He’s been a
professional for less than a month but former top amateur Cameron Davis faces
the opportunity of a lifetime this week when he tees off in the PGA TOUR’s OHL
Mayakoba Classic in Mexico.

Davis won the World
Amateur Team Championship individual trophy at the Mexican resort in September
and earned a place in this week’s field as a result.

The 21-year-old
Sydneysider failed to advance through second stage of Web.com Tour qualifying
earlier this week but will be back at the scene of some of his best career golf
when he tees up at El Camaleon Golf Club Thursday.

During his Eisenhower trophy victory, Davis
played the tournament course twice and posted rounds of 66-68, an 8-under total
easily good enough to make the cut in any of the previous nine stagings.

While the stage is exponentially bigger
this week, Davis will take some confidence into the event given the course will
be similar to what he faced six weeks ago.

A win will be a
challenge for the rookie but a made cut could attract the attention of
tournament sponsors and a top-10 would earn a start at next week’s RSM Classic.

Regardless of the
outcome, however, teeing up for his first start on the world’s most competitive
circuit will be a valuable learning experience for one of Australia’s most
promising young players.

For Davis, the entire
experience this week will be new but not so for fellow former top amateur
Cameron Smith who has quietly rounded into form in the past two weeks.

After a difficult 2015
season which saw him lose full playing rights on the PGA TOUR, Smith regained
his card at the Web.com Tour Finals and comes to Mexico on the back of a top-10
last week.

That performance snuck
under the radar in the wake of Rod Pampling’s emotional win but Smith is a
momentum player and having finished T11 the previous week will be keen to get
underway in Mexico.

A missed cut in his
only previous appearance will likely have little bearing on his play this week
which presents a big opportunity as he tries to ensure his status for next
season.

Smith and Davis are
among a smaller than usual Australian contingent with Steven Bowditch, Marc
Leishman and Greg Chalmers the others in the field with Brett Drewitt listed as
fourth on the alternates list and unlikely to earn a start.

Leishman makes his
first appearance at the tournament since his rookie season of 2009 but has said
he intends to play more tournaments at this time of year to help improve his
FedEx Cup chances.

The Victorian says he
has too often been well behind in the standings come the new year and hopes to
correct that with a renewed schedule.

Greg Chalmers makes
his fourth appearance at the tournament hoping to improve his best finish to
date which came when he ended T29 last year.

The popular left
hander has already played three tournaments this year but is yet to find his
best form with one missed cut and two mid-field finishes.

Steven Bowditch is the
last Australian in the field and his well documented recent struggles have
continued with two missed cuts from two starts in the new season.

The two-time TOUR winner
has played three times previously in Mexico where he has missed the cut twice
and finished T65 in 2011 but his ongoing form slump must end at some point and
there’s no reason that can’t be this week.