Mayakoba Golf Classic: Third-Round Notebook

Third-Round Notebook

By Joel Schuchmann
PGA TOUR Staff

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, México - The 15-under-par 195 total for 54-hole leader Brian Gay matches K.J. Choi (Sony Open in Hawaii) for low first 54 on the PGA TOUR in 2008. Last year's 54-hole leader Fred Funk posted an identical 195 total.

The five-stroke lead through three rounds for Brian Gay is the second-largest on TOUR this season. Tiger Woods led by eight through 54 holes at the Buick Invitational and won by eight.

Brian Gay holds just the second 54-hole lead/co-lead of his PGA TOUR career. He was tied with Steve Flesch and Chad Campbell at the 2004 Bank of America Colonial through 54 holes but finished tied for 14th after shooting 5 over par in the final round.

Saturday brought quite a change in scoring conditions. One day after the scoring average was +2.901 (72.901), the third-round scoring average dipped below par at 68.813. On the week, the scoring average now stands at 71.272.

México's Esteban Toledo posted a 7-under-par 63 to jump from a tie for 13th to fifth.

John Merrick's string of bogey-free holes ended with a bogey on No. 9 on Saturday. He had gone 44 holes without a miscue this week.

Five players have the opportunity to post four rounds in the 60s: Brian Gay, Steve Marino, Matt Kuchar, John Merrick and Michael Sim.

Roland Thatcher, best known for hitting a ball onto the roof of the clubhouse on the final hole of the 2001 PGA TOUR Qualifying School and subsequently making a triple-bogey to miss his PGA TOUR card by three shots, set the El Camaleón Golf Club at Mayakoba course record with a 9-under-par 61.

The previous course record was 62 set by Fred Funk (Round 1, 2007) and later matched by Brent Geiberger (Round 2, 2007). The 61 was also the low round of the year, besting rounds by Jim McGovern (Bob Hope Chrysler Classic), Boo Weekley (Bob Hope Chrysler Classic), and Tim Wilkinson (Sony Open in Hawaii).

Roland Thatcher made the cut on the number at 4 over par and jumped from a tie for 64th to a tie for ninth with his third-round 61. The 61 was the lowest score on TOUR since Zach Johnson posted a 60 in the third round of last year's TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.

Roland Thatcher posted six birdies on Nos. 10-18 (his front nine) on Saturday, carding a 6-under-par 29, the record 9-hole total for the back nine.

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

Lee Patterson
Media Director
Greg Norman Production Company
(704) 553-4790

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.

Ticket Information

Golf PARa Todos aims to create a fun-filled, diverse and educational program that teaches about the game of golf and its ideals.

GolfPARaTodos.org

Mexico's Only PGA TOUR Event

Mayakoba Golf Classic, Golf PARa Todos, Grupo OHL, Greg Norman Production Company, Great White Shark Enterprises, PGA TOUR, Inc., their shareholders, representatives, partners, operators and/or subsidiaries or related companies (Organizers) will utilize your personal data collected herein for informational purposes and database compilation. For more information about the handling of your data and the rights which you may exercise, you can access our complete privacy notice by visiting http://www.mayakobagolfclassic.com/privacypolicy.