1. Matt Kuchar, United States — The highest-ranked player in the field at No. 16 in the world, Kuchar is coming off a four-stroke victory over Aron Price of Australia in the Fiji International four weeks ago. He headed to Fiji a week after helping the United States retain the Presidents Cup in South Korea, playing in the tournament co-sanctioned by the OneAsia and Australasian tours. Kuchar, who has finished in the top 10 in six of his past 10 tournaments, is playing in the OHL Classic for the third time, but the first time since 2008, when he posted four scores in the 60s and tied for third, four strokes behind winner Brian Gay. A year earlier in his first appearance in Mexico, he tied for 18th.
2. Charley Hoffman, United States — Hoffman is the defending champion in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba, claiming his third PGA Tour title in the event last year. He stumbled in his only start so far in the 2015-16 season when he shot 71-71–142 and missed the cut in what was a home game in Las Vegas at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open last month. Hoffman played well enough last season, posting seven results in the top 10 — three in the top four — to finish 10th in the FedEx Cup standings. He placed solo third in the Deutsche Bank Championship during the playoffs. He is making his fourth start at El Camaleon Golf Club, and last year he came from three strokes behind with a final-round, 5-under-par 66 to win by one stroke over Shawn Stefani.
3. Harris English, United States — The 26-year-old is enjoying a solid career on the PGA Tour thus far, but there were predictions that he would become a big star when he left the University of Georgia in 2011. That has not yet happened, although he did win the FedEx St. Jude Classic and the OHL Classic at Mayakoba, both in 2013. He came close again when he lost in a playoff to Jason Day of Australia in the Farmers Insurance Open last February, and he is coming off a tie for 23rd in the WGC-HSBC Champions. English is making his third appearance at El Camaleon Golf Club. Two years ago, he shot a 9-under-par 62 in round two, powering him to a four-stroke victory over Brian Stuard.
4. Brendan Steele, United States — Even though he was unable to hold on either time, Steele took the lead to the final round of the Frys.com Open and the CIMB Classic early this season, and he is back to try again this week. He closed with a 4-over-par 76 and fell to a tie for 17th in the opener, and his 68 left him in a tie for third in Malaysia, two strokes behind winner Justin Thomas. Steele is hoping to add to his only PGA Tour victory, in the 2011 Valero Texas Open, when he plays in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba for the third time. He tied for 16th two years ago after playing the middle rounds in 66-68. Last year he opened with 68-68 but went 70-71 on the weekend to tie for 37th.
5. Russell Knox, Scotland — The Scot will try to keep it going after claiming his first PGA Tour victory last week in the WGC-HSBC Champions and rising to No. 31 in the World Golf Rankings after starting the year at No. 100. Knox is third in the early FedEx Cup standings and has posted eight scores in the 60s in his past nine rounds, so if he can shake off the jet lag after the long trip from China, he could be a factor at El Camaleon. This will be his fourth start in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba, and he will be looking for a big improvement after he tied for 30th in 2012, tied for 31st in 2014 and tied for 37th last year.
6. Chris Stroud, United States — After getting off to a solid start to the 2015-16 season with a tie for 10th in the Frys.com Open and a tie for 39th in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, Stroud did not play in the two Asian events, but he is back for the OHL Classic at Mayakoba, in which he has a good history. His tie for 23rd last year ended a strong of three consecutive top-10 finishes at El Camaleon, including solo fourth in 2011, when he held the lead after a second-round 63. He tied for fifth in 2012, and after he skipped a year, he tied for third two years ago. Stroud has bounced back from a poor finish to last season, when he missed the cut in his final four events.
7. Patton Kizzire, United States — Playing in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba, Kizzire is trying to keep alive a hot streak that started when he tied for fifth in the Web.com Tour Championship to cap a terrific season on the PGA Tour’s Triple-A circuit. He followed that by tying for second in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, closing with a 63, and tying for fourth in the Sanderson Farms Championship to start the new season. He earned his PGA Tour card by winning the Utah Championship and the News Sentinel Open in addition to finishing second in the El Bosque Mexico Championship and tying for second in the Rex Hospital Open, losing a playoff to Kyle Thompson. Those were among Kizzire’s 12 finishes in the top 10, which took him to the Web.com Tour money title.
8. Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland — McDowell is trying to find his way back to the upper echelons of the World Golf Rankings after sliding from No. 7 to No. 85, having started 2015 at No. 15. The 2010 U.S. Open champion hasn’t won since the 2014 Alstom Open de France, and his last PGA Tour victory came in the 2013 RBC Heritage. Last season was a nightmare, as his only top-10 result on the circuit was a tie for third in the WGC-HSBC Champions. However, he has shown signs that his game might be returning, starting with a tie for 17th in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. McDowell is playing in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba for the second time, having tied for 63rd in 2007, when he broke 70 only with a 67 in the first round.
9. Peter Malnati, United States — While last week’s breakthrough victory in the Sanderson Farms Championship was his first on the PGA Tour, the 28-year-old Malnati has four others as a pro, including two on the Web.com Tour. He will try to maintain that form this week at El Camaleon Golf Club, where he finished solo 15th in his only previous appearance two years ago, when he closed with a 6-under-par 65. Malnati earned his PGA Tour card with a big 2015 season on the Web.com Tour, claiming a four-stroke victory in the Brasil Champions on the strength of a 9-under-par 62 in the second round. He had four other finishes in the top 10, plus a total of 10 in the top 25, and finished fourth on the regular-season money list.
10. Carlos Ortiz, Mexico — A native of Guadalajara, Ortiz will be a gallery favorite this week when he makes his second start in the PGA Tour event in Mexico City. He is the highest-ranked Mexican golfer at No. 222 in the world, but he started 2015 at No. 142 after a big rookie season on the Web.com Tour in 2014, when he claimed three victories. Ortiz won the Panama Claro Championship, the El Bosque Mexico Championship and the WinCo Foods Portland Open to earn the so-called battlefield promotion to the PGA Tour. However, he had a disappointing first season on the big circuit, with his only top-10 finish coming on native soil, a tie for ninth in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba. Ortiz hopes to improve on that this week to kick-start the new season.
Courtesy of The Sports Xchange, TSX Golf Editor Tom LaMarre
