19-05-2025
LPGA becomes third major golf circuit to tackle El Camaleon at Playa del Carmen
El Camaleon Golf Course Mayakoba was the first official venue to host a PGA Tour event outside of the United States and Canada, but it's 16-year run as a PGA Tour stop ended in November 2022. The tournament had a few names over that stretch but the World Wide Technology Championship moved to Tiger Woods' golf course in Cabos San Lucas, El Cardonal at Diamante, at the same time that El Camaleon decided to welcome LIV Golf.
In 2023 and 2024, LIV hosted events at El Camaleon but then that circuit moved on to a different Mexican golf course, Club de Golf Chapultepec, which is another former home for the PGA Tour.
Rickie Fowler plays his second shot on the seventh hole at the 2017 OHL Classic at El Camaleon Golf Course Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Here in 2025, it's the LPGA's turn to take up tournament residence in Playa del Carmen, about 35 miles south of Cancun on the eastern side of Mexico on the Yucatan peninsula.
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It's the first LPGA event in the country since 2017.
Many of the world's best women's golfers will use the event as final prep for the 2025 U.S. Women's Open. While doing so, they'll have to navigate one of the more unique features to be found anywhere in competitive golf.
El Camaleon is famous for a cave bunker in the fairway
You'll hear the term cave bunker or perhaps sinkhole, but that large opening in the fairway at El Camaleon is called a cenote (pronounced see-NOTE-ay), and it is indeed a giant natural sink hole. These are mostly found on the Yucatan Peninsula. Course designer Greg Norman, who designed the layout and opened it in 2004, built the golf course with these cenotes in mind.
How does the El Camaleon Golf Course rank?
According to the 2025 Golfweek's Best: Top 50 courses in Mexico, Caribbean, Atlantic islands, Central America, El Camaleon Golf Course at Mayakoba ranks 24th.
Who's in the field for the LPGA's Mexico Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba?
There are 136 golfers in the field, headlined by Sei Young Kim, Linn Grant, Charley Hull, Leona Maguire, Gaby Lopez, Ruixun Liu, In Gee Chun, Sophia Popov, Yani Tseng and Albane Valenzuela.
New title sponsor of LPGA Mayakoba event has signed on
According to a news release:
This is the first and only sporting event in Mexico that will have the MEXICO brand as title sponsor.
MEXICO Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba will be the official name of the event, which will be held May 22-25 at the emblematic El Camaleón course at Mayakoba.
In recent days, Gustavo Santoscoy Arriaga, Chairman of GS Sports Management, met with Josefina Rodríguez Zamora, Secretary of Tourism of the Federal Government, and with Bernardo Cueto, Secretary of Tourism of Quintana Roo, to discuss the organization of the event and reached a title sponsorship agreement.
The MEXICO brand is based on the cultural and touristic richness that positions Mexico as a country of great wealth that has a lot to offer to national and international tourists.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: El Camaleon at Playa del Carmen hosts LPGA for first time in 2025
