Cameron Champ shoots 64, takes four-shot lead at Sanderson Farms Championship

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Today Mayakoba and the PGA TOUR introduced World Wide Technology, a $13 billion technology solutions provider, as title sponsor for the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba in a seven-year partnership that extends through 2027. The 15th annual event, hosted at El Camaleón Golf Club at Mayakoba on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, will be held November 1-7, 2021, with Norway’s Viktor Hovland expected to defend his 2020 title. Hovland, who will represent Norway in the 2020 Summer Olympics, claimed his second career PGA TOUR victory last December in Mexico with a birdie on the 72nd hole. “The global expansion and resulting positive impact of the PGA TOUR makes Mayakoba a natural fit for WWT,” said Jim Kavanaugh, CEO and co-founder of WWT. “At WWT, we do whatever it takes to create the best possible technology experiences and business outcomes for customers and communities around the world. We are proud to support the tournament as it showcases top golf talent while also inspiring leadership and opportunity through the expansion of youth golf in Mexico and Latin America.” In 2007, Mayakoba made history as the PGA TOUR’s first official full-field event held outside the United States or Canada. The tournament is a pioneer for the sport of golf in Mexico and Latin America and has opened the door for Tours such as PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and multiple professional golf events held annually throughout the region. “We are excited to partner with World Wide Technology as we continue to foster the growth of golf in Mexico and Latin America through the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba and its charitable initiatives,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “The World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba broke new ground as the first PGA TOUR event in Mexico in 2007, and we look forward to properly celebrating this new partnership and the 15th anniversary of the event come November.” This year’s World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba, a FedExCup Regular Season event, will again bring the world’s top golfers to Mexico’s most important tourist destination to experience the warm hospitality and natural beauty of the Mexican Caribbean. Since its inception, the growth of golf in Mexico and creating a positive charitable impact on the community have been key objectives for the event and Mayakoba as a destination. This growth recently manifested itself on the PGA TOUR as Guadalajara’s Carlos Ortiz became only the third player from Mexico to win on the PGA TOUR at the 2020 Vivint Houston Open. Ortiz joins Victor Regalado and Cesar Sanudo as winners hailing from Mexico. In its history, a total of 25 different Mexican players have competed in the PGA TOUR’s event at Mayakoba, and thousands of Mexican youth have been introduced to the sport of golf through the tournament’s community golf development program, Golf PARa Todos. More than $3 million has been generated for local, national and international charities focused on a variety of issues, including education, environmental sustainability and health and wellness for young people. “We are honored to have hosted the PGA TOUR since 2007 and we couldn’t be happier with this partnership with World Wide Technology that assures the continued positive impact of our event,” said Borja Escalada, CEO of RLH Properties. “Fifteen years ago, we made a great investment in golf and sport with which RLH shares many values. And the sponsorship of World Wide Technology, as well as the support of all our sponsors and supporters across Mexico and Latin America, make me confident that the best is yet to come. We look forward to continue supporting the development of this great sport in Mexico and the region as well as to hosting World Wide Technology at beautiful Mayakoba and celebrating many more years of PGA TOUR golf at Mayakoba.” All four rounds of the 2021 World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba will be carried live on Golf Channel in the United States and on Golf Channel Latin America and GOLFTV in Mexico and Latin America.

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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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Rickie Fowler returns to PGA National to defend his title, Tiger Woods makes his second consecutive start and FedExCup Leader Patton Kizzire is back in the field as the TOUR returns The Honda Classic.  First round tee times First round leaderboard HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN TELEVISION: Thursday, 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel) PGA TOUR LIVE: Sunday, 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. (featured groups).  RADIO: Sunday, 12-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com) NOTABLE PAIRINGS (All times are ET) Daniel Berger, Justin Thomas, Sergio Garcia 7:35 a.m. off the 10th tee Patton Kizzire, Tiger Woods, Brandt Snedeker 7:45 a.m. off the 10th tee Kevin Kisner, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed 12:25 p.m. off the 1st tee Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Padraig Harrington 12:35 p.m. off the 1st tee  

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