Mayaboka Golf Classic Preview 2020

Mayaboka Golf Classic Preview 2020
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Mayaboka Golf Classic Preview 2020

Dates: November 30 – December 6, 2020
Where: Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Course: El Camaleón Golf Club at the Mayakoba Resort
Par/Yards: 36-35—71/7,017
Field: 132
Defending champion: Brendon Todd
Purse: $7,200,000 ($1,296,000 to winner)
FedExCup points: 500 to the winner
Format: 72-hole stroke play

Things to Know

  • Major champions Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas return to Mayakoba Golf Classic for second appearances
  • 2020 Vivint Houston Open winner Carlos Ortiz heads into the event as the third Mexico native to win on TOUR
  • Abraham Ancer seeks first TOUR title in his 103rd TOUR start and sixth Mayakoba appearance
  • 2019 U.S. Amateur champion Andy Ogletree makes first PGA TOUR start as a professional
  • In 2019-20, eight of 10 winners in the fall, including defending champion Brendon Todd, qualified for the TOUR Championship
  • Mayakoba Golf Classic became the first PGA TOUR co-sanctioned event to ever be contested outside of the United States and Canada in February of 2007

Field Notes

  • FedExCup champions: Justin Thomas/2017, Billy Horschel/2014
  • Two of top-10 in current FedExCup standings: Carlos Ortiz/9, Justin Thomas/10
  • Winners of THE PLAYERS Championship: Rickie Fowler/2015, K.J. Choi/2011
  • 12 Latin American players:
    • Argentina (2): Fabian Gomez, Emiliano Grillo
    • Chile (1): Joaquin Niemann
    • Colombia (2): Sebastian Munoz, Camilo Villegas
    • Mexico (6): Abraham Ancer, Roberto Diaz, Armando Favela, Carlos Ortiz, Aaron Terrazas, Isidro Benitez
    • Venezuela (1): Jhonattan Vegas
  • Mexican-born Kristoffer Ventura, who represents Norway, is also in the field
  • Major champions: Keegan Bradley, Jason Dufner, Lucas Glover, Brooks Koepka, Graeme McDowell, Justin Thomas, Gary Woodland
  • Nine of the 13 past champions: Brendon Todd (2019), Patton Kizzire (2017), Pat Perez (2016), Graeme McDowell (2015), Charley Hoffman (2014), Harris English (2013), John Huh (2012), Johnson Wagner (2011), Brian Gay (2008)
  • Two winners from the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Season: Brian Gay (Bermuda Championship), Carlos Ortiz (Vivint Houston Open)

Current FedExCup standings

PositionPlayerPointsWinsTop-10sPoints BehindStarts
1Dustin Johnson950133
2Bryson DeChambeau698122523
3Stewart Cink671122796
4Patrick Cantlay660122905
5Jason Kokrak596113546
6Matthew Wolff585023655
7Sergio Garcia548114026
8Robert Streb543114075
9Carlos Ortiz537114136
10Justin Thomas536034144

A look back at the 2019 Mayakoba Golf Classic

PosPlayerR1R2R3R4Total
1Brendon Todd63686568264 (-20)
T2Carlos Ortiz69656566265 (-19)
T2Adam Long63696766265 (-19)
T2Vaughn Taylor64666768265 (-19)
5Harris English65646870267 (-17)
  • Monday morning win, after darkness suspended play Sunday, marked Brendon Todd’s second victory in as many starts; won 2019 Bermuda Championship in previous start
  • Became the first player to win twice in the fall portion of the schedule in a single season since the TOUR went to a wraparound schedule in 2013-14
  • Before 2019 Bermuda Championship win, sat No. 525 in the Official World Golf Ranking; after 2019 Mayakoba Golf Classic win, was No. 83; currently No. 47

More on Brendon Todd

  • 2019 win was his fourth start at the Mayakoba Golf Classic; only previous made cut was a T49 in 2013
  • Posted two top-10s since 2019 Mayakoba Golf Classic victory (4th/2019 The RSM Classic, T8/2020 BMW Championship)
  • Made four cuts in six starts this season with T23 at U.S. Open his best result

Additional Player Notes

Justin Thomas

  • Makes second appearance at Mayakoba Golf Classic; posted rounds of 67-70-69-69 en route to T23 in 2014
  • 13-time TOUR winner owns three top-10s in four starts in the 2020-21 season (T8/U.S. Open, T2/ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, 4th/Masters Tournament)
  • 2017 FedExCup champion currently sits No. 10 in the FedExCup standings; finished inside the top-10 previous four seasons

Brooks Koepka

  • Four-time major championship winner makes second appearance at Mayakoba Golf Classic (MC/2013)
  • Notched top-10s in last two starts (T5/Vivint Houston Open, T7/Masters Tournament)

Carlos Ortiz

  • With maiden victory at 2020 Vivint Houston Open became just the third Mexico native to win on PGA TOUR
  • Owns three career top-three finishes on TOUR (T3/2018 Sanderson Farms Championship, T2/2019 Mayakoba Golf Classic, 1st/2020 Vivint Houston Open)
  • Earned 2014 Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year honors after earning a three-win promotion that season
  • Makes seventh career start at Mayakoba Golf Classic (T9/2014, MC/2015, T55/2016, T45/2017, MC/2018, T2/2019)

Abraham Ancer

  • Sat T2 through 54-holes at the 2020 Masters Tournament before closing with 76/T13 in his most recent start
  • Seeks first PGA TOUR title in his 103rd start; owns three runner-up results (2nd/2019 THE NORTHERN TRUST, 2nd/2020 The American Express, 2nd/2020 RBC Heritage)
  • Makes sixth consecutive start in the Mayakoba Golf Classic (T8/2019, T21/2018, T9/2017, T55/2016, MC/2015)
  • First player from Mexico to represent the International Team at the Presidents Cup (2019)
  • Advanced to the FedExCup Playoffs for third consecutive season (No. 18/2020, No. 21/2019, No. 60/2018)

Miscellaneous Notes

  • Rickie Fowler owns a scoring average of 67.00 (8 rounds) at El Camaleón GC (2nd/2017, T16/2018)
  • 2019 U.S. Amateur champion Andy Ogletree makes his professional debut after finishing T34 at the 2020 Masters Tournament to earn low-amateur honors
  • 2013 Mayakoba Golf Classic champion Harris English finished 5th in 2019, his best result at the Mayakoba Golf Classic since winning this event in his tournament debut; enters this week off a T6 result at 2020 The RSM Classic
  • Charles Howell III has made nine cuts in 11 consecutive appearances (2009-19) at Mayakoba Golf Classic, with three top-10s (T4/2017, T7/2016, T6/2013); last 19 rounds in this event are par or better
  • Pat Perez has won the most career money at Mayakoba Golf Classic of any player ($1,898,929)
  • 13 aces have been scored in tournament history, with just two coming in the weekend rounds (Brian Gay/2019/R4/No. 10, Matt Kuchar/2019/R4/No. 8); Two players, Keith Mitchell (2017) and Thomas Aiken (2015), have aced their opening hole of the Mayakoba Golf Classic, both beginning on No. 10
  • Four players won the Mayakoba Golf Classic in their first start in the event; Johnson Wagner (2011), John Huh (2012) Harris English (2013) and Fred Funk (2007, inaugural event)

Mexico Notes

  • With the best finish among the Mexican players in 2019, Carlos Ortiz (T2) claimed the ‘Premio Mexico’ trophy
  • Esteban Toledo (2007, 2008, 2009, 2012), Jose de Jesus Rodriguez (2009, 2012, 2018), Oscar Fraustro (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018), Carlos Ortiz (2014, 2016, 2017, 2019), Rodolfo E. Cazaubon (2015), Abraham Ancer (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), Roberto Diaz (2017), Armando Favela (2018) and Alvaro Ortiz (2019) are the only Mexicans to make the cut in the Mayakoba Golf Classic in the 13-year history of the event
  • Four Mexican players (Jose de Jesus Rodriquez, Oscar Fraustro, Abraham Ancer, Armando Favela) made the cut in the 2018 Mayakoba Golf Classic, the most in tournament history
  • Cesar Sanudo, Victor Regalado and Carlos Ortiz are the only native Mexican golfers to win on the PGA TOUR. Regalado won the 1974 Pleasant Valley Classic and 1978 Ed McMahon-Jaycees Quad Cities Open (John Deere Classic). Sanudo won the 1970 Azalea Open Invitational. Ortiz won the 2020 Vivint Houston Open
  • Kristoffer Ventura, who was born in Puebla, Mexico but represents Norway, owns two career top-10 finishes, both produced this season (T7/Safeway Open, T6/Sanderson Farms Championship)

Mexican golfers who have/had membership on the PGA TOUR Player       

  First Year of Membership (Hometown)

Cesar Sanudo                        1969 (Navajoa)

Victor Regalado                    1973 (Tijuana)

Rafael Alarcon                      1983 (Guadalajara)

Esteban Toledo                    1998 (Mexicali)

Alex Aragon                          2006 (Mexico City)

*Carlos Ortiz                        2014-15 (Guadalajara)

Oscar Fraustro                      2014-15 (Mexico City)

Roberto Diaz                         2017-18 (Veracruz)

*Abraham Ancer                 2015-16 (Reynosa)

Jose de Jesus Rodriguez     2018-19 (Irapuarto)

*Current member

Tournament records and history

  • 18-hole score: 61 (Roland Thatcher/R3/2008)
  • 36-hole score: 128 (Matt Kuchar/2018)
  • 54-hole score: 193 (Matt Kuchar/2018)
  • 72-hole score: 262 (Matt Kuchar/2018)
  • Largest margin of victory: 4 (Harris English/2013)
  • Playoffs: 4 (2007, 2011, 2012, 2015)
  • Holes-in-one: 13 (four in 2019)

Charity

Since its inception in 2007, the tournament has contributed more than $3 million to a variety of charities and philanthropic causes, positively impacting the communities of Cancun and Playa del Carmen.

The Mayakoba Golf Classic Preview is via PGA TOUR

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