Cameron Beckman is content to defend his title in the Mayakoba Golf Classic after failing to qualify for the Match Play Championship.
''Just being here is great,'' Beckman said Wednesday, a day before the start of play at Mayakoba Resort. ''The golf course is, I think, in the best shape I've ever seen it. I'm really looking forward to defending.''
Last year on the Greg Norman-designed El Camaleon course, Beckman won his third PGA Tour title, beating Joe Durant and Brian Stuard by two strokes.
''I think anybody that's won a tournament coming back the next year or year after, you can picture the good shots you've hit,'' Beckman said. ''You remember hitting the good shots. We talked a lot about last year today preparing for tomorrow. It's fresh in my mind still, so hopefully I will play well.''
Australia's Aaron Baddeley, the Northern Trust Open winner last week at Riviera, and Bob Hope Classic champion Jhonattan Vegas are in the field.
John Daly also is entered along with 2011 Champions Tour winners Tom Lehman and John Cook and 2007 winner Fred Funk, also a Champions Tour player.
The resort course is 35 miles south of Cancun on the Caribbean coast.
''I think it's a little softer this year,'' Beckman said. ''I don't know what the weather's done the last few weeks, but it doesn't feel like the fairways are running out as much. And the greens are just a little bit softer.
''I think it's going to be perfect the rest of the week. So, by Sunday I think it should firm up and play very similar to last year. And the greens I think are better this year. They're just perfect.''
