Latest news with #ElCamaleon
Associated Press
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Chisato Iwai wins Mexico Riviera Maya Open by 6 shots for first LPGA title
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico (AP) — Chisato Iwai took a tournament up for grabs and turned it into her own highlight show Sunday, making five birdies in her opening six holes for a 6-under 66 and a six-shot victory in the Mexico Riviera Maya Open for her first LPGA title. Iwai led from the opening hole at El Camaleon when she made birdie and Jenny Bae made bogey, and the 22-year-old from Japan was on her way. 'My mental is so calm — calm every day, every time,' Iwai said. She ran off four straight birdies, poured in every putt that mattered and then cruised home to become the third LPGA rookie to win this season. Iwai, whose twin sister Akie Iwai has been runner-up twice this year, finished at 12-under 276. Bae had a one-shot lead going into the final round at Mayakoba, and the 10 players behind her also had never experienced winning on the LPGA Tour. It didn't take long for Iwai, who had eight wins on the Japan LPGA before getting her LPGA card, to turn this into a rout. She hit wedge to 4 feet on the third hole for birdie. She rolled in a 7-foot birdie putt on the fourth. Her approach to the par-5 fifth was right of the green, close to the water, and she calmly chipped that to 2 feet for a third straight birdie. Iwai finished the big birdie run with a 15-foot putt on No. 6. Bae bogeyed the opening two holes and never caught up. She steadied herself on the back nine to salvage a 73 and a runner-up finish. 'It just tells me that I have a long ways to go but also I'm also getting there, too,' Bae said. 'So I'm happy. I definitely know what I need to work on for the week off for me. Hopefully I'll be able to score better at the next tournament.' The six-shot victory for Iwai matched the largest margin this year. Rio Takeda of Japan also won by six at the Blue Bay LPGA in China. Iwai took off early and it seemed as though everyone simply cleared out of her way. Gabriela Ruffels, who birdied five of her last six holes on Saturday to get within two shots of the lead, made only one birdie in her round of 76. Miranda Wang, who stayed in the game with clutch par putts down the stretch in the third round, closed with a 76 without making a birdie. Yahui Zhang made bogey on six of her last seven holes for a 78. Iwai won $375,000 for her first title. It's the first time in 10 years the LPGA has had three rookies win before the end of May. The LPGA returned to Mexico for the first time since 2017 and didn't attract a strong field with the U.S. Women's Open next week at Erin Hills is Wisconsin. Charley Hull at No. 15 was the highest-ranked player in the field. She didn't break 70 all week and tied for 32nd. ___ AP golf:
Associated Press
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Jenny Bae birdies last hole for 36-hole lead in LPGA's Mexico tournament
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico (AP) — LPGA rookie Jenny Bae made it through an up-and-down stretch around the turn with a birdie on the par-5 18th hole for another 3-under 69, giving her a one-shot lead going into the weekend at the Mexico Riviera Maya Open. Miranda Wang of China had the best round of the week on the El Camaleon course at Mayakoba, running off seven birdies and keeping a clean card for a 65. That leaft Wang and Brianna Do (71) one shot behind. Bae is trying to soak up the scenery and keep the stress to a minimum. That's about to pick up on the weekend as she goes after her LPGA victory. 'There is going to be some stress and pressure added to it, but I think as long as I keep my momentum and just try to stay positive on every shot and every hoe, I think I'll be OK,' Bae said, She was at 6-under 138 on what has been a tough golf course with wind and heat. El Camaleon on Mayakoba is where the PGA Tour played from 2007 through 2024, and where the LIV Golf League played last year. Do, among four players tied for the 18-hole lead, was the only player to reach 8 under for the tournament until a bogey-double bogey finish on the front nine. She still was in position for her first win, one off the lead. 'I didn't have the best finish today, so it's a little sour in my mouth right now,' Do said. 'I played solid for most of the 36 holes, so feeling good.' Jenny Shin, another of the co-leaders after Thursday, shot 72 and was two behind. The other two who opened with 68, Chisato Iwai and Bianca Pagdanganan, each followed with a 74. Pagdanganan was slowed by a triple bogey on her 11th hole, the par-4 second. Wang, meanwhile, found the right recipe for Mayakoba. For the Duke alum, Wang figured it was best to take care of the par 5s and some of the short par 4s and keep mistakes to a minimum. She birdied three of the four par 5s and kept mistakes completely off her card. 'There are good opportunities out there, short par 4s and short par 5s. Today when I did well, I really took the chances,' Wang said. 'So I think for a player to have a good round here it's just like the short holes you have to get close and make birdies and the long hole, just make good swings and pars out there.' The tournament is the last one before the U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills, and the Mexico reflected that. Charley Hull is the highest-ranked player on the Yucatan Peninsula at No. 15 in the world. She shot 75 and was nine shots behind. Maria Fassi carried the flag for Mexico. The former NCAA champion at Arkansas had a 72 and was at 3-over 147, but at least will be around for the weekend. Gaby Lope managed only a 73 and missed the cut. ___ AP golf:
USA Today
22-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
What's the deal with that giant hole in the middle of the fairway for LPGA tournament?
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 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.
USA Today
21-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
'She's the GOAT': Lorena Ochoa's impact in women's golf still huge 15 years after retirement
'She's the GOAT': Lorena Ochoa's impact in women's golf still huge 15 years after retirement PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — The LPGA has returned to Mexico for the first time since 2017 and the people probably most excited for it are the eight Mexican golfers in the 136-player field. Well, except for maybe one person. That would be the greatest Mexican golfer of all time, Lorena Ochoa. "Amazing. This morning, I woke up, and I was just trying to think you know, how especially how important it is and maybe not as many people realize as much I do," she told Golfweek shortly after hitting a ceremonial tee shot on the 18th hole on Wednesday to officially kick off the 2025 Mexico Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba. "I know how hard it is to have an event here and get the sponsors. … this is a beautiful place. "To see what is a real LPGA event, to have it back, I'm really excited." Born in Guadalajara and currently residing in Mexico City, Ochoa is visiting the El Camaleon Golf Course in Playa del Carmen this week to welcome the tour back to her home country as well as to catch up with the current generation of LPGA golfers. That includes Maria Fassi, proud to be playing in her home country for the first time as a professional. "It's everything we always dreamt of as kids. We would come out and watch Lorena play," Fassi said Tuesday. "And then to kind of have that taken away for I think it's seven years since the last one, and then now us be the ones that people are watching and coming out to support, it's just amazing. It's an honor to represent Mexico everywhere we go." Fassi said she first met Ochoa when she was "10 or 11" and said if not for Ochoa, she would've never considered playing golf, much less at the professional level. "So, yeah, it's pretty cool that she's now kind of coming to watch us and support us. To me, she gets to see what she did, and I think it's very special, I know for all of us, but I hope that she knows that she's the reason why the eight of us are here." Isabella Fierro knows the golf course well. She grew up in Playa del Carmen and has played El Camaleon dozens of times and is thrilled the LPGA is back in Mexico. "I've known this course since I was probably 12 years old. I play local tournaments here, international events, so I have a deep love for this golf course," Fierro said. "Just the environment, everything about it is just awesome, and seeing the LPGA out here is just, that's how far Mexican women's golf has grown." Ochoa was the spark that started it all. A four-time player of the year and winner of 27 LPGA events, including two majors, Ochoa retired suddenly at age 28 in 2010, shocking the golf world. She was short of the then-required 10-year playing career for LPGA Hall of Fame induction, but that rule was later changed and she got in the Hall in 2022. Ochoa's legacy is being felt all over the tournament this week and that includes the record number of Mexicans competing in the same LPGA event: Maria Balcazar, Maria Fassi, Isabella Fierro, Fernanda Lira, Gaby Lopez, Andrea Ostos, Carolina Rotzinger and Clarisa Temelo. Five of those eight are in the field on sponsor exemptions, including Temelo, an amateur. "I can tell you I speak to some of the presidents from the different courses, the different clubs in Mexico and when they tell me, 'You know, Lorena, we don't know what to do, we have so many kids,' and I laugh," Ochoa said. "It's a good problem to have, so I just want to say that it makes me really proud, honor, happy, because it's all about the growth of the game and we see that the numbers are going up, new golf courses, it's more accessible. I'm working with the Mexican Federation about having a public facility. We're holding our golf academy on Sundays. We give it for free, for the kids." Another competitor this week, Albane Valenzuela, is Swiss but she was born in the U.S. to a Mexican father and French mother. "Oh, my gosh, Lorena is the GOAT," raved Valenzuela. "She's the coolest player. She's probably one of the reasons I started even playing golf. My dad won with Lorena back in the day, the Spirit, like a form of world championship, if you want to call it, and he always said how incredible of a human being she was. Me growing up and as a teenager, she always took time to talk to me, brought me golf balls, brought me her polos, and I just always had very fond memories of her. I think she's the most gracious, humble champion that golf has ever produced. Really one of a kind, and the fact that she's here this week supporting is super special." Ochoa's legacy spreads far and wide, even to South Korea. That's where Sei Young Kim, a 12-time winner on the LPGA, grew up. One of those wins was the last LPGA event held in Mexico in 2017. "She's a legend. When I grew up, I watched her play and I, when I played her tournament [2017 Lorena Ochoa Match Play], I saw her. I met her," Kim said. "I was like so nervous. I feel like I meet the superstar."
