WGC Mexico Preview 2020

WGC Mexico Preview 2020

2020 World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship
Dates: February 17-23, 2020
Where: Club de Golf Chapultepec, Mexico City, Mexico
Par/Yards: 35-36 – 71/7,355 yards
2019 champion: Dustin Johnson
Purse: $10,500,000/$1,820,000
FedExCup: 550 points to the winner
Format: 72-hole stroke play competition (no cut)
Twitter: @WGCMexico
Facebook: Facebook.com/wgcmexicochampionship
Instagram: @WGCMexico

Read about Past WGC-Mexico Winners and Tournament History.

WGC-Mexico Championship Preview Notes

• Representing Mexico:
  • With Mexico continuing to grow as an emerging golf market, tournament eligibility was changed last August, whereas if the highest-ranked player from Mexico is already otherwise eligible for the WGC-Mexico Championship, the next highest-ranked player from Mexico within the top 300 of the Official World Golf Ranking (February 10 rankings) would qualify.
  • In qualifying for the 2019 TOUR Championship, Abraham Ancer received an exemption into the 2020 WGC- Mexico Championship. At No. 150 in the Official World Golf Ranking as of Feb. 10, Carlos Ortiz qualified as the next-highest ranked player from Mexico and will make his World Golf Championships debut this week.
• Ancer returns as top-30 player:
  • Set to compete in his third consecutive WGC-Mexico Championship, Abraham Ancer returns to Club de Golf Chapultepec after experiencing a memorable 2019 that was highlighted by his first trip to the TOUR Championship and the opportunity to be Mexico’s first representative in the Presidents Cup.
  • Ancer was No. 260 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the 2018 event, ascended to No. 61 in 2019 and will arrive in Mexico City at No. 29 this week.
• PGA TOUR in Mexico:
  • The WGC-Mexico Championship is one of two current PGA TOUR events in Mexico along with the Mayakoba Golf Classic.
  • Part of the secret to winning at Club de Golf Chapultepec is properly determining the altitude’s role when choosing clubs.
  • The lowest elevation of the Club de Golf Chapultepec is 7,603 feet above sea level and the highest part is at 7,835 feet.
  • The par-3 17th hole is dubbed “The Peak” and is a central location for fans on the course.
• Rory aims for ‘WGC Slam’:
  • 2019 WGC-Mexico Championship runner-up Rory McIlroy captured the season’s first World Golf Championships title at the WGC-HSBC Champions and can join Dustin Johnson as the only player to win all four World Golf Championships events with a victory in Mexico City this week
  • . Prior to his HSBC Champions victory, McIlroy captured the 2014 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and 2015 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
• Dustin Johnson goes for third win in fourth start at Club de Golf Chapultepec:
  • Defending champion Dustin Johnson captured his 20^th PGA TOUR title at the 2019 WGC-Mexico Championship and will look to become the first to successfully defend his title since Tiger Woods from 2005-2007.

Notes On The Field

• 18 of the top 30 in the current FedExCup standings, led by Justin Thomas
• 19 countries represented with the United States leading the way with 23 players in the field, followed by England and South Africa with seven each
• 42 out of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking, including four of the top 5, led by Rory McIlroy (No. 1), Jon Rahm (No. 3), Justin Thomas (No. 4) and Dustin Johnson (No. 5).
• 16 major championship winners combining for 22 major victories, led by Rory McIlroy (4)
• Three past champions of the WGC-Mexico Championship: Dustin Johnson (2015, 2017, 2019), Patrick Reed (2014), Adam Scott (2016)
• 21 players will make their WGC-Mexico Championship debut this week, with eight making their first start in a World Golf Championships event (Carlos Ortiz, Lucas Herbert, Marcus Kinhult, Lanto Griffin, Collin Morikawa, Sebastian Muñoz, Zach Murray, Scottie Scheffler)

WGC-Mexico Championship and the FedExCup

• 20^th event of the 2019-20 PGA TOUR Season
• Twelve of the 13 winners of the WGC-Mexico Championship in the FedExCup era have advanced to the season-ending TOUR Championship, including a streak of 11 in a row, tied for the most of any tournament on the PGA TOUR. 2019 champion Dustin Johnson finished 29^th in the final FedExCup standings.
• Five FedExCup champions are in the field at the WGC-Mexico Championship: Brandt Snedeker (2012), Billy Horschel (2014), Jordan Spieth (2015), Rory McIlroy (2016, 2019) and Justin Thomas (2017).

A look back at the 2019 WGC-Mexico Championship

Pos	Player	R1	R2	R3	R4	Total
1	Dustin Johnson	64	67	66	66	263 (-21)
2	Rory McIlroy	63	70	68	67	268 (-16)
T3	Kiradech Aphibarnrat	68	69	68	68	273 (-11)
T3	Paul Casey	71	72	65	65	273 (-11)
T3	Ian Poulter	68	68	69	68	273 (-11)

• Dustin Johnson became the 38^th player to win 20 or more PGA TOUR titles
• Johnson collected his sixth World Golf Championships title and is second all-time behind Tiger Woods (18)
• Has recorded 11-consecutive rounds in the 60s at Club de Golf Chapultepec
• Led the field in Greens in Regulation percentage (80.56) and Strokes Gained: Putting (2.116 per round) in 2019.

A Closer Look At The Field

Rory McIlroy

• World No. 1 opened with an 8-under 63 in 2019 en route to a runner-up finish; finished T7 in his only other appearance at Club de Golf Chapultepec
• Two-time FedExCup champion captured the first World Golf Championships event of the season at the HSBC Champions where he defeated Xander Schauffele in a playoff
• Held a share of the 54-hole lead at The Genesis Invitational before closing with a 73 to finish T5
• Has finished inside the top 5 in all four starts this season (T3-1-T3-T5)

Adam Scott

• Won The Genesis Invitational for his first PGA TOUR win in since the 2016 WGC-Mexico Championship
• Two-time World Golf Championships winner (2016 WGC-Mexico, 2011 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational)
• First appearance at Club de Golf Chapultepec since 2017 (T45)

Justin Thomas

• In three previous starts in the WGC-Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec, has three top-10s (2019/9^th, 2018/runner-up, 2017/T5)
• Matched the course record that he set in 2018 (R3/62) with a final-round 62 in 2019
• Two wins on the PGA TOUR in 2019-20 (THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, Sentry Tournament of Champions)
• One-time World Golf Championships winner (2018 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational)

Abraham Ancer

• World No. 29 is competing in the WGC-Mexico Championship for the third consecutive year; qualified by virtue of advancing to the 2019 TOUR Championship
• Finished T52 and T39 in 2018 and 2019, respectively, at Club de Golf Chapultepec
• Runner-up finish at THE NORTHERN TRUST in 2019 secured his first trip to the TOUR Championship
• Through nine starts in 2019-20, has collected three top-10 finishes including a runner-up at The American Express
• Was Mexico’s first representative in the 2019 Presidents Cup, where he earned a 3-1-1 record for the International Team

Jon Rahm

• World No. 3 in search of first World Golf Championships title
• Fourth career appearance at Club de Golf Chapultepec, including a T3 in 2017

Carlos Ortiz

• Making World Golf Championships debut
• Qualified as next-highest ranked Mexican player in the Official World Golf Ranking (No. 143) with Ancer otherwise eligible
• Currently No. 24 in the FedExCup standings, has earned three top-10s in 11 starts this season including a runner-up at the Mayakoba Golf Classic that stands as his best career PGA TOUR finish in 101 career starts

Miscellaneous Notes

• Only three playoffs have been required to decide the WGC-Mexico Championship winner: 2018, Phil Mickelson def. Justin Thomas; 2005, Tiger Woods def. John Daly; 1999, Tiger Woods def. Miguel Angel Jimenez
• Seventeen of 20 WGC-Mexico Championships have been decided by two strokes or fewer; Johnson’s five-stroke margin of victory was the most since Tiger Woods won by eight strokes in 2006
• Seven players have made a World Golf Championships event their first PGA TOUR win: Darren Clarke (2000 Dell Technologies Match Play), Craig Parry (2002 FedEx St. Jude Invitational), Kevin Sutherland (2002 Dell Technologies Match Play), Henrik Stenson (2007 Dell Technologies Match Play), Ian Poulter (2010 Dell Technologies Match Play), Shane Lowry (2015 FedEx St. Jude Invitational), Russell Knox (2015 HSBC Champions)
• Sergio Garcia, making his 61^st career start in a World Golf Championships event, is in search of his first WGC title; owns nine top-10s in the WGC-Mexico Championship including a T6 in 2019
• 2017 18-hole co-leader Lee Westwood making his 58^th career World Golf Championships start in search of his first title
• 2009 U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover’s first WGC-Mexico Championship appearance since 2010; qualified via the 2019 TOUR Championship

Tournament records and history

• 18-hole score: 62 (Sergio Garcia/R4/2002/Mount Juliet, Retief Goosen/R4/2002/Mount Juliet, Bubba Watson/R2/2012/Trump Doral, J.B. Holmes/R1/2015/Trump Doral, Justin Thomas/R3/2018/Chapultepec, Justin Thomas/R4/2019/Chapultepec)
• 72-hole score: 261 (Tiger Woods/2006/The Grove)
• Largest margin of victory: 8 (Tiger Woods/2006/The Grove)
• Best come-from-behind win: 5 (Dustin Johnson/2015/Trump Doral)
• Playoffs: 3 (most recent: 2018/Phil Mickelson def. Justin Thomas)
• Holes-in-one since 1999: 11 (most recent: Ross Fisher/R3/2018)

World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship

The PGA TOUR, on behalf of the International Federation of PGA Tours, announced in June 2016 that the World Golf Championships tournament held in Miami since 2007 would relocate to Mexico City and be renamed the WGC-Mexico Championship, beginning in 2017. The move is the result of a seven-year agreement through 2023 with Grupo Salinas, a collection of companies based in Mexico City primarily involved in retail, television, telecommunications and other businesses. Grupo Salinas is overseen by founder and chairman Ricardo Salinas and his son, Benjamin.

WGC-Mexico Championship and The First Tee

Launched in 2017, The First Tee of Mexico was the first chapter unveiled outside of the United States. The tournament and its title sponsor Grupo Salinas helped start The First Tee of Mexico in 2017 and continues to support the organization’s mission to grow the game of golf throughout Mexico and make the game more accessible. The organization has grown to over 200 total members spread throughout eight chapters across Mexico.

Eligibility for the WGC-Mexico Championship – Minimum 72-player field

• The top 50 players, including any players tied for 50th place, from the Official World Golf Ranking as of February 10, 2020.
• The top 50 players, including any players tied for 50th place, from the Official World Golf Ranking as of February 17, 2020.
• The top 30 players from the final 2018–2019 FedExCup Points List.
• The top 10 players from the FedExCup Points List as of February 17, 2020.
• The top 20 players from the final 2019 Race to Dubai Ranking.
• The top 10 players from the Race to Dubai Ranking as of February 10, 2020.
• The top 2 players from the final 2019 Japan Golf Tour Order of Merit, not otherwise exempt.
• The top 2 players from the final 2019 Australasian Tour Order of Merit, not otherwise exempt.
• The top 2 players from the final 2018/2019 Sunshine Tour Order of Merit, not otherwise exempt.
• The top 2 players from the final 2019 Asian Tour Order of Merit, not otherwise exempt.
• New in 2020: The highest ranked available player from Mexico from the Official World Golf Ranking as of February 10, 2020. If the highest ranked available player from Mexico from the Official World Golf Ranking is otherwise eligible, the next highest ranked available player from Mexico within the top 300 on the Official World Golf Ranking as of February 10, 2020.
• If there are less than 72 players entered through the categories listed above, then the next highest ranked available players from the Official World Golf Rankings as of Monday, February 17, 2020 will become eligible as required to fill the field to 72 players.

About Club de Golf Chapultepec

Club de Golf Chapultepec is one of the country’s most popular courses. U.S. Open winner Willie Smith started work on the design during the Mexican Revolution and the course was completed in 1921. Since the inception of the Mexican Open in 1944, the golf course was the host venue 14 times prior to 1972 when Percy Clifford, the designer of dozens of Mexican golf courses, completely renovated the course. The course today bears little resemblance to the original layout, and instead provides a more challenging, playable, and modern design. After the renovation, the course hosted the Mexican Open an additional four times. Featuring a 7,355- yard, par-71 course, Club de Golf Chapultepec last held the Mexican Open in 2014, which is now part of PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.

Over the course of 18 past editions played there, the club members witnessed Mexican Open wins by stars such as Al Espinoza (1944, 1945, 1946 and 1947), Roberto De Vicenzo (1951, 1953 and 1955), Ben Crenshaw (1981) and Jay Haas (1991). Elevation is a factor at Club de Golf Chapultepec. According to Shotlink mapping data, the lowest part of the course is 7,603 feet above sea level and the highest part of the course is 7,835 feet above sea level.

World Golf Championships

The World Golf Championships are sanctioned and organized by the operational committee of the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia and Sunshine Tour. Events in the World Golf Championships series include the Mexico Championship (Mexico City, Mexico), the Dell Technologies Match Play (Austin, Texas, USA), the FedEx St. Jude Invitational (Memphis, Tennessee, USA) and the HSBC Champions (Shanghai, China). World Golf Championship events are broadcast to more than 1 billion households in 226 countries and territories in 32 languages. The series as a whole has generated nearly $60 million for charitable causes since its inception in 1999.

VIA PGA TOUR