The PGA Tour takes a vacation this week with a quick weekend trip to Mexico. Many of the Tour’s best head south of Cancun for the 12th Mayakoba Golf Classic at Greg Norman’s El Camaleon Golf Club. Let’s get sharky! Tee Times

New Kiz on the Block

Last year’s Mayakoba Golf Classic started a breakout season for PGA Tour newcomer Patton Kizzire. Patton played 36 holes on the final day to outlast Rickie Fowler by one shot and win his first career event. He wouldn’t wait long before collecting his second career victory in Hawaii at the Sony Open.

Storylines

Tick, Tock – As crazy as it sounds, time is running out for Web.com Tour graduates before they get reshuffled into a new pecking order heading into 2019. The players have this week’s event at Mayakoba and next week’s event in Sea Island before their prioritization is altered.

New Names – There are four players in the field that don’t have profile pictures on the PGA Tour website: Adria Arnaus, Shintaro Ban, Zach Bauchou, and Viktor Hovland. Arnaus is coming off a huge victory at the Challenge Tour’s final event, where he earned one of fifteen European Tour cards. Ban is making just his second professional start after having a phenomenal collegiate career at UNLV. The final two, Hovland and Bauchou, are both current players on Oklahoma State’s golf team. Hovland won the U.S. Amateur this summer and is one of the best players in the NCAA while his teammate Bauchou is a stellar player in his own right.

The Big Guns – While there aren’t many names the average sports fan would recognize, there are a few big names in the field: Tony Finau, Ernie Els, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, and Matt Kuchar are all playing in Mexico, with Spieth making his first appearance at the event. Fowler looked like he was in position to notch a victory here last year but fell to Kizzire by one shot.

El Cameron at El Camaleon – Jose de Jesus Rodriguez makes his first start as a PGA Tour member in his home country of Mexico. El Camarón (the shrimp) is a 38-year-old rookie who has spent the better part of the last two decades playing golf in South America.

Paulie’s Picks

With the Tour in Mexico, Paulie likes a few accurate players this week. ¡Arriba! Find them here.

The Gary Player Push Up Invitational

The European Tour heads to South Africa this week for Gary Player’s event. Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, and Haotong Li headline a strong field that includes twelve hometown South Africans. Those playing a “home game” include Louis Oosthuizen, Trevor Immelman, Brendan Grace, and Dylan Frittelli. Another South African player, Brandon Stone, worked with the European Tour’s media team to create this great “Chase the Ace” video.
Tee Times

Fall College Golf Wrap Up

The big events of the men’s college fall season have ended as the players head back to campus to finish up the semester. Oklahoma State remains the favorite for the NCAA Championship, but there are a ton of other really fun teams to watch this season. Will Knights breaks down the entire fall semester in an NBA-like manor. Read his article, The Oklahoma State Warriors.

Shotgun Start: Elections for a United States of Golf and Paulie’s Mayakoba picks

Andy and Brendan are here to provide a Wednesday morning diversion from all the election reactions and punditry. They run through the schedule for the week and wonder if there could be more events scattered outside the USA on the PGA Tour. After providing some searing commentary on Greg Norman’s course at Mayakoba, Andy delivers his event of the week. They also ponder what could be more random than Rory McIlroy tweeting well wishes to Purdue basketball on the start of its season. Then, in a topical election-related segment, they appoint positions for a United States of Golf. Finally, Paulie joins with some insights and picks for the Mayakoba Classic in Cancun. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify

Also on the Fried Egg Podcast

We wrapped up our conversation with Yale Golf Coach Colin Sheehan. If you missed any of the three episodes check them out on our website where you get your podcasts.

Quick Hooks

The LPGA continues through Asia this week with the Blue Bay LPGA in China. Leaderboard

Tiger and Phil did a “promo”. It’s just horrible. Please watch HERE.