What's the deal with that giant hole in the middle of the fairway for LPGA tournament?

USA Today

22-05-2025

What's the deal with that giant hole in the middle of the fairway for LPGA tournament?
The LPGA will be the third pro golf circuit to tackle the El Camaleon Golf Course Mayakoba and those stunning visuals that are called cenotes (see-NO-tays). These large sinkholes, or cave bunkers, are common along the eastern edge of the Yucatan Peninsula near Cancun.
The LPGA's tournament in this part of the world is called the Mexico Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico, May 22-25, 2025. It's the circuit's first visit to Mexico in eight seasons.
El Camaleon was the first official event on the PGA Tour schedule outside of the United States and Canada. That run ended in 2022 and then LIV Golf played two events on the golf course in 2023 and 2024.
Now it's the LPGA's turn.
About that giant hole on the golf course in Mexico
The much-talked-about and often photographed cenote at El Camaleon is smack dab in the middle of the fairway on the course's par-5 seventh hole. Cenotes are giant natural sink holes, often filled with fresh water. They are mostly found on the Yucatan Peninsula. According to xenotes.com:
These wells owe their name to the Mayans, who baptized them with the word Dz'onot, which means 'cavern with water', and from there it derived its current name: cenotes.
The cenotes for the Maya culture have been a symbol of duality since they represented life and death. They were a water source for the Maya cities and represented the gateway to the world of the dead: the Xibalbá.
Course designer Greg Norman built around the cenotes
Norman's course, which opened in 2004, features a cenote that is not water-filled. It looks like a giant cave with a sandy bottom and you can actually play out of there, if you wanted to try. You won't see too many pros end up in there during tournament week, however.
The hole played 554 yards for the PGA Tour. It'll measure 532 yards for the LPGA tournament. The cenote will be about 300 yards off the tee.
Over the course of 18 holes, golfers will intertact with three distinct landscapes: mangrove jungles, limestone canals and holes along the ocean.
As for the cenotes, there's two on the course, with another one near the 10th hole.
What they're saying about the cave bunker on No. 7
Isabella Fierro, who grew up in Playa del Carmen: "The cenote, it's around 315 [yards], so some of the longer hitters, if you have downwind, you can get it down there but if you're going on your second shot, you kind of have a downhill lie actually, so you have to be careful not to be too deep because you're hitting a 3-wood to get close to the green or like a 5-wood. It does get into play if you get too close. It's nice. The group I was playing with today went inside and took some pictures. I was like, 'This is awesome.'"
Linn Grant: "It looks really nice. I'm just happy that I at least can hit a shot short of that. I don't have to think too much about it. I hit like a thin 3-wood into the green the other day and it was just above that edge there. Yeah, it's fun. It's nothing like anything else."
Maria Fassi, who is from Mexico and played the course often for junior events: "I'm actually not carrying driver in the bag this week so I can't reach it. I have mini driver in the bag. I can't reach with it mini driver unless the wind really goes down, which it shouldn't on this hole. But, yeah, you just got to stay away from that. Take a photo and go on to the next. It's actually very cool down there as well. With how hot it is, it's kind of nice and refreshing to get away from the heat for a second."
Lindy Duncan: "You can see the cave from the tee. I'm not sure to hit driver or 3-wood there. I went back and played it again today and I just hit a couple drives and my caddie went down there to see kind of where the driver ended up. We were questioning whether it night get too close to the cave downwind, and I'm not sure where it actually went because he went to go get the ball and I came here [to the media center]. I'm going to talk to him about it, but it's either a driver over 3-wood."
Where does the course rank in Golfweek's Best?
El Camaleon checks in at No. 24 in the Golfweek's Best: Top 50 courses in Mexico, Caribbean, Atlantic islands, Central America. The course includes many features and facilities including one of the eight Jim McLean golf schools. Visitors can practice on the range, work on their short game or take advantage of TrackMan technology with the help of a certified instructor.