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Power Rankings: OHL Classic at Mayakoba
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November 06, 2017
By Rob Bolton, PGATOUR.COM
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Round Recaps
Highlights: 2016 OHL Classic at Mayakoba
Innings eater. Defensive specialist. Blocking back.
If professional golf, like team sports, has a term to describe low-gloss, high-value talent, it's veteran ball-striker. It usually conjures an image of an average-to-small frame, the lack of distance off the tee and serviceable putting. It also usually defines the winner of the OHL Classic at Mayakoba.
In the first 10 editions of the tournament contested at Mayakoba Resort's El Camaleón Golf Club, veteran ball-strikers fills the list of winners. Fred Funk (2007), Mark Wilson (2009), Cameron Beckman (2010), Graeme McDowell (2015) and Pat Perez (2016) all qualify for the label. Inherent to the modifier is experience. Sparked by Funk prevailing as a 50-year-old in the inaugural, and despite John Huh (2012) and Harris English (2013) capturing victories at the tender ages of 21 and 23, respectively, the average age of the 10 winners is 34.7.
POWER RANKINGS: OHL CLASSIC AT MAYAKOBA
RANK PLAYER COMMENT 1 
Pat Perez The defending champion is on another tear. Since the Dell Technologies two months ago, he's won again (CIMB) and finished no worse than T24 (WGC-HSBC).
2 
Kevin Chappell El Camaleón suits his skill set perfectly, but this is his first trip since his rookie season of 2011. Four top 15s in his last eight starts. Also finished T20 at last week's Shriners.
El Camaleón suits his skill set perfectly, but this is his first trip since his rookie season of 2011. Four top 15s in his last eight starts. Also finished T20 at last week's Shriners.
3 
Chesson Hadley It's good to be Chesson Hadley these days. He's piggybacked a historic Web.com Tour season with a T3-2nd-T4 open to the 2017-18 PGA TOUR season.
It's good to be Chesson Hadley these days. He's piggybacked a historic Web.com Tour season with a T3-2nd-T4 open to the 2017-18 PGA TOUR season.
4 
Rickie Fowler First start of the season and first appearance at El Camaleón. Ranked fifth last season in total driving, 51st in greens in regulation and second in strokes gained: putting.
First start of the season and first appearance at El Camaleón. Ranked fifth last season in total driving, 51st in greens in regulation and second in strokes gained: putting.
5 
Zach Johnson Making first appearance at El Camaleón. Should find the layout to his liking tee-to-green. The 41-year-old has bridged seasons with top 20s at Conway Farms and Silverado.
Making first appearance at El Camaleón. Should find the layout to his liking tee-to-green. The 41-year-old has bridged seasons with top 20s at Conway Farms and Silverado.
6 
Luke List He's built on his Playoffs run three events deep with a 4-for-4 start with top 20s in his last three. Finished T7 at El Camaleón last year with two 66s and two 68s.
He's built on his Playoffs run three events deep with a 4-for-4 start with top 20s in his last three. Finished T7 at El Camaleón last year with two 66s and two 68s.
7 
Charles Howell III His penchant to hit full shots has been rewarded to the tune of six top 20s and a scoring average of 68.80 in eight visits. Arrives having recorded two top 20s in Asia.
His penchant to hit full shots has been rewarded to the tune of six top 20s and a scoring average of 68.80 in eight visits. Arrives having recorded two top 20s in Asia.
8 
Kevin Streelman Horse for a course with a pair of top fives (2009, 2016) baked into a 4-for-4 slate. Opened this season with a pair of top 15s. Tee-to-green proficiency is his strength.
Horse for a course with a pair of top fives (2009, 2016) baked into a 4-for-4 slate. Opened this season with a pair of top 15s. Tee-to-green proficiency is his strength.
9 
Jason Kokrak Nothing not to like here. Top 20s in all three appearances at El Camaleón (68.33 scoring average) and all three starts of 2017-18. Also hits the sweet spot at 32 years of age.
Nothing not to like here. Top 20s in all three appearances at El Camaleón (68.33 scoring average) and all three starts of 2017-18. Also hits the sweet spot at 32 years of age.
10 
Graeme McDowell Finished T24 in his title defense here last year after opening with 75. Now coming off a T10 at TPC Summerlin where he was third in strokes gained: putting.
Finished T24 in his title defense here last year after opening with 75. Now coming off a T10 at TPC Summerlin where he was third in strokes gained: putting.
11 
Chez Reavie Veteran ball-striker will celebrate his 36th birthday on Sunday. He's 4-for-4 at El Camaleón; personal-best T4 last year. Arrives with 15 straight cuts made; top 25s in last five.
Veteran ball-striker will celebrate his 36th birthday on Sunday. He's 4-for-4 at El Camaleón; personal-best T4 last year. Arrives with 15 straight cuts made; top 25s in last five.
12 
Bryson DeChambeau Reliance on ball-striking has yielded a T17 at Silverado and a T7 at TPC Summerlin, so he's wasted no time in capitalizing on extended status post-John Deere win.
Reliance on ball-striking has yielded a T17 at Silverado and a T7 at TPC Summerlin, so he's wasted no time in capitalizing on extended status post-John Deere win.
13 
Gary Woodland Flashing enough form to warrant a spot here. Rode sub-70s in the middle rounds at TPC Summerlin to a T18. Led last year's OHL Classic in GIR en route to solo second.
Flashing enough form to warrant a spot here. Rode sub-70s in the middle rounds at TPC Summerlin to a T18. Led last year's OHL Classic in GIR en route to solo second.
14 
Beau Hossler Comin' in hot with a T10 at the Sanderson Farms and a T7 at the Shriners where he co-led after 54 holes. Poised to rocket into a position near the top of the reshuffle.
Comin' in hot with a T10 at the Sanderson Farms and a T7 at the Shriners where he co-led after 54 holes. Poised to rocket into a position near the top of the reshuffle.
15 
Whee Kim Rapidly turning the tables on his inconsistency with a solo fourth (CJ CUP) and P2 (Shriners) in his last two starts. Strength is short game, so he'll have his hands full in Mexico.
Rapidly turning the tables on his inconsistency with a solo fourth (CJ CUP) and P2 (Shriners) in his last two starts. Strength is short game, so he'll have his hands full in Mexico.
Patrick Reed, Russell Knox, 2014 champ Charley Hoffman and Shriners runner-up Alex Cejka will be among the notables in Tuesday's Fantasy Insider.
You wouldn't know it by analyzing the final results of last week's Shriners Hospitals for Children Open where nine of the 15 golfers inside the top 10 were non-winners entering the tournament, including breakthrough champion Patrick Cantlay, but when the wind blows, the cradle is supposed to rock. That is, the youngsters among the PGA TOUR's contingent aren't expected to contend in blustery conditions, at least not in unison last they did in Las Vegas.
That's often been the narrative along the Riviera Maya about an hour south of Cancún. Conviction over approach shots with slacks flapping in the sea breeze while playing golf for a living isn't obtained overnight. This week's forecast includes somewhat tame winds for the area. They'll freshen into the weekend. Seasonably high temperatures in the mid-80s will help support the threat for rain and storms, which are almost always including in the conversation in November.
Since the tournament was shifted from late winter to its fall date to coincide with the wraparound schedule in 2013, El Camaleón has owned the easiest set of par 3s thrice. In 2014, they ranked second-easiest. This doesn't mean that the winner of the 132-man field will have to go low on the four par 3s on the par 36-35=71 measuring 6,987 yards – Perez ranked T18 in par-3 scoring last year – but it won't hurt, of course.
As the opening intimates, the priority is hitting greens in regulation. Last year's field averaged 12.36 GIR per round, and then converted birdies or better an average of 4.11 per round, fifth-highest of any course all season. The top five in GIR finished inside the top 10 on the leaderboard and the field as a whole averaged 69.609 on the scorecard, lowest in tournament history.
Paspalum greens are prepped to reach 11 feet on the Stimpmeter. And for the second consecutive year, the rough has been allowed to grow as long as two inches.
ROB BOLTON'S WRITING SCHEDULE
PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Columnist Rob Bolton will be filing his usual staples leading up to this week’s event. Look for the following columns this week.
MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings
TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider
WEDNESDAY: One & Done* - Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, which also publishes on Tuesdays.
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The defending champion is on another tear. Since the Dell Technologies two months ago, he's won again (CIMB) and finished no worse than T24 (WGC-HSBC).