WGC Mexico Championship Preview

A mightily impressive field will gather in Mexico City this week to battle it out for the largest winner's cheque of 2018 so far at the World Golf Championship - Mexico Championship.

With little over five weeks to go until the start of major season in early April (at Augusta National for The Masters) many of the world's best golfers will be looking to challenge at the head of affairs in pursuit of the $1,660,000 first prize.

To help get you ready for this weekend's golf-fest here's a quick preview of the first WGC of the year.

The Venue

Course: Club de Golf Chapultepec
Yardage: 7,330 yards
Par: 71

Last year was the first time that Club de Golf Chapultepec hosted the WGC Mexico Championship, the successor to the WGC Cadillac Championship previously held at Trump Doral.

This golf course's massive elevation means the ball will carry a long way and with tree-lined fairways throughout, chances are that some of the main contenders will be playing it safe from the tee-box. With that said, if any one of the big hitters were brave enough to keep the driver in play they could be in for a great week.

Highlights of this old Mexican Open venue include the long par-4 4th hole which plays as a downhill dogleg left as well as the uphill par-5 6th.

Catch a few glimpses of the course below:

Last year in Mexico

Dustin Johnson captured back-to-back World Golf Championships in 2017 and it all started with a win in Mexico City.

It was a fourth WGC for the 2016 U.S. Open champion and with it, he became only the fifth man in history to emerge victorious in his first tournament since becoming world number one - a ranking he has retained since.

Tommy Fleetwood finished one shot back in second while Jon Rahm impressed during his maiden WGC event in securing a tied third position.

Catch DJ's best shots from the 2017 event below:

The Field

Justin Thomas arrives in Mexico City with his recently acquired Honda Classic trophy (and a $1,188,000 winner's cheque) safely tucked away.

Both DJ and the 2017 PGA Player of the Year are accompanied by Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth and Justin Rose making it a top-5 clean sweep. Notable absentees from the top-10 are Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Day and Brooks Koepka.

You can find a full field list on the PGA Tour website here.

Possible Winners

Obvious Chance: Jon Rahm

Rahm started the year with a win at the CareerBuilder Challenge following hot on the heels of a second place finish at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

Since then his results have been a little more modest but the course at Club de Golf Chapultepec seems tailor-made for the young Spaniard.

Worth a Look: Paul Casey

Two top-tens in his three starts so far this year points towards continuing consistency for Casey. We're sticking our neck out in expecting that the Englishman will be featuring in the latter stages of this week's tournament.

Who are you looking forward to seeing in Mexico this week? Who wins it? Let us know below.