Mexico Championship

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The Web.com Tour hits  Mexico this week for what used to be known as the Mexico Open but is now called the Mexico Championship. This will be the sixth year that an event is being played in Mexico on the Tour and the fourth year on the El Bosque course. The course is a huge 7,701 yards long and plays to a Par 72 but was the 9th hardest on the Web.com Tour in 2012, playing to an average of 72.727 and last year played only slightly better at 72.46, highlighting the need for a player with a decent scoring average this week.

El Bosque resident Oscar Serna’s interview on pgatour.com back in 2012 offers a guide as to what type of player will win here this week, Serna is quoted as saying, "I think the long hitter has the advantage. The course is over 7,700 yards, and there are four holes in a row that are very tough -- six, seven, eight and nine. I think they are the best holes on the golf course. No. 6 is a tough par 4, 536 yards. Next hole is a par 3, 270 yards, and the eighth is a par 5, 546 yards. No. 9 is a par-4, a lake on the left side and bunkers on the right. It's a really good hole". Based on these words I shall be looking for a long and accurate driver (Total Driving ranking) with the added attribute of being a decent scrambler and without question a player who not only has course form but is accustomed to a South American climate.

Andrew Putnam - 1.5pts e/w @ 28/1 - I have sided with Putnam a couple of times so far this year and despite letting me down both times I can't exclude him from the staking plan this week. His brother won this event last year and Im sure he will want to keep the trophy in the family and hopefully he can build on his respectable 9th in 2013. He started the year well in all the South American events, finishing no worse than 15th and came close to winning in Colombia. He has not fared so well on American soil with a MC in Louisiana and on the PGA at the Houston Open so I am hoping a return to South America may fire him back into action. Putnam sits 5th in Driving Distance, 55th in Accuracy and 26th in Scrambling. However, the most appealing stat to me is his Scoring Average of 68.53 which puts him in 5th on the tour.

Troy Merritt - 0.75pts e/w @ 66/1 - Despite being only 28 years old, Merritt seems like he has been around for a while and that is probably because he had an explosive first year on the PGA Tour back in 2010 finishing 3rd at the Zurich Classic. He has played seven tournaments on the main tour so far in 2014 and only made two cuts, the most recent of which came last month at the Texas Open so his stats aren't to impressive. However, looking back to 2013 and his Web.com statistics, he was 27th in Total Driving, 26th in Scoring Average and 63rd in Scrambling. What stands out most though (other than his drop down in class this week) is his course form. He is a previous winner here in 2009 and in three attempts has finished no worse than 34th.

Jose de Jesus Rodriguez - 0.75pts e/w @ 66/1 - Mexican Rodriguez is a pure play on course form as his stats don't overly stand out and although he has recorded two top 16 finishes in South America on the Web.com in 2014, he missed the cut last time out in Panama and we have to look back to November last year for his last win which came on the lesser Latinoamerican Tour. However, Rodriguez can lay claim to five separate outings at El Bosque, missing the cut only twice and recording finishes of 4th, 11th and, most recently in 2013, 6th. His Scoring Average on the Web.com this year is 70.50 and a slightly better 69.5 on the Latinoamerican Tour so he certainly has the scoring power to beat the course.

Dawie Van Der Walt - 0.25pts e/w @ 80/1 - Van Der Walt has had a pretty solid season so far in 2014 despite his missed cut last week. Back in January he finished 9th at the Qatar Masters in what was a strong field and recovered after a poor round in his season opener on the Web.com in Brazil to finish a respectable 22nd. I am going to put his MC in Louisiana last time out down to jet lag as he had played in South Africa the week before and instead focus on his 6th place over there and take this as a sign he is back on his game. He finished 13th here in 2012 when he last made the trip to Mexico and did not card a round worse than par. He ranks averagely in all the stats I have highighted to succeed on El Bosque but was top 10 in Birdie Average and Par Breaking for 2013 which will both stand him in good stead.

Mark Hubbard - 0.5pts e/w @ 100/1 - I was surprised to find Hubbard at triple odds this week given the fact that he has a 40% top 10 strike rate and that his stats seem to fit the mold of the El Bosque course. His two top 10 finishes both came in South America so he is definitely acclimatised to that part of the world. Despite only managing a 47th place finish in Louisiana, Hubbard did card a second round 65 to aid his impressive 2014 Scoring Average of 69.59. In terms of Driving Accuracy he is 10th and in Total Driving sits 29th. He is 14th in Par Breaking and 8th in the All Around Ranking. Although a course virgin, I feel he has the game to conquer unfamiliar territory.

Total Staked - 7.5pts