Playa del Carmen, MEXICO — Seven of the 30 participants in last week’s TOUR Championship are among the early player commitments to the 2019 Mayakoba Golf Classic, tournament officials announced today. Highlighting the early confirmations are 2018 MGC champion Matt Kuchar who is currently ranked no. 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking and Mexico’s Abraham Ancer who made history earlier this month when he qualified to represent the International Team in the upcoming Presidents Cup in December.

In addition to Kuchar and Ancer, Kevin Kisner leads a group of other TOUR Championship participants who are committed to the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Kisner, currently ranked #27 in the Official World Golf Ranking, won the World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play earlier this year. Also confirmed are Chez Reavie, Charles Howell III, Jason Kokrak and Sungjae Im.

“My family and I have always loved coming to Mayakoba, and coming back this year as the defending champion makes it even more special,” Kuchar said. “The tournament has a great atmosphere and always provides a great level of competition, so I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Kuchar claimed a one-shot victory last November as he notched his eighth career PGA TOUR win. The 40-year-old set a 54-hole tournament record and a personal best three-round total at 20-under-par and led by four entering the final round. His closing 69 was good enough for the title, which was the catalyst to one of his most successful seasons. Just two months after his win at Mayakoba, Kuchar won the Sony Open in Hawaii and in doing so became the second consecutive Mayakoba champion to also win in Hawaii. In the 2017-2018 season, Patton Kizzire won both the Mayakoba Golf Classic and the Sony Open in Hawaii. Ultimately Kuchar concluded the 2019-2020 season in 16th position on the final FedExCup standings, recorded eight top-ten finishes among 20 cuts made and was nominated for PGA TOUR Player of the Year.

Ancer, from Reynosa, Tamaulipas, enjoyed the best season of his young professional career in 2018-2019. Highlighted by a win at the Australian Open in December of 2018, Ancer’s year featured four top-10 finishes in PGA TOUR events as well as a tie for 12th at the prestigious PLAYERS Championship. He became the first Mexican player to crack the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking and currently sits at 37th. In the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs, he shot a final-round 69 while playing alongside eventual champion Patrick Reed in the final group and finished runner-up by one stroke. The second-place result marked his career best finish in an official PGA TOUR event. His performance over the course of the season also clinched him a position on the International Team for the upcoming Presidents Cup where he will become the first Mexican to ever participate in the biennial team event.

Carlos Ortiz (Guadalajara) and Kristoffer Ventura (Puebla) join Ancer as Mexican players currently confirmed in the Mayakoba field. Ortiz, who has three career victories on the Korn Ferry Tour, finished among the top 125 on the PGA

TOUR this season to regain status for the fourth time since turning pro in 2014. Ventura, who was born in Puebla and enjoys dual citizenship from Mexico and Norway, burst onto the scene as a rookie professional winning twice this year on the Korn Ferry Tour to finish fourth on the season-long standings and earn PGA TOUR membership and playing privileges for the 2019-2020 season. Additionally, the Mayakoba Golf Classic will once again award three special exemptions for Mexican professionals, as is tradition, assuring representation of at least six Mexicans at this year’s event. Additional players from Mexico may still qualify for the Mayakoba Golf Classic through the Korn Ferry Tour Finals and through the Monday Open Qualifier.

Additional player confirmations include Major Champions Graeme McDowell (2010 U.S. Open), Zach Johnson (2007 Masters, 2015 Open Championship), Jason Dufner (2013 PGA Championship) as well as past Mayakoba champions Brian Gay (2008), John Huh (2012), Harris English (2013), Charley Hoffman (2014), McDowell (2015), Pat Perez (2016), Kizzire (2017) and the aforementioned Kuchar (2018).

“To have this many top players making early plans to attend our tournament is a testament to the hospitality of Mayakoba and the Riviera Maya region as well as the growing support of the fans,” Tournament Director Joe Mazzeo said. “Each year the excitement around this event grows to another level. We all look forward to a great week of golf and off-course activities as we showcase the beauty and warmth of Mexico and the Riviera Maya.”

Spectators will enjoy three key pillars within the 2019 Mayakoba Golf Classic: #GOLFisGiving #GOLFisFamily and #GOLFisGourmet. This year, the culinary activities will be presented by Tequila Patrón. Participants will enjoy of a great variety of culinary experiences highlighting Mexican culture, food and tequila.

Since its inception in 2007, the tournament has contributed more than US$2.7 million to a variety of charities and philanthropic causes, positively impacting the communities of Cancun and the Riviera Maya. The Mayakoba Golf Classic is committed to growing the game of golf and continuing the development of the sport. During tournament week, there will be activities for the whole family to enjoy and learn about golf—including special activities as part of Golf PARa Todos, the event’s grow-the-game initiative for young people from the region.

For more information on Mayakoba Golf Classic, Mexico’s pioneering PGA TOUR event, please visit: www.MayakobaGolfClassic.com or through social media. Facebook: Mayakoba Golf Classic Instagram: @MayakobaGolfClassic. Twitter: @MayakobaGolf. #ONLYatMayakoba #MGC #MayakobaGolfClassic