Will there be a 400-yard drive in the thin air this week at LIV Golf Mexico City? David Puig, one of the league’s longest hitters, didn’t take long to ponder the question.
“I think so,” he said, “if the fairways get a little firmer and it’s downwind.”
The young Fireballs GC star nearly did it early in the week on the practice range at Club de Golf Chapultepec, hitting one drive that his launch monitor recorded at 354 meters, which is just over 387 yards.
“I swung out of my shoes,” Puig acknowledged, “but maybe it’s possible.”
Definitely possible. Perhaps probable. Even likely.
The last time Club de Golf Chapultepec — which sits 7,800-plus feet above sea level — hosted a World Golf Championships event was 2020. Justin Thomas hit a drive of 449 yards, the longest on the PGA Tour that season. The year before, Thomas hit a 457-yard drive, also the longest of that season.
Although the course has been tightened since then, with some fairways narrowed that might discourage a full let-it-rip approach, it remains a unique opportunity for the world’s top golfers to reach into the stratosphere.
Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau, the league’s driving distance leader last season and again this year, hit a 407-yard practice drive with a 15.1-degree launch angle. “Have to have the launch high enough, above 15 to work,” he said on the video of his swing.
Said an admiring Phil Mickelson: “That’s very sexy.”
Mickelson, a past WGC winner here, posted a video on his own social media channel in which he was practically giddy about the opportunity awaiting the 54 players off the tee.
“You can hit bombs, bombs up here,” the HyFlyers GC captain said. “It’s awesome.”
Then to provide proof, he “maxxed” out a drive that registered 362 yards carry.
“Get some,” Mickelson implored. “Get some of that!”
It’s no surprise that players are flying shots with regularity over the net that stands approximately 320 yards at the back of the range.
“It’s fun to be hitting it so far,” said Cleeks GC’s Adrian Meronk, who ranks 16th in driving average this season at 305.2 yards. He estimates the high elevation could result in as much of a 20% gain on distance, which would give him an extra 60 yards.
Club de Golf Chapultepec, hosting its first LIV Golf tournament this week, is the highest-elevated course in the league’s history, a span of 42 events since the inaugural 2022 season.
The official yardage book for LIV Golf Mexico City, for instance, references the 10% increase for the Mile High city of Denver, Colorado, which sits at 5,280 feet. Then it references 15% for Club de Golf Chapultepec’s nearly 7,900 feet. Not only does it increase shot yardages, it also increases the gaps between clubs, forcing players (and their caddies) to make tough choices on club selection.
This piece is courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf.
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