Pat Perez defends OHL Classic at Mayakoba

The PGA Tour heads to Mexico’s Riviera Maya this week and the Greg Norman-designed course at El Camaleon. Pat Perez is defending champion in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba.

Pat Perez defends the OHL Classic at Mayakoba, just four weeks after he won the CIMB Classic in Malaysia. Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed and Graeme McDowell are among those teeing it up at the El Camaleon GC.

The first six editions of this tournament were contested alongside the WGC Match Play. As such they didn’t attract particularly strong fields. As of 2013, the event has been shifted to the autumn and the prize-fund ramped up. This year sees a purse of $7,100,000 with the winner walking away with over $1.2 million.

The event was won by Harris English in 2013, Charley Hoffman in 2014 and then Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell in 2015. Last season, Pat Perez won by two from Gary Woodland. Perez will be back to defend his title and a strong field has assembled.

Rickie Fowler will make his first start of the 2017-18 season and he’ll be joined in Mexico by Charley Hoffman, Patrick Reed, Graeme McDowell, Russell Knox and Zach Johnson.

Graeme McDowell on how to play the flop shot:

This is the 11th running of the tournament and Chris Stroud will be the only player in the field this week to have contested all of them.

Designed by Greg Norman, the course at El Camaleon has played host to this event since it was first held in 2007. Set amid the jungle and mangroves with views out to the beautiful Caribbean Sea, it’s one of the most striking venues visited by the PGA Tour.

The weather forecast looks mixed. It should mainly be pleasant and sunny although there will be showers about and the possibility of a thunderstorm or two on the final day.

Venue: El Camaleon GC, Playa del Carmen, Mexico Date: Nov 9-12 Course stats: par 71, 6,987 yards Purse: $7,100,000 Defending champion: Pat Perez (-21)

TV Coverage: Thursday 9 – Sky Sports Golf from 6pm Friday 10 – Sky Sports Golf from 6pm Saturday 11 – Sky Sports Golf from 6pm Sunday 12 – Sky Sports Golf from 6pm

Player Watch:

Graeme McDowell – The Northern Irishman won this event in 2015 and he comes into this tournament on the back of a good performance last week in Las Vegas.

Whee Kim – He’s been playing some great golf recently – fourth in the CJ Cup and he then lost a playoff for the Shriners last week. He’ll look to continue that run in Mexico.

Luke List – He’s finished in the top-20 on his last three PGA Tour starts and was tied seventh in this event last year.

Key hole: 12th. A long par-4 of 451 yards, this testing hole plays back into the prevailing wind. Approach shots must be accurate as the green is small, raised and sloping. Anything just off line will roll off the surface. Statistically, this tends to be the toughest hole on the course.