Adam Scott believes a conservative approach will be crucial to taming the World Golf Championship's high-altitude course in Mexico City, and golf's biggest hitters agree.
Australian world No.7 Scott, the defending WGC champion this week, played his first practice round on Wednesday at Club de Golf Chapultepec, perched 2377m above sea level.
With thinner air allowing the ball to travel up to 15 per cent further, long drivers Scott, world No.1 Dustin Johnson and No.3 Rory McIlroy say they'll throttle back off the tee.
"On a couple of holes, if you're feeling good, you might want to hit the driver and pitch from 40 yards (but) sometimes for us that's too close," Scott said.
Johnson, whose driving average of 288m ranks second on the US PGA Tour, said his length was less of an advantage at high altitude.
"It is very narrow and tree-lined. If you miss them in the wrong spots, it's very difficult to get it anywhere close to the green.
"I'm probably going to play a lot of irons off the tees just to keep it in play."
Added McIlroy: "I didn't expect the ball to go as far. Judging distances is going to be really tough."
The WGC Mexico is Scott's third tournament in as many weeks, with creditable results at Los Angeles' Genesis Open (11th) and his title defence at the Honda Classic (14th).
The 36-year-old revealed he would commute to the US from his Gold Coast home twice in the first half of the season.
With wife Marie pregnant with the couple's second child, Scott said the family wanted to avoid areas with potential viruses, such as his Bahamas base and south Florida.
"Anywhere that has any kind of virus, whether it's dengue fever or Zika virus, in the early stages of pregnancy is definitely advised to be avoided and the risk is not worth taking, in my opinion," Scott told AAP.
The WGC Mexico is a 77-man event with no cut featuring 49 of the world's top 50 golfers, with only Australian world No.2 Jason Day absent due to illness.
Day and Scott are joined by fellow Australians Scott Hend, Marcus Fraser, Sam Brazel and Matthew Griffin.
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