Pat Perez wins the OHL Classic at Mayakoba 2016 golf tournament on the PGA TOUR

U.S. golfer Pat Perez won the OHL Classic at Mayakoba 2016 golf tournament, in the framework of the celebration of the tenth anniversary of this sports event, the only PGA Tour event sponsored by and featuring the name of a Spanish company. The tournament was held between the 10th and the 13th of November, at the El Camaleón golf course, designed by Greg Norman and located in the Mayakoba resort, promoted by OHL Desarrollos in Mexico’s Riviera Maya.

Pat Perez, who was playing with a medical exemption, scored five birdies and one bogey in the final round to arrive at 21-under-par, sufficient for obtaining the victory by two strokes over the leader after 54 holes, Gary Woodland. Perez equaled Harris English for the record score in 72 holes (minus 21). With this victory he has walked away with a prize of more than one million euros, together with 500 points in the FedExCup competition where he has moved up to third place, in addition to an invitation to the Master’s in Augusta.

The total of 62-67-129 obtained by Perez in the third and fourth rounds is the lowest final score in 36 holes in the history of the tournament. Perez has won in his fifth appearance in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba, his best performance being in the first event of the tournament in 2007 (T13). With this victory, Perez has become the fifth player in the history of the tournament to come from behind in the final round and end up as the winner. The last 54-hole leader to obtain the win was Johnson Wagner, in 2011.

The tournament attracted the participation of 132 players, including major golf champions, such as the defending champion Graeme McDowell, who finished T24, the second best result obtained by a champion in the year following his win of the tournament; Chez Reavie and Kevin Streelman who finished T4 together with Scott Piercy; Luke List, T7; Emiliano Grillo and Jhonatthan Vegas had 14-under-par 270 and tied as the Latin Americans with the lowest scores on the course.

Seven former champions played in this tenth anniversary of the OHL Classic at Mayakoba: Graeme McDowell (-11/T24), Charley Hoffman (MC), Harris English (MC), John Huh (-10/T28), Johnson Wagner (MC), Mark Wilson (-4/T60) and Brian Gay (-10/T28). Three of the six Mexican players made the cut after 23 holes: Abraham Ancer (-5/T55), Carlos Ortiz (-5/T55) and Óscar Fraustro (-13/T13), who was awarded the Best Mexican Player trophy.

A pioneer in the world of golf

The OHL Classic at Mayakoba made history in the world of golf on being the first event on the PGA TOUR to be played outside of the United States and Canada. This year the OHL Classic at Mayakoba is celebrating a decade of PGA TOUR golf and the tradition of being host to the best players in the world. 

This tournament is held yearly at the luxury Mayakoba resort, developed and operated by OHL Desarrollos in Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Due to its protection of the ecosystem, the resort has become an international reference as a model of sustainable development for tourism initiatives. For this reason, it has been recognized by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) and the Rainforest Alliance, which in 2011 granted the project their top distinctions: the Ulysses and the Sustainable Standard-Setter awards, respectively. Likewise, the project has been selected to participate in the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), the most important conference organized by the United Nations on the subject of sustainable urban development and held this year in Quito (Ecuador). 

U.S. golfer Pat Perez, winner of the OHL Classic at Mayakoba 2016.