USA TODAY International Edition
Idyllic setting deceptive
Wind, mangroves at Mayakoba make OHL Classic a challenge
It will be easy for players in this week’s OHL Classic at Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, to lose their concentration as they gaze upon the sun- drenched paradise kissed by the Caribbean.
One errant tee shot, however, will snap them back to reality.
While this week’s PGA Tour stop is as inviting as it gets — topflight resort, ideal weather and an inviting pace of play outside the gallery ropes — the El Camaleon Golf Club can be a challenging brute.
Winding softly through three distinct landscapes — sand- lined oceanfront along the Riviera Maya, dense mangroves and tropical jungle — the course is a 6,987yard, par- 71 postcard that is full of hazards at the end of most every shot.
Some of the holes on the Greg Norman design are bisected by massive limestone canals, and the course even features a cenote, which is an underground cavern common to the area, in the heart of the opening fairway.
“Obviously there are a few tough holes that you can get into the wind that you’re sort of trying to hold on and make par on, and then there’s a bunch of par- 5s and downwind holes that you want to attack and make birdie on. So you play in segments,” said defending champion Charley Hoffman, who closed with a 66 last year to win for the first time in four years.
“Obviously, on this golf course, you’re trying to keep out of the mangroves. They give you plenty area to hit it, but if it gets breezy, it gets pretty tight.”
“Mangroves” seems to be the buzz word heading into Thursday’s first round. That and “wind.” “The thing that stands out most is how demanding of a driving golf course this is,” said Matt Kuchar, who in the past five weeks has played tournaments in Korea, Fiji and Mexico City.
“It’s not necessarily too tight when you think of the fairways — they’re plenty wide enough — but it seems to be that on a lot of holes you have the mangroves left, mangroves right. So you got hazards on either side. So if you do miss a drive, it’s a big penalty. Driving the golf ball well is a priority here, and that’s one of the strong suits of my game and kind of a reason I feel I’ve done well here.”
Graeme McDowell, the 2010 U. S. Open champion trying to rebound after a poor 2014- 15 season, is playing the tournament for the first time since he finished in a tie for 63rd place in 2007 on a sponsor’s exemption.
He’s glad he’s back and is relishing the opportunity to tackle El Camaleon.
“Wind is going to be such a big factor this week. It’s looking like it will be at 10 to 15 miles per hour,” said McDowell, who has one top- 10 finish this year and has fallen to No. 85 in the world rankings. “It has a good balance of holes. A lot of really intimidating tee shots, but many holes you can attack.
“I like the golf course. When my caddie and I got here on Monday, we looked at it and said to ourselves, ‘ We should have really been back here sooner than this year.’ It’s set up for us, and it’s a good fit for us. I’m very motivated.”