 minutes south of Cancun, in the heart of the Riviera Maya, Camaleon is aptly named for its diverse layout and ever changing landscape, always in total harmony with the region’s natural beauty.

For those that think that this is a resort course and is a pushover, that’s not the case.  The last time the Tour played there in February of 2012 the course played over par at 71.65 and ranked 17th toughest, so it’s not a pushover. In looking at it’s characteristics it’s in the middle of the pack compared to other courses that held events in 2012.  Driving accuracy it was the 20th hardest, in greens hit the 21st hardest.  Same with putting, the overall putting average placed it T19th so it has it’s challenges.

Players will be challenge by conditions of wind on holes that get close to the sea, the par 3 7th and 15th are on the beach.  On course water hazards comes into play on six of the holes and there are 36 bunkers to avoid.  The greens average 7,000 square feet with the grass being a special blend called Sea Isle 1 Paspalum which is unique because you can use a seawater blend in irrigating the fairways, tees and greens.  The course has a rating of 73.8 from the back tees with a slope of 137.

The weather will be perfect and ocean breezes will not only challenge the players but keep the temperature perfect.  Nothing like having your office at a great resort for the week.

Here are some of the secrets of what it takes to play well at the OHL Mayakoba Classic:

Key stat for the winner:

In a tournament that has a history of younger players participating, older more experience players have done well.  In it’s first year in 2007, 50 year-old Fred Funk took the title and since Champion Tour standouts John Cook and Michael Allen have contended and finished in the top-ten.  Of it’s other five champions only John Huh and Brian Gay were first time winners so experience players tend to do well.

Here are some more key stats to look to for this week:

Tournament has only had limited stats once and that was last year as John Huh led the greens hit category missing only 13 of the 72 greens.