What Tiger Woods was trying to do when designing the golf course being used on the PGA Tour this week

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The PGA Tour returns this week with the World Wide Technology Championship, hosted by the El Cardonal at Diamante.

The 2023 edition of the World Wide Technology Championship represented the very first PGA Tour event at a course designed by Tiger Woods, with the event now back at Los Cabos, Mexico.

Erik van Rooyen lifted the trophy at El Cardonal back in 2023, with Austin Eckroat then following suit last year.

Notably, a longstanding record was achieved in the first edition, when Adam Long hit every fairway for the week, the first such feat on the PGA Tour since 1992

What Tiger Woods was trying to do when designing this week’s PGA Tour course

El Cardonal’s expansive fairways played into the hands of such an aggressive approach, with the course now coming under the spotlight ahead of the action getting underway.

Asked what kind of player is the perfect fit, CEO of Legacy Properties and developer of Diamante Ken Jowdy told reporters: “I think when Tiger was designing the golf course he wanted to make it fun for all levels, but he also wanted to make it competitive for the highest level like Austin.

“And Austin, you can tell me but I really think it’s a second shot golf course. The fairways are fairly wide. Tiger wanted to have a lot of strategy involved so he wanted you to be able to use the ground in certain areas.

“I don’t think it’s… the guy who could possibly be short and precise off the tee might not have the advantage here because the fairways are wide.

“I think it’s definitely a second shot golf course. And again, Tiger wanted strategy to play a role, a big role, and have different options.

“So I think that you generally should be in the fairway. Not me, I get out there and I still can find different areas, but these players at this level, they’re going to hit the fairways.

“And there’s not any rough out there and we’ve seen with no wind and with no real protection with no rough, they’re going to be able to take aim at a lot of these pins.”

What Tiger Woods said was going to be ‘very important’ about playing El Cardonal at Diamante

The field will have been getting to grips with the course in Mexico earlier in the week, for what is the third-to-last FedExCup Fall event.

It’s followed by the Butterfield Bermuda Championship and The RSM Classic, which take place at Southampton, Bermuda and St. Simons Island, Georgia respectively.

But all eyes on the PGA Tour are on the World Wide Technology Championship at El Cardonal, which designer Woods once analysed on the course’s website.

He said: “I set up the golf strategy to make golfers think and make choices. There are going to be different ways to play every hole.

“Angles of approach are going to be very important and will dictate the type of shots you should consider. I love this kind of golf.”

If 15-time major champion Woods loves this setup, then the entire field and indeed those watching on should be in for a treat this week.

World number six and US Open champion J.J. Spaun headlines, with his Ryder Cup teammate Ben Griffin and former US Open winner Wyndham Clark also taking part.