First-Round Notebook

PGA TOUR Staff

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico -- Bo Van Pelt matched his career low round on the PGA TOUR with a 63 to take a two stroke lead after the first round. Van Pelt scorched the front nine (he started on No. 10) with a tournament-record 28, which included seven birdies. His other 63 came at the 2002 Greater Milwaukee Open.

• Looking for his first PGA TOUR victory, Van Pelt has held the first-round lead three previous times in his career including the 2008 Buick Open (tied for 17th), the 2008 Puerto Rico Open (tied for second) and the 2004 U.S. Bank Championship (tied for seventh).

• Chris Riley shot a 5-under 65 to hold the lead after the morning wave. Riley won the 2002 Reno-Tahoe Open and played in the 2004 Ryder Cup, but has registered only two top-10 finishes since 2004. He has missed three straight cuts on TOUR including in his only two starts this season and his final event of 2008 at the Ginn sur Mer.

• Playing in his 32nd PGA TOUR event, Jarrod Lyle is looking for his first top-10 finish. Lyle is tied for second after shooting a 5-under 65.

• To be successful at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, Driving Accuracy is a must. Last year's champion Brian Gay finished 17th in TOUR Driving Accuracy in 2008, while 2007 Mayakoba Golf Classic winner Fred Funk ranked second in TOUR Driving Accuracy that season.

• Scott Piercy, who shot a 4-under 66 in the first round (tied for fourth), is tied for 181st in TOUR Driving Accuracy and third in TOUR Driving Distance (305.8). Rookie Gary Woodland shot a 1-under 69 and is tied for 31st. Woodland is 175th in TOUR Driving Accuracy and second in TOUR Driving Distance.

• Along with defending champion Gay, four players in the field are among the top 10 on the PGA TOUR in Driving Accuracy -- Mark Brooks, David Toms, Olin Browne and Gay. Another, Chris DiMarco led the field in that category last week at the Northern Trust and finished tied for 13th.

• After the first-round four players are tied for the top Driving Accuracy after hitting 14 of 14 fairways. They are: Jarrod Lyle 65 (-5) tied for second; J.J Henry 66 (-4) tied for fourth; Pablo Larrazabal 66 (-4) tied for fourth; and Notah Begay III 68 (-2) tied for 20th.

• Defending champion Gay shot a 2-under 68. Gay is off to a solid start in 2009, recording four top-20 finishes in his first four starts, with top-10s at the Sony Open in Hawaii and FBR Open. Gay played in 292 PGA TOUR events without a win prior to capturing the 2008 Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun by two strokes.

• El Camaleon Golf Club, designed by 2009 Presidents Cup International Team Captain Greg Norman, was ranked No. 14 among most-difficult courses on the PGA TOUR in 2008 (71.00). The par-4 third hole (462 yards) was ranked 22nd among the toughest holes on TOUR last year (4.385).

• J.P. Hayes' 4-under 66 Thursday was just his second round in the 60s in his last 10 rounds. Hayes has missed the cut in 20 of his last 26 events. Like Riley, Hayes' last win came in 2002 (John Deere Classic).

• Riley is the first player in tournament history to eagle the 386-yard par-4 17th hole.

• Spaniard Larrazabal finished the day at 4 under and is tied for fourth. Larrazabal finished 30th on the European Tour Order of Merit in 2008. He was named the European Tour's Rookie of the Year on the strength of a four-stroke victory over Angel Cabrera and Colin Montgomerie in the Open de France.

• Alex Cejka (back), Troy Kelly (back) and Jason Gore (back) both withdrew following the first-round.

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.

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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.

About El Camaleón

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.