After an action-packed week from Shanghai at the WGC-HSBC Champions, the PGA Tour returns to North America with another installment of the annual trip to the El Camaleon Golf Club in Mexico.
The OHL Classic at Mayakoba has only been a fixture of the PGA Tour since 2007, and the field of competitors here also boasts a bevy of the Tour’s up-and-comers and still-hopeful veterans as opposed to the grander events on the PGA calendar that feature the world’s top golfers.
But don’t let the lack of big names get you down; Mexico’s only PGA event of the year still promises plenty of drama and sweet betting opportunities, and we’ve got you covered with our preview of this week’s action below. And for more coverage on this tournament, check out some of our other sleeper picks after this.
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2015 OHL Classic at Mayakoba Betting Preview
Where: El Camaleon Golf Club, Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
[sc:Golf240banner ]Given the relatively shallow level of competition in this event, Matt Kuchar – who is currently ranked 16th in the Official World Golf Ranking – is undoubtedly the most prolific golfer on the course.
Expectations will be high for Kuchar, who’s making his first start at the OHL Classic in Mayakoba since 2008. He has only taken part of this tournament twice, but did have a superb T3 finish his last time here, and tied for 18th in the inaugural tournament in 2007. To add, “Kuch” has the second-best scoring average here (67.88) in El Camaleon amongst all PGA golfers, although granted that he’s only made two appearances in this event.
And who you may ask has the best scoring average at the OHL Classic? That would be none other than 26-year-old Harris English.
English tops Kuchar’s average by a just a few tenths (67.05). However, he has one thing that Kuchar doesn’t, and that’s an actual win in the tournament, which he attained just two years ago. Not only that; English’s 21-under-par finish from 2013 is actually a course record at this young PGA event south-of-the-border. English himself had set the bar here in El Camaleon, and he’s well-primed to top his very own marks here yet again this week.
Sleepers – Cameron Beckman and Davis Love III
From one previous champion to another, Minneapolis-born Cameron Beckman is one such previous victor in this tournament, which was back in 2010 with his 15-under total.
And while Beckman is certainly no PGA Tour superstar by any measure, he might as well be one here in Mexico. The 45-year-old will be entering his ninth OHL Classic, making him one of only two golfers that have played in all of the tournament’s installments since its inception. If a player with vast experience and overall familiarity of the course is what you’re after, Beckman is the man.
However, if it’s true PGA experience that you’re after, you may want to bank on Davis Love III instead. The 2016 Ryder Cup team captain’s fighting days aren’t over yet, and his career’s resume is enough to make the rest of the field quiver.
Love has 21 professional wins – by far the most out of all golfers headed to El Camaleon this week. His most recent win came at the Wyndham Championship in August, which also makes him just one of four golfers that have won a tournament this calendar year. Finally, Love is just one of eight golfers from the field to have won a major championship as well.
With such an impressive pedigree, will an OHL Classic title from this week’s festivities be added to the the 51-year-old Love’s collection of trophies before hanging up his clubs?
Long Shot – Carlos Ortiz
Mexico’s got to have a hometown favorite to cheer for, and the country’s best shot of having a non-American champion at the OHL Classic for the veryfirst time is Guadalajara-native Carlos Ortiz.
Ortiz is one of only five Mexican players in this year’s tournament, and one of only two full-fledged Mexican PGA tour members along with Abraham Ancer. While the 29-year-old’s only appearance in this event came just last season, his ninth-place finish then certainly provides plenty of optimism for the home crowd.
However, Ortiz is still green as a professional in general, notching only one top 10 finish since he turned pro in 2013. Still, having played in El Camaleon back in 2007 as a junior golfer also adds to Ortiz’s credentials, granting him more credit as the tournament’s most favored and liked dark horse entrant.
Writer’s Prediction
With a win on Sunday, Harris English becomes the first golfer to have multiple wins at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba with a 16-under finish.
