Second-Round Notebook

PGA TOUR Staff

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico -- A total of 78 players made the cut, which came at 2-over 142. The cut in 2008 was 4 over.

•Kevin Na and Mark Wilson are both at 10-under 130 and share the lead after the second-round at the Mayakoba Golf Classic.

•Teeing off in the afternoon wave, Na turned in the best round of the tournament with a bogey-free 8-under 62, which is one stroke off the tournament record set by Roland Thatcher in 2008.

•Na's 62 beats his previous low round of 63 set at the 2007 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. Kevin Na's 130 is also a new 36-hole career-best. His previous career-best was a 131 set at the 2008 Sony Open in Hawaii.

•Na has held the second-round lead two previous times in his career, both coming in 2005 at the FBR Open, where he finished tied for second, and at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic, where he finished tied for 17th.

•Na and Wilson's 36-hole score of 10-under 130 breaks the tournament record of 131 for low first 36 holes that was set by three players in 2007 (Funk, Weekley and Beckman).

•Wilson shot a 6-under 64 in the second round to take the lead after the morning wave. Wilson's 36-hole total of 130 also represents a career best. His previous best 36-hole total was 132, which he accomplished on five occasions.

•Wilson, who picked up his only PGA TOUR win at the 2007 Honda Classic and is coming off his two best seasons on TOUR, has never led after the second round of a tournament prior to Friday. His only first-round lead was at the 2006 Chrysler Classic of Tucson (tied ofr ninth) and his only third-round lead was at the 2007 Honda Classic, which he went on to win in a playoff over Jose Coceres, Camilo Villegas and Boo Weekley.

•First-round leader Bo Van Pelt shot a 1-under 69 and is two strokes behind the co-leaders. Van Pelt's career-best finish is a tie for second at the 2008 Puerto Rico Open.

•Typically 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 continued his strong play and is tied for seventh at 5-under 135. Piercy is tied for 181st in TOUR Driving Accuracy and third in TOUR Driving Distance (305.8). Rookie Gary Woodland dropped to a tie for 59th after the second round with a 1-over 141. Woodland is 175th in TOUR Driving Accuracy and second in TOUR Driving Distance.

•Along with defending champion Gay, three other players in the field are among the top 10 on the PGA TOUR in Driving Accuracy: Mark Brooks, David Toms and Olin Browne. Another, Chris DiMarco, led the field in that category last week at the Northern Trust and finished tied for 13th. At the halfway point, Toms is tied for 15th, Gay is tied for 22nd, DiMarco is tied for 35th, Browne is tied for 59th and Brooks is tied for 68th.

•El Camaleón 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). Through 36 holes, the third hole is playing to an average of 4.185, while the overall course is playing to an average of 70.804.

•There are several Mexican and Spanish players in the field this year. Spaniard Jose Manuel Lara is tied for 11th with a 4-under 136. Lara's best European Tour Order of Merit finish was 30th in 2006 after winning the 2006 Hong Kong Open. Also still standing are Mexican players Jose de Jesus Rodriguez (tied for 35th) and Esteban Toledo (tied for 35th), and Spanish player Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (also tied for 35th).

•Richard Johnson (illness) withdrew prior to the second-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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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!

The Legend of Don Pepe Lota

Mexico's Only PGA TOUR Event

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