The PGA Tour season has just three more “cross-over” events for 2022 and this week, defending champion Viktor Hovland heads the field south of the border at the Mayakoba championship.
Mayakoba is where the legend of “Kooch The Caddie Mooch” came to be. It was February of 2019 when Matt Kuchar won the championship, took home $1.3 million and tried to compensate his local caddie (El Tucan) with a measly $3,000. After an onslaught of outrage, Kuchar caved and eventually forked out $50,000 to El Tucan.
Now back to 2022.
Viktor Hovland shot 62-67 over the weekend last year to go back-to-back at Mayakoba. Now he’s looking for one of those rare “three-peats.”
After last week’s outlier-laden field (one player from the world’s top 50), this week’s field in Mayakoba actually has a lot of recognizable names — the previously-mentioned Hovland. world No. 2 Scottie Scheffler (who finished fourth here last year) is back and Collin Morikawa makes it three of the world’s top nine.
Tony Finau (14) is playing so is Billy Horschel (16). A win can make a player jump in the world rankings. Seamus Power, winner in Bermuda, jumped from No. 48 up to No. 32.
El Cameleon Golf Club at the Mayakoba resort is the host site and it’s a pretty cool layout with a lot of trouble on the closing holes to create some down-the-stretch drama.
UT Senior Travis Vick Gets Sponsor Exemption:
University of Texas senior Travis Vick was low amateur in last summer’s U.S. Open Championship and he’s about to start on a two-week PGA Tour adventure.
World Wide Technologies sponsors the Mayakoba event as well as the college championship at East Lake. Vick wrote a letter to WWT and boom — he was in Mayakoba. And if that’s not good enough news, Vick, a Texas native, is also in next week’s Houston Open.
Max and Lacey Homa Welcome Baby Cam Andrew:
Max Homa and wife Lacey welcomed their first child Sunday — baby boy Cam Andrew.
Homa reported on his Instagram that Cam is “happy, peaceful and happy.” Lacey underwent complications around the birth, Homa said, requiring multiple surgeries and time in the ICU. She was released to the postpartum room earlier Monday to reunite with Max and Cam.
“My wife is a freaking super hero,” Homa said. “I’ve truly never been more proud and impressed.”
2 Comments
baxter cepeda
Climbing the golf rankings is pretty meaningless these days as many of golfs top players accomplishments competing on the worlds most lucrative tour are not being credited by the owgr for over 6 months.
Also, golf channel before the LIv overdid the Ryder cup (and presidents) talk—considering its just one week of socializing with three days of what to many observers is the Og of “exhibition” golf for top pros. But now with so many top pros not even invited to the Ryder cup, I’m not saying don’t have the event, but talking about it everyday for two years is even more ridiculous now than ever.
Viktor is MADE for this mayakoba event.
Not only does his top junior girl golfer like accuracy off the tee give him a huge advantage, the paspalum grass truly does mitigate his old man hacker like short game.
He mentioned he was a bit crossed up with his swing trying to have more shot shapes, but that he is on a better spot now. He is hungry right now.
So while acknowledging the field in mayakoba is respectable especially compared to last weeks minor league affair in the Bahamas , all these factors combined are more than reason enough to make Viktor an easy pick for a three peat.
And Again, despite the strong field, with the pga tour weaker overall than it’s been in decades, it’s as easy a time as ever for someone like viktor to have the pga tours first 3 peet since Stricks did it in 2011 at the prestigious John deer, wherever that is held. Just don’t expect it to have as much value in my book as when Steve did it.
Gotta Let it go with Kuchs embarrassing moment. The two men had an arrangement. I’m not defending but they had an arrangement.
Congrats to the Homas. That little kids gonna have a super cool dad, dats for sure.
Tom Edrington
Baxter: Again, I limit myself to reading about two or three of your paragraphs — things get very convoluted if I try to go farther.