MEXICO CITY, Mexico – Having already captured the first World Golf Championships event of the 2019-20 PGA TOUR Season at the HSBC Champions, tournament officials today announced that reigning FedExCup champion and new world No. 1 Rory McIlroy has committed to the 2020 WGC-Mexico Championship. McIlroy will look to become the second player to complete the ‘WGC Slam’ by winning all four World Golf Championships events and join Dustin Johnson, who accomplished the feat in 2017. The WGC-Mexico Championship will return to Mexico City and Club de Golf Chapultepec, Feb. 19-23.
A three-time World Golf Championships winner, McIlroy first captured the 2014 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational when it was contested at Firestone Country Club, then added the 2015 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play the year it was played at TPC Harding Park. In November, McIlroy defeated defending champion Xander Schauffele in a playoff to win the WGC-HSBC Champions.
McIlroy has three career top-3 finishes in 10 career WGC-Mexico Championship starts, including a runner-up finish to Dustin Johnson in 2019. The Northern Irishman also finished T7 in his only other trip to Club de Golf Chapultepec in 2017.
Through three starts during the 2019-20 season, McIlroy has finished T3-1-T3, with his most recent start taking place at the Farmers Insurance Open. McIlroy is back in action at this week’s Genesis Invitational before returning to Mexico City.
Joining McIlroy in the field is Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz, who officially qualified as the next-highest ranked Mexican in the OWGR at No. 150. Abraham Ancer (No. 29) was already qualified for the tournament after advancing to the 2019 TOUR Championship.
“It is going to be very special,” Ortiz said. “Since they first brought it [in 2017] it is something I really wanted to do. Playing in front of the Mexican crowds and family is something special that I enjoy very much and it helps me to have good results.”
Among the players to qualify via the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) include Jordan Spieth, who finished T9 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am to move from No. 55 to No. 49 in the OWGR. Others qualifying from the top 50 include Francesco Molinari (No. 24), Sergio Garcia (No. 41), Rafa Cabrera Bello (No. 46) and Graeme McDowell (No. 47). Players outside the top 50 will have one final opportunity to qualify for tournament by moving inside the top 50 as of Feb. 17.
Tickets to the 2020 WGC-Mexico Championship are currently on sale at https://mexico.janto.es/wgc/public/janto/.
