Higher math

MEXICO CITY – Question: How far does a well-struck drive go at Club de Golf Chapultepec? Answer: Far enough for tournament organizers to limit driver and fairway wood use to the far-left corner of the driving range, lest too many balls sail over the range’s towering back fence in advance of this week’s World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. “It’s pretty crazy how far the ball goes,â€� Tony Finau said, as he worked on the practice putting green at dusk Tuesday. “At least coming from Utah I can relate; it’s going farther here, but playing at altitude at home, I’m a little closer to these numbers than a lot of other guys.â€� Finau sometimes plays at Victory Ranch, which is near Park City and around 6,000 feet above sea level. Still, it would be unusual for him to hit a 3-iron nearly 320 yards there, as he can at the short par-4 opening hole at Chapultepec, which many players can reach with a 3- or 5-wood. “The numbers are crazy,â€� Finau said. “It can mess with you.â€� According to Shotlink mapping data, the lowest part of the Chapultepec course is 7,603 feet above sea level and the highest part is at 7,835 feet. By comparison, Montreux Golf & Country Club, which hosts the PGA TOUR’s Barracuda Championship in Reno-Tahoe, Nevada, is 5,476 to 5,952 feet above sea level. Asked if Chapultepec reminds of any other courses, Patton Kizzire, second in the FedExCup standings, cited the Web.com Tour’s Club Colombia Championship at Bogota Country Club (the Everest of pro golf, at 8,600 feet), and the Utah Championship presented by Zion’s Bank. Kizzire won the latter tournament in 2015, when it was held at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi (4,600 feet). “I’ve had some success playing at elevation,â€� he said. Generally speaking, a golf ball will fly some 10-15 percent farther at elevation. For the best players in the world, though, that kind of math is simply too fuzzy. Although many, like Tommy Fleetwood, prefer to trust their eyes, he and others in this week’s elite, 65-man field have also been relying on TrackMan, the practice device that analyzes factors such as launch speed, angle and spin rate. Fleetwood, who finished runner-up to Dustin Johnson in the first WGC-Mexico Championship at Chapultepec last year, said he planned to make use of the device Wednesday. “The afternoon, when it heats up, the ball’s going absolutely miles,â€� he said. “… You’ve just got to put the work in the first couple of days and just trust it when you’re out there.â€� Justin Thomas, who is coming off his eighth TOUR victory at The Honda Classic at sea level in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, said at Chapultepec such work practically cries out for TrackMan. “This is going to be the best week for their branding, for sure,â€� said the FedExCup leader, who also leads the TOUR with 24 consecutive rounds of par or better. “You look out on the range, about everyone’s using one just because we’re able to get a lot better idea of the numbers.â€� Thomas and his caddie, Jimmy Johnson, strategized their way to a T5 finish last year, including a memorable hole-in-one. This, despite Thomas fighting his swing. The course is wetter and softer this year, which may slightly lessen the high-ball hitters’ advantage. But, players add, the thin air, like high winds, can still wildly exaggerate the effects of a well-struck shot. Fleetwood was aghast when Rory McIlroy outdrove him by 80 yards while practicing at Chapultepec last year. They aren’t usually that far apart, but Fleetwood was “neckingâ€� his driver (his word) and failing to match McIlroy’s swing speed or his high launch angle. The altitude seemed to generate a sort of multiplier effect. “I wasn’t too worried,â€� Fleetwood said with an impish smile. “I was knocking it inside him.â€� Sure enough, when it mattered and the strokes were counted up at the end, Fleetwood beat McIlroy (T7) by three. The driver isn’t everything. In fact, Justin Rose believes it’s not always even the most important thing. He believes that for some odd reason the discrepancy between normal and high-altitude yardages is most visible when you get into the middle of the bag, and specifically the 6-, 7- and 8-iron. “It’s not just 10 percent [more carry at altitude] across the board,â€� he said. “It seems to change with different clubs.â€� Rose, who putted poorly to finish T38 last year, contends that while high-ball hitters like Johnson will get more carry in the thin air, other factors are also crucial at 7,345-yard, par-71 Chapultepec. Factors like staying out of the copious trees, hitting smart approach shots, and taming the quirky greens, which break toward the city. “There’s a lot of wedges in hand for most of the field,â€� Rose said. “… Just from memory, you can be aggressive, you can try and take it over tree lines occasionally. If you’re on your game, that works for a long hitter, but there’s a lot of risk with that, as well. “Game plan’s very important around here,â€� he added, “but I think all types of players can find their way around the golf course.â€�

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