Third-Round Notebook

PGA TOUR Staff

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico -- Former high school competitors Mark Wilson and Bo Van Pelt will go into the final-round in a tie at 11-under 199. Kevin Na, who shared the lead with Wilson after the second round, is three strokes back at 8-under 202.

• Wilson's only previous third-round lead came 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 Van Pelt has held the third-round lead once in his 214 event TOUR career prior to Saturday. Van Pelt held the lead going into the final round of the 2008 Puerto Rico Open, but finished tied for second.

• Van Pelt matched his career-low after 54 holes with a 199. Van Pelt also tallied a 199 at the 2005 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee and the 2009 Bob Hope Classic.

• Briny Baird is one stroke off the lead at 10-under 200. Baird is looking for his first career TOUR win in his 280th event. A dozen active players are winless in more than 300 starts, led by Jay Delsing at 555 starts.

• PGA TOUR rookie Gary Woodland and Scott Piercy, a veteran of 25 TOUR events, are proving that statistics don't always mean everything. 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.

• Coming into the Mayakoba Golf Classic, Woodland was 175th in TOUR Driving Accuracy and second in TOUR Driving Distance, while Piercy was tied for 181st in TOUR Driving Accuracy and third in TOUR Driving Distance (305.8).

• Woodland turned in Saturday's round of the day with a 7-under 63. Woodland and Piercy are both tied for 12th after the third-round at 6-under 204.

• Piercy is already having the best year of his career. Playing sparingly over the previous six seasons coming into 2009, Piercy registered 12 missed cuts in 20 TOUR events between 2003 and 2008. Piercy opened the season with a tie for 12th at the Sony Open in Hawaii, tied for 19th at the 50th Bob Hope Classic and tied for sixth at the FBR Open before missing the cut at the Buick Invitational. He has already almost doubled his earning this year compared to the previous six seasons.

• So far this season Piercy has shot in the 60s in 13 of his 18 total rounds. Piercy's final-round scoring average is 68.3 through three events this season.

• Brian Davis leads the field in Driving Accuracy at 90.48%, but is tied for 48th at even-par 210.

• 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 54 holes, the course is playing to an average of 70.604, while the third hole's scoring average is 4.216.

• There are several Mexican and Spanish players in the field this year. Leading the contingent is Spaniard Jose Manuel Lara, who is tied for 16th with a 5-under 205, while his countryman Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano is tied for 63rd at 3 over. The two Mexican players still playing are Jose de Jesus Rodriguez, who is tied for 40th at 1 under, and Esteban Toledo, who is tied for 56th at 1 over.

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

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

Corporate Allies

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.