World Wide Technology Championship

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.

World Wide Technology Championship
Tournament information
LocationLos Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Established2007
Course(s)El Cardonal
Par72
Length7,363 yards (6,733 m)
Tour(s)PGA Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fundUS$7,200,000
Month playedNovember
Tournament record score
Aggregate261 Viktor Hovland (2021)
261 Russell Henley (2022)
261 Erik van Rooyen (2023)
To par−27 Erik van Rooyen (2023)
Current champion
United States Austin Eckroat
Location map
El Cardonal is located in Mexico
El Cardonal
El Cardonal
Location in Mexico
El Cardonal is located in Baja California Sur
El Cardonal
El Cardonal

History

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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 50 years, 257 days 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

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Year Winner Score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up Purse
($)
Winner's
share ($)
World Wide Technology Championship
2024   Austin Eckroat 264 −24 1 stroke   Justin Lower
  Carson Young
7,200,000 1,296,000
2023   Erik van Rooyen 261 −27 2 strokes   Matt Kuchar
  Camilo Villegas
8,200,000 1,476,000
2022   Russell Henley 261 −23 4 strokes   Brian Harman 8,200,000 1,476,000
2021   Viktor Hovland (2) 261 −23 4 strokes   Carlos Ortiz 7,200,000 1,296,000
Mayakoba Golf Classic
2020   Viktor Hovland 264 −20 1 stroke   Aaron Wise 7,200,000 1,296,000
2019   Brendon Todd 264 −20 1 stroke   Adam Long
  Carlos Ortiz
  Vaughn Taylor
7,200,000 1,296,000
2018   Matt Kuchar 262 −22 1 stroke   Danny Lee 7,200,000 1,296,000
OHL Classic at Mayakoba
2017   Patton Kizzire 265 −19 1 stroke   Rickie Fowler 7,100,000 1,278,000
2016   Pat Perez 263 −21 2 strokes   Gary Woodland 7,000,000 1,260,000
2015   Graeme McDowell 266 −18 Playoff   Jason Bohn
  Russell Knox
6,200,000 1,116,000
2014   Charley Hoffman 267 −17 1 stroke   Shawn Stefani 6,100,000 1,098,000
2013   Harris English 263 −21 4 strokes   Brian Stuard 6,000,000 1,080,000
Mayakoba Golf Classic
2012   John Huh 271 −13 Playoff   Robert Allenby 3,700,000 666,000
2011   Johnson Wagner 267 −17 Playoff   Spencer Levin 3,700,000 666,000
2010   Cameron Beckman 269 −15 2 strokes   Joe Durant
  Brian Stuard
3,600,000 648,000
2009   Mark Wilson 267 −13 2 strokes   J. J. Henry 3,600,000 648,000
2008   Brian Gay 264 −16 2 strokes   Steve Marino 3,500,000 630,000
2007   Fred Funk 266 −14 Playoff   José Cóceres 3,500,000 630,000

Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Scoreboard: At Playa del Carmen, Mexico". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). February 26, 2007. p. D4.
  2. ^ "Mayakoba Golf Classic". Archived from the original on October 30, 2006.
  3. ^ "50-year-old Funk wins at Mayakoba". Star-News. (Wilmington, North Carolina). Associated Press. February 26, 2007. p. 3C.
  4. ^ "Oldest PGA Tour winners". Retrieved May 14, 2009.
  5. ^ "Art Wall a winner at Milwaukee". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. July 7, 1975. p. 1C.
  6. ^ "2013–14 PGA Tour schedule (2013 tournaments)". PGA Tour. December 12, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  7. ^ "2015–16 PGA Tour Player Handbook & Tournament Regulations" (PDF). October 5, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 12, 2016.
  8. ^ "World Wide Technology Named Mayakoba Title Sponsor Through 2027". Yahoo! Finance. 19 July 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  9. ^ Schupak, Adam (28 November 2022). "Mexico's Mayakoba Resort jumps ship from PGA Tour to LIV Golf". Golfweek. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  10. ^ Bastable, Alan (5 December 2022). "'Not an easy decision': Why this longtime PGA Tour site embraced LIV Golf". Golf.com. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  11. ^ Dethier, Dylan (9 January 2023). "Jay Monahan met with media. Here are 15 issues he addressed". Golf.com. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
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20°41′22″N 87°01′52″W / 20.6895°N 87.0312°W / 20.6895; -87.0312