| Mayakoba Golf Classic E-Notes - (Feb. 4, 2010) |
- In a few weeks another champion will be crowned at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Here is an update on the first three champions of Mexico's Only PGA TOUR Event:
Fred Funk - After winning the inaugural tournament in 2007, the Florida resident followed with three victories on the Champions Tour, where he spends most of his time. In fact, he won two of the age 50-and-over major championships—the JELD-WEN Tradition and the 2009 U.S. Senior Open. Funk will not be able to compete in this year's Mayakoba Golf Classic. He has suffered with knee and shoulder injuries recently.
Brian Gay - His victory at the 2008 Mayakoba Golf Classic was the first of his career and certainly became a springboard for more to come. Gay finished 2008 with six top-ten finishes and in 2009 was one of the hottest players in the game with victories at the Verizon Heritage and St. Jude Classic presented by FedEx. Gay is currently ranked 51st in the world and will not compete this year because he is required to play in the World Golf Championship Accenture Match Play event opposite the Mayakoba Golf Classic.
Mark Wilson - With his victory last year at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, Wilson became a two-time winner on the PGA TOUR. Earlier, he won the 2007 Honda Classic. Following his win here last year, Wilson was tied for 3rd at the Memorial and shared the 36-hole lead with Tiger Woods before finishing tied for 10th at the BMW Championship. He finished the year 44th on the PGA TOUR money list and 32nd in the FedExCup standings. Wilson will be defending his Mayakoba Golf Classic title in a few weeks.
- Volunteers are the key ingredient to a successful PGA TOUR event. At the Mayakoba Golf Classic, this group is called Ambassadors because it is their mission to share the friendly spirit of the region to all who attend the tournament. The Mayakoba Golf Classic has been fortunate each year to have over 500 Ambassadors share their time before, during and after tournament week. In fact, nearly 200 Ambassadors have returned each year to help tournament organizers with multiple duties such as marshals and walking scorers.
- In order to conduct the Mayakoba Golf Classic and provide all the services for spectators, players, television production, volunteers and tournament guests, over 20 temporary structures are now being assembled throughout the golf course for tournament week. In fact, over 12.3 miles (19.8 kilometers) of gallery rope will be put in place throughout the golf course to help maintain traffic flow for spectators.
- Of the 51 courses played on the PGA TOUR last year, El Camaleón Golf Club was ranked the 14th toughest on the schedule. The par-70 course played .642 above par in 2009.
- Jose Coceres is the last player to lose in consecutive playoffs when he was defeated at the 2007 Mayakoba Golf Classic and the 2007 Honda Classic.
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| Media Contacts |
The Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancún is dedicated to assisting the media in covering this historic event. For more information on press releases, press conferences or attending the event, please contact the Mayakoba Golf Classic's media directors:
Veronica Muller
Media Director - Latin America
Mayakoba Golf Classic
+52 (998) 185-1585
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Lee Patterson
Media Director
Greg Norman Production Company
(704) 553-4790
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About The Mayakoba Golf Classic |
| The Mayakoba Golf Classic made golf history when it became the first PGA TOUR event to ever be contested outside of the United States and Canada in February 2007. Today, the Mayakoba Golf Classic remains “Mexico’s Only PGA TOUR Event” as it prepares to enter its sixth year. The event is regarded as one of the finest on the PGA TOUR by players, their families, sponsors and the TOUR itself. With a purse of $3.7 million USD, the Mayakoba Golf Classic boasts the largest amount of prize money of any golf tournament in Latin America. Held annually in February, the tournament features 132 professional golfers participating in four rounds of stroke play competition at the Greg Norman-designed El Camaleón Golf Club at Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, in the Riviera Maya-Cancún regions of Mexico. Johnson Wagner, a five-year veteran of the PGA TOUR, claimed the title in 2011, winning $666,000 USD. Other past champions include: Fred Funk (2007), Brian Gay (2008), Mark Wilson (2009) and Cameron Beckman (2010). |
About Mayakoba |
| Mayakoba is situated just south of Cancun on Mexico’s prized Caribbean coast – the Riviera Maya. A mere 40-minute drive from the towering hotels of Cancun, visitors will discover a completely different experience. Here, nestled in a lush natural paradise, lies Mayakoba—a truly unique resort destination. Mayakoba is comprised of three luxury hotels, each featuring a range of culinary and spa experiences. An 18-hole Greg Norman championship golf course, El Camaleón, managed by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, offers players an ever-changing terrain that moves gracefully from mangroves to the sea. Created to harmonize with the unspoiled tropical forest, Mayakoba is connected with a series of lagoons enabling guests to wander effortlessly from place to place through the resort using the “lanchas” (covered boats) as well as a network of trails. Mayakoba, a luxury destination like no other where you are immersed in unspoiled natural beauty and the mysteries of an ancient civilization. |
| About OHL |
| Based in Madrid, OHL has over 23,000 employees and an impressive average yearly growth rate of 20% since 2002. In the third quarter of 2010, its net sales amounted to over 3,4 billion Euros. At the same time, OHL is strongly committed to environmental responsibility and in 2003 produced its first Sustainable Development Report. As Juan-Miguel Villar Mir, the chairman of the board of directors and the author of the report, noted, mindful attention to the long-term health of the environment creates a "virtuous circle" that benefits the company, its clients and the globe. OHL's ecological diligence has served it well in México, where strong government regulations are enforced to protect the environment. A presence in México since 1980, OHL employs over 3,400 people there and has built highways, bridges, hotels and hospitals. The tourism complex at Mayakoba, which will eventually include two or three golf courses and six luxury hotels, is OHL's most ambitious hospitality project to date. |
| About Greg Norman Production Company |
| The Greg Norman Production Company (GNPC), a subsidiary of Great White Shark Enterprises, is devoted to event management and sports marketing. In addition to the PGA TOUR’s Mayakoba Golf Classic, the GNPC operates the PGA TOUR-sanctioned Franklin Templeton Shootout. The GNPC prides itself on producing events and marketing initiatives that not only reflect the discerning standards of its namesake, but of its clients as well. Through its myriad relationships within golf, media and event industries, the GNPC is fully capable of providing its clients with a wide spectrum of services that will seamlessly build brand equity and generate a unique marketing and or hospitality medium. |
| About El Camaleón Golf Club |
| El Camaleón Golf Club at the Mayakoba resort is yet another of Greg Norman’s masterworks. The 7,039-yard layout is unique - not just to Mexico but to the entire world of golf. The course bends through three distinct landscapes—mangrove jungles, limestone canals and stunning, oceanfront stretches of sand. El Camaleón incorporates a cenote, a massive underground cavern, into the heart of the opening fairway. The handsome, Mayan influenced clubhouse rises above the 18th green and features stunning views over the course. The adjoining practice facility and driving range are of international caliber. With Mayakoba’s unique system of lagoons, golfers will be able to step out of their rooms and into a boat, which will ferry them directly to the first tee. El Camaleón is managed by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. |
| About Golf PARa Todos |
| Golf PARa Todos aims to create a fun-filled, diverse and educational program that teaches about the game of golf and its ideals. The program encourages active participation in the game as a participant and as a fan, and facilitates the integration of golf into the lives of all those within the community. Golf PARa Todos is a community program presented and created by the Mayakoba Golf Classic. In January 2011, the event earned a place in the Guinness World Records by hosting the world’s largest ever golf lesson. The lesson featured 1,073 participants. The inaugural installment of Golf PARa Todos was held in October 2007 at El Camaleón Golf Club in Playa del Carmen. On average, 600 people currently attend each session. A monthly program, Golf PARa Todos is open to people of all ages, backgrounds and levels of golf skill or knowledge. For more information, visit www.GolfParaTodos.org.
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Jose Lota, aka Don Pepe Lota, is the official mascot of the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Born in the cenote in the middle of the fairway of El Camaleón Golf Club’s first hole, Don Pepe Lota can always be found at Mayakoba Golf Classic events and activities playing and entertaining children of all ages! |
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| El Camaleón is aptly named for its diverse layout and ever-changing landscape, which bends through tropical jungles, dense mangroves and oceanfront stretches. |
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