Slow play just took a punch in the gut.
J.B. “The Snail” Holmes won’t be in Mexico City this week.
After his win last Sunday at the Genesis and the five hour, 38-minute final round, the first thing CBS man-on-the-ground told Holmes is that he had a spot in the WGC-Mexico. Holmes looked pleasantly surprised but after trudging Riviera for what seemed like a month, “The Snail” has opted to take a family vacation.
No big deal, the names are huge this week, including Tiger Woods playing in this event for the first time. Woods, who ground out a torrid pace last season to get himself WGC-eligible again, had his moments at Riviera before he finally fell victim to early morning wake-up calls, cold temps and high winds.
Woods and the rest of the field should find the weather at Club de Golf Chapultepec to their liking. Forecasts call for temperatures in the 77-80 degree range, some sun, some days partly cloudy, low humidity and very little chance of any rain whatsoever.
The big factor in Mexico City is the altitude. At 7,800 feet above sea level, golf balls fly, really fly. Drives will be mammoth and even the shorter hitters will see themselves past the 300-yard mark without much effort.
Phil Mickelson found the conditions perfect for him last year. He ended the longest victory drought of his career when he beat Justin Thomas in a playoff to get his first win since the 2013 Open Championship.
Since then, Mickelson has resurrected himself. he finished second in the Desert Classic earlier this season and then he won for the fifth time at Pebble Beach, taking the AT&T title.
