World Wide Technology Championship Explained

World Wide Technology Championship
Location:Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Establishment:2007
Course:El Cardonal
Par:72
Tour:PGA Tour
Format:Stroke play
Month Played:November
Aggregate:261 Viktor Hovland (2021)
261 Russell Henley (2022)
261 Erik van Rooyen (2023)
To-Par:−27 Erik van Rooyen (2023)
Current Champion: Erik van Rooyen
Map:Mexico#Mexico Baja California Sur
Map Label:El Cardonal
Map Relief:yes
Map Size:200
Coordinates:22.897°N -109.9823°W

The World Wide Technology Championship is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in Mexico, contested at the Tiger Woods-designed El Cardonal golf course within the Diamante Cabo San Lucas resort. It debuted in February 2007 and was the first PGA Tour event to take place in Mexico. The first 16 years of the tournament took place in Riviera Maya before the tournament was moved to Los Cabos in 2023.

History

Originally an alternate event in late winter, the tournament was played the same week as the WGC Match Play event in Arizona. Mayakoba was part of the FedEx Cup, but only earned half the points of a regular event. The prize fund in 2007 was US$3.5 million (with a winner's share of $630,000),[1] making it the richest golf tournament in Mexico.[2]

Fred Funk, a winner four months earlier on the Champions Tour, took the inaugural event in a playoff over José Cóceres of Argentina.[1] [3] Funk was of age and became the oldest player to win a PGA Tour event in nearly 32 years;[4] Art Wall was about eleven months older when he won the Greater Milwaukee Open in July 1975.[5]

In 2013, the event was moved to mid-November to be part of the 2014 season as a primary event in the early part of the season, which began in October for the first time.[6] The tournament now offered full FedEx Cup points, a Masters invitation, and a large purse increase (over 60%, to $6 million). With the tour's new schedule, the Mayakoba event was not part of the abbreviated 2013 season.

The Golf Classic is allocated four additional sponsor exemptions designated for players of Spanish or Mexican heritage from Latin America, South America, Spain, or Mexico.[7]

In 2021, World Wide Technology was announced as the new title sponsor of the event, in a deal lasting until 2027.[8]

In November 2022, it was noted that the El Camaleón Golf Course had been added to the roster for the 2023 LIV Golf League.[9] With the PGA Tour and LIV Golf's ongoing legal battle, the tour decided to end its relationship with Mayakoba.[10] In January 2023, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan confirmed that the tour was working with World Wide Technology, but did not see them being back at Mayakoba.[11]

Winners

YearWinnerScoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-upPurse
($)
Winner's
share ($)
World Wide Technology Championship
261 −27 2 strokes 8,200,000 1,476,000
261 −23 4 strokes 8,200,000 1,476,000
Viktor Hovland (2) 261 −23 4 strokes 7,200,000 1,296,000
Mayakoba Golf Classic
264 −20 1 stroke 7,200,000 1,296,000
264 −20 1 stroke 7,200,000 1,296,000
262 −22 1 stroke 7,200,000 1,296,000
OHL Classic at Mayakoba
265 −19 1 stroke 7,100,000 1,278,000
263 −21 2 strokes 7,000,000 1,260,000
266 −18 Playoff 6,200,000 1,116,000
267 −17 1 stroke 6,100,000 1,098,000
263 −21 4 strokes 6,000,000 1,080,000
Mayakoba Golf Classic
271 −13 Playoff 3,700,000 666,000
267 −17 Playoff 3,700,000 666,000
269 −15 2 strokes 3,600,000 648,000
267 −13 2 strokes 3,600,000 648,000
264 −16 2 strokes 3,500,000 630,000
266 −14 Playoff 3,500,000 630,000
Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Scoreboard: At Playa del Carmen, Mexico . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon) . February 26, 2007 . D4 .
  2. Web site: Mayakoba Golf Classic . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20061030005925/http://www.rivieramaya.com/eng/en-Golf.htm . October 30, 2006 .
  3. News: 50-year-old Funk wins at Mayakoba . Star-News . (Wilmington, North Carolina) . Associated Press . February 26, 2007 . 3C .
  4. Web site: Oldest PGA Tour winners . May 14, 2009.
  5. News: Art Wall a winner at Milwaukee. Daytona Beach Morning Journal . (Florida) . Associated Press . July 7, 1975 . 1C .
  6. Web site: 2013–14 PGA Tour schedule (2013 tournaments) . PGA Tour . December 12, 2012 . May 14, 2013.
  7. Web site: 2015–16 PGA Tour Player Handbook & Tournament Regulations. October 5, 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160412192428/https://playersupport.pgatourhq.com/Tour/PLP/playersupportinforegistration.nsf/xsp/.ibmmodres/domino/OpenAttachment/Tour/PLP/playersupportinforegistration.nsf/C727DB7A7733806285257CC50066F582/pgAttachments/2015-16%20PGA%20TOUR%20Handbook%20%26%20Regulations%20-%20Final.pdf. April 12, 2016.
  8. News: World Wide Technology Named Mayakoba Title Sponsor Through 2027 . Yahoo! Finance . 19 July 2021 . 1 November 2021.
  9. Mexico's Mayakoba Resort jumps ship from PGA Tour to LIV Golf . Golfweek . Adam . Schupak . 28 November 2022 . 9 January 2023.
  10. Web site: 'Not an easy decision': Why this longtime PGA Tour site embraced LIV Golf . Golf.com . Alan . Bastable . 5 December 2022 . 9 January 2023.
  11. Web site: Jay Monahan met with media. Here are 15 issues he addressed . Golf.com . Dylan . Dethier . 9 January 2023 . 9 January 2023.