The First Look: Bupa Championship presented by Volvo
TULUM, Mexico –The PGA TOUR Latinoamérica season-ending Bupa Championship presented by Volvo is all-set to start Thursday at PGA Riviera Maya. The 72-hole tournament will feature a field of 132 players from 24 countries, with players battling on several different fronts. The race for Player of the Year honors gets the most attention, but the competitors will be also playing to make the Points List’s top-5, top-10 and top-25, as there are several rewards available on the road that leads to the Korn Ferry Tour. Those far from the top spots will also be seeking to secure PGA TOUR Latinoamérica status, as the leading 60 in the Points List will be fully exempt to play the 2021-22 season starting in November.
Tournament Dates: July 22-25, 2021
Official Name: Bupa Championship presented by Volvo
Hashtag: #BupaChampionship
Schedule: 8th and final event of the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica season
Venue: PGA Riviera Maya – Tulum, Mexico
Par/Yards: 72 (36-36) 7,272
Points List: Winner earns 500 points
Purse Money: U.S. $175,000 (winner claims U.S. $31,500)
Cut: Top 55 and ties
Field size: 132 players (including 10 open qualifiers and 4 sponsor exemptions)
Field Breakdown: There are 132 players from 24 countries set to play this event. The following are the number of players by country: United States (69), Mexico (15), Argentina (13), Canada (5), Colombia (4), Brazil (3), France (3), Chile (2), Dominican Republic (2), Peru (2), Australia (1), Bolivia (1), China (1), England (1), Finland (1), Guatemala (1), Italy (1), South Korea (1), Netherlands (1), Norway (1), Puerto Rico (1), Scotland (1), Spain (1) and Sweden (1).
Tournament Schedule:
Wednesday, July 14 – Open Qualifier (Weston, Florida)
Tuesday, July 20 – Practice Round
Wednesday, July 21 – Pro-Am
Thursday, July 22 – First Round
Friday, July 23 – Second Round (cut for the top-55 and ties)
Saturday, July 24 – Third Round
Sunday, July 25 – Fourth and Final Round
Korn Ferry Tour Status Available:
The 2021 Bupa Championship presented by Volvo is the final chance for PGA TOUR Latinoamérica players to earn status on the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour. Below is a breakdown of the Korn Ferry Tour status available for top 2020-21 Points List finishers.
| POSITION | STATUS |
|---|---|
|
No. 1 |
Fully exempt on 2022 Korn Ferry Tour |
|
Nos. 2-5 |
Conditional status on 2021 Korn Ferry Tour |
|
Nos. 2-10 |
Exempt into final stage of Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament |
|
Nos. 11-25 |
Exempt into second stage of Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament |
Race for Player of the Year honors open to the leading seven:
Any player currently ranked seventh or better has a mathematical possibility atop the standings. Brandon Matthews is currently sitting in the top position. The Temple University alum is 167 points ahead of Conner Godsey, who holds the second spot.
The following are the players chasing Matthews, those who still have a shot at the first spot:
| Pos. | Player | Points | Trailing No. 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Brandon Matthews (U.S.) |
1,170 |
--- |
|
2 |
Conner Godsey (U.S.) |
1,003 |
167 |
|
3 |
Sam Stevens (U.S.) |
990 |
180 |
|
4 |
Alvaro Ortiz (Mexico) |
838 |
332 |
|
5 |
MJ Maguire (U.S.) |
783 |
387 |
|
6 |
Alex Rocha (Brazil) |
777 |
393 |
|
7 |
Drew Nesbitt (Canada) |
700 |
470 |
Race for the Top five available to the leading 17:
Any player currently ranked 17th or better has a mathematical possibility of moving inside the Points List Top five. MJ Maguire is currently sitting in the fifth position. Maguire is only six points ahead of Alex Rocha, who is in the sixth spot.
The following are the players chasing Maguire, those who still have a shot at the top five:
| Pos. | Player | Points | Points Behind No. 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
5 |
MJ Maguire (U.S.) |
783 |
--- |
|
6 |
Alex Rocha (Brazil) |
777 |
6 |
|
7 |
Drew Nesbitt (Canada) |
700 |
83 |
|
8 |
Jacob Bergeron (U.S.) |
539 |
244 |
|
9 |
Leandro Marelli (Argentina) |
439 |
344 |
|
10 |
Andres Gallegos (Argentina) |
422 |
361 |
|
11 |
Rowin Caron (Netherlands) |
382 |
401 |
|
12 |
Raúl Pereda (Mexico) |
354 |
429 |
|
13 |
Tano Goya (Argentina) |
335 |
448 |
|
14 |
Patrick Newcomb (U.S.) |
330 |
453 |
|
15 |
Paul Imondi (U.S.) |
322 |
461 |
|
16 |
Brad Schneider (U.S.) |
303 |
480 |
|
17 |
Alejandro Tosti (Argentina) |
294 |
489 |
Top-60 Bubble Watch:
Players who finish inside the top 60 on the Points List at the end of this event will keep their PGA TOUR Latinoamérica cards for the 2021-22 season. Currently sitting in the 60th position is A.J. Crouch, who is only one point ahead of South Korea’s Luke Kwon and two points ahead of Mexico’s Emilio Gonzalez.
| Pos. | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
|
55 |
Graysen Huff (U.S.) |
105 |
|
55 |
Ryann Ree (U.S.) |
105* |
|
57 |
Michael Perras (U.S.) |
103 |
|
58 |
Anthony Paolucci (U.S.) |
102 |
|
59 |
Ryan McCormick (U.S.) |
100* |
|
60 |
AJ Crouch (U.S.) |
93 |
|
61 |
Luke Kwon (Korea) |
92 |
|
62 |
Emilio Gonzalez (Mexico) |
91 |
|
63 |
Andy Spencer (U.S.) |
85 |
|
64 |
Jordan Gumberg (U.S.) |
80 |
|
65 |
Hugo Bernard (Canada) |
79 |
*No. 55, Ryan Ree, and No. 59, Ryan McCormick, are not playing this week
This week’s venue:
PGA Riviera Maya will serve as the host organization of the season-ending tournament, its first time as site of an official event. Playing 7,272 yards long, the par-72 at PGA Riviera Maya opened in 2010 after a design by Robert Trent Jones II, who integrated the golf course into the Mayan jungle, complete with natural lakes and cenotes, sinkholes that come into being by the collapse of the bedrock below. PGA Riviera Maya, which includes a nine-hole par-3 course, is integrated into Tulum Country Club complex, about 15 miles from the town of Tulum. The club is the PGA of America’s first facility partnership in Latin America to support golfer development and tourism experiences.