Five things to watch at the WGC-Mexico Championship

By Australian Golf Digest
  1. Tiger Woods’ first ever competitive event in Mexico: Woods, who has won a record 18 WGC titles, has never played a professional event in Mexico. The WGC-Mexico was first held in Mexico City in 2017 – after shedding its old identity as the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Florida – but Woods was injured then and wasn’t eligible for the tournament last year when he was early on in his comeback. From 2017, the fans went nuts for ANY player. But when a 14-time major winner tees up at Club de Golf Chapultepec? “It’s going to be crazy; that’s the only way you can put it,” said Australia’s Marc Leishman. “It was crazy for us last year, and no-one really knew who I was. I just had golf clothes on and people were asking me for my autograph. With Tiger, it’s going to be off the charts and it’s a great thing for the event.” Woods is making third start of the PGA Tour season following a T20 at the Farmers Insurance Open and a T15 at the Genesis Open.
  2. Australians in the field: With Jason Day skipping the event, world No.16 Marc Leishman is the best-ranked Australian among a four-strong contingent at the elite, 72-player tournament. Cameron Smith, world No.28, was the only other Australian to qualify via the world’s top 50 as No.30 Adam Scott joined Day in sitting out. However, Jake McLeod and Matt Millar secured starts by finishing in the top two on the Australasian Tour’s 2018 money list.
  3. High in the sky: Club de Golf Chapultepec provides an added challenge of altitude with the course sitting 7800 feet above sea level. Experts suggest the golf ball travels 20 per cent further due to the decreased air density. 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. What other PGA Tour courses have comparable altitude? Montreux Golf & Country Club, host of the Reno-Tahoe modified stableford tournament, sits 5,476 to 5,952 feet above sea level.
  4. Truly a world golf event: Nineteen countries will be represented at the WGC-Mexico Championship, with the most (27) coming from the US, followed by England (11). Furthermore, 46 of the world’s top 50 will tee it up which includes 28 of the top 30.
  5. Chip shots on the WGC-Mexico: Venue: Club de Golf Chapultepec, Mexico City, Mexico. Par/distance: 71/7,345 yards (6,716 metres). Defending champion: Phil Mickelson. Purse: $US10,250,000 with $US1,745,000 and 550 FedEx Cup points to the winner. Format: 72-hole stroke play with no cut. Field: 72 players