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Fox Sports
24-04-2025
- Climate
- Fox Sports
400-yard drives?! Here's why LIV Golf Mexico City will deliver huge distances
Will there be a 400-yard drive in the thin air this week at LIV Golf Mexico City? David Puig, one of the league's longest hitters, didn't take long to ponder the question. "I think so," he said, "if the fairways get a little firmer and it's downwind." The young Fireballs GC star nearly did it early in the week on the practice range at Club de Golf Chapultepec, hitting one drive that his launch monitor recorded at 354 meters, which is just over 387 yards. "I swung out of my shoes," Puig acknowledged, "but maybe it's possible." Definitely possible. Perhaps probable. Even likely. The last time Club de Golf Chapultepec — which sits 7,800-plus feet above sea level — hosted a World Golf Championships event was 2020. Justin Thomas hit a drive of 449 yards, the longest on the PGA Tour that season. The year before, Thomas hit a 457-yard drive, also the longest of that season. Although the course has been tightened since then, with some fairways narrowed that might discourage a full let-it-rip approach, it remains a unique opportunity for the world's top golfers to reach into the stratosphere. Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau, the league's driving distance leader last season and again this year, hit a 407-yard practice drive with a 15.1-degree launch angle. "Have to have the launch high enough, above 15 to work," he said on the video of his swing. Said an admiring Phil Mickelson: "That's very sexy." Mickelson, a past WGC winner here, posted a video on his own social media channel in which he was practically giddy about the opportunity awaiting the 54 players off the tee. "You can hit bombs, bombs up here," the HyFlyers GC captain said. "It's awesome." Then to provide proof, he "maxxed" out a drive that registered 362 yards carry. "Get some," Mickelson implored. "Get some of that!" It's no surprise that players are flying shots with regularity over the net that stands approximately 320 yards at the back of the range. "It's fun to be hitting it so far," said Cleeks GC's Adrian Meronk, who ranks 16th in driving average this season at 305.2 yards. He estimates the high elevation could result in as much of a 20% gain on distance, which would give him an extra 60 yards. Club de Golf Chapultepec, hosting its first LIV Golf tournament this week, is the highest-elevated course in the league's history, a span of 42 events since the inaugural 2022 season. The official yardage book for LIV Golf Mexico City, for instance, references the 10% increase for the Mile High city of Denver, Colorado, which sits at 5,280 feet. Then it references 15% for Club de Golf Chapultepec's nearly 7,900 feet. Not only does it increase shot yardages, it also increases the gaps between clubs, forcing players (and their caddies) to make tough choices on club selection. This piece is courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily . recommended Get more from LIV Golf Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Fox News
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
LIV Golf Mexico City preview: Can Joaquin Niemann keep hot streak going?
LIV Golf returns to action this week with LIV Golf Mexico City, the sixth tournament of the 2025 league schedule. Here is everything to know before catching all the action live on FOX Sports. When: April 25-27 Where: Club de Golf Chapultepec, Naucalpan, Mexico Competition: Three rounds/54 holes of stroke play Field: 54 players – 13 teams of four players each, and two wild cards Shotgun Start local time (CT):Rd. 1, 1:05 2, 12:05 3, 12:05 p.m. CLUB DE GOLF CHAPULTEPECNaucalpan, Mexico Par 71Yardage 7,385 LIV Golf makes its first visit to Mexico City, which has a metro population of nearly 23 million. That makes it the largest city to ever host a LIV Golf tournament. The host course is Club de Golf Chapultepec, which is located 7,800 feet – roughly 1.36 miles – above sea level. That makes it the highest elevated city to host a LIV Golf event. Lots of people. Lots of altitude. LIV Golf Mexico City promises to be one of the league's most unique and interesting tournaments in its young history. "I really enjoy Mexico City," said HyFlyers GC Captain Phil Mickelson, LIV Golf's elder statesman and a World Golf Hall of Famer. "Some great things there. Great restaurants. Great food. Great people. And the golf course is spectacular." Mickelson has enjoyed success at the host course, having won a World Golf Championships event there in 2018. In fact, all four WGC events that Club de Golf Chapultepec hosted were won by current LIV Golf players, with 4Aces GC Captain Dustin Johnson winning twice and his teammate Patrick Reed winning the most recent one in 2020. "It's an amazing city," Reed said, "and a proper golf course." Players will certainly be challenged by the high elevation that will increase the distances of shots. A 7-iron that may travel 185 yards at sea level could see a 20-30 yard increase. And no telling how far driving distance leader Bryson DeChambeau's tee shots will go. "The biggest challenge is the altitude and getting the distance control down," Mickelson said. "Once you have that, you can really appreciate how beautiful the golf course is and the area around it." This piece is courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.
Fox Sports
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
LIV Golf Mexico City preview: Can Joaquin Niemann keep hot streak going?
LIV Golf returns to action this week with LIV Golf Mexico City, the sixth tournament of the 2025 league schedule. Here is everything to know before catching all the action live on FOX Sports. BASIC INFO When: April 25-27 Where: Club de Golf Chapultepec, Naucalpan, Mexico Competition: Three rounds/54 holes of stroke play Field: 54 players – 13 teams of four players each, and two wild cards Shotgun Start local time (CT):Rd. 1, 1:05 2, 12:05 p.m. Rd. 3, 12:05 p.m. KEY STORYLINES LIV Golf makes its first visit to Mexico City and its third visit to the country of Mexico, with Mayakoba hosting tournaments in 2023 and 2024 Club de Golf Chapultepec previous hosted World Golf Championships events between 2017-2020, with each winner competing this week (Dustin Johnson in 2017 and 2019), Phil Mickelson in 2018 and Patrick Reed in 2020) Mexico's Carlos Ortiz (Torque GC) and Abraham Ancer (Fireballs GC) are the local favorites, with each player ranked inside the top 13 in the season-long points race Reigning Team Champions Ripper GC enters off its first team title of 2025, having won at the difficult Trump National Doral course at LIV Golf Miami , with veteran star Marc Leishman claiming his first individual LIV Golf title Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann of Chile leads the season-long individual points race, while Sergio Garcia's Fireballs GC top the team standings Six players inside the top eight in points are Spanish-speaking players – Niemann, Garcia, Spain's Jon Rahm and David Puig, Colombia's Sebastián Muñoz and Ortiz Mexico City is the first LIV Golf tournament since the golf season's first major, the Masters, in which five LIV Golf players finished inside the top 15 – the most of any major since the inception of LIV Golf Niemann (in 2024) and Charles Howell III (2023) won individual titles in LIV Golf's two visits to Mayakoba ABOUT THE COURSE CLUB DE GOLF CHAPULTEPEC Naucalpan, Mexico Par 71 Yardage 7,385 Club de Golf Chapultepec was designed initially by former U.S. Open winner Willie Smith, who died before finishing the job. His brother Alex Smith, a two-time U.S. Open champion, completed the design and the course was opened in 1921 Percy Clifford renovated the course in 1972 The club has hosted the Mexican Open 18 times, including the first seven years starting in 1944, and most recently in 2014 The club hosted a World Golf Championships event four times, with current LIV Golf players Dustin Johnson (2017, 2019), Phil Mickelson (2018) and Patrick Reed (2020) capturing those four titles Another LIV Golf player, Bryson DeChambeau, finished runner-up to Reed by one stroke in 2020 World Golf Hall of Famer Roberto De Vicenzo of Argentina won three of his record 229 professional wins at the club during the early 1950s The tree-lined parkland course is built approximately 7,800 feet (1.36 miles) above sea level, forcing players to adjust their distance calculations LIV Golf Mexico City will be played at par 71 (instead of the members' par 72), with the 529-yard ninth hole (normally the members' eighth hole) playing to a par 4 instead of a par 5 The routing will be different from the club's usual routing, with the members' 18th hole being used as the first hole, and the par-3 17th being played as the 18th hole for LIV Golf Mexico City The 18th is the shortest hole on the course at 151 yards, and the par-5 seventh is the longest at 625 yards LIV Golf makes its first visit to Mexico City, which has a metro population of nearly 23 million. That makes it the largest city to ever host a LIV Golf tournament. The host course is Club de Golf Chapultepec, which is located 7,800 feet – roughly 1.36 miles – above sea level. That makes it the highest elevated city to host a LIV Golf event. Lots of people. Lots of altitude. LIV Golf Mexico City promises to be one of the league's most unique and interesting tournaments in its young history. "I really enjoy Mexico City," said HyFlyers GC Captain Phil Mickelson, LIV Golf's elder statesman and a World Golf Hall of Famer. "Some great things there. Great restaurants. Great food. Great people. And the golf course is spectacular." Mickelson has enjoyed success at the host course, having won a World Golf Championships event there in 2018. In fact, all four WGC events that Club de Golf Chapultepec hosted were won by current LIV Golf players, with 4Aces GC Captain Dustin Johnson winning twice and his teammate Patrick Reed winning the most recent one in 2020. "It's an amazing city," Reed said, "and a proper golf course." Players will certainly be challenged by the high elevation that will increase the distances of shots. A 7-iron that may travel 185 yards at sea level could see a 20-30 yard increase. And no telling how far driving distance leader Bryson DeChambeau's tee shots will go. "The biggest challenge is the altitude and getting the distance control down," Mickelson said. "Once you have that, you can really appreciate how beautiful the golf course is and the area around it." This piece is courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily . recommended Get more from LIV Golf Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
