Mexico Open at Vidanta Preview and Picks

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⛳ The Tour Moves to Mexico

This week, the PGA Tour shifts to Mexico for the Mexico Open at Vidanta, marking the final stop of the West Coast Swing before the Florida Swing begins. While this event has never drawn a star-studded field, it plays a crucial role in setting up the Cognizant Classic, which now benefits from a stronger field. Previously sandwiched between elite events like the Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational, and The Players, the Cognizant often struggled to attract top players. But with the Mexico Open now serving as the transition event, many marquee names will gear up for a three-week stretch starting at PGA National, followed by Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass.

🌟 New Faces, First-Time Winners & Rising Stars

With a weaker field in Mexico, it’s a prime opportunity for young talent to break through, much like Jake Knapp did last year with his unexpected victory. These types of events allow up-and-coming players to gain confidence and momentum before the bigger tournaments arrive. We’ve already seen Thomas Detry capitalize in Phoenix, earning his first PGA Tour win, while Ludvig Åberg lived up to the hype last week, signaling his arrival as one of the game’s brightest young stars. Veterans like Nick Taylor and Sepp Straka also returned to the winner’s circle, proving that experience still matters.

The 2025 season has delivered plenty of excitement early on, with Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, and Harris English making strong starts. Meanwhile, the absence of LIV players like Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, and Cameron Smith has made room for the next wave of stars, including Maverick McNealy and resurgent names like Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, and Scottie Scheffler. Speaking of Scheffler, his putting woes on Poa Annua greens have been a concern, and he’ll be eager to return to the familiar Bermuda surfaces of Florida at Bay Hill, where he’s historically thrived.

🏌️‍♂️ Xander’s Comeback Plan

One notable absence has been Xander Schauffele, who hasn’t played since the TGL event following the Sentry in Maui. The two-time 2024 major champion has been dealing with a lingering rib injury, forcing him to sit out Torrey Pines and the Genesis Invitational despite his strong history at both events. While it was painful for him to miss out, his patience is focused on returning at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and ensuring he’s 100% healthy for the Masters in April.

🏆 Who’s in Mexico This Week

The Mexico Open at Vidanta welcomes a slightly stronger field than last year, featuring 26 of the top 100 players in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR)—up from 24 in 2024. Four players rank inside the top 50, led by Aaron Rai (#29), Akshay Bhatia (#30), Rasmus Højgaard (#43), and Stephan Jaeger (#50).

🚀 Players to Watch

Two players currently sit inside the top 25 in the FedExCup standings: Sam Stevens (#16) and Patrick Rodgers (#21). Meanwhile, Jake Knapp returns as the defending champion, hoping to repeat his 2024 breakthrough win.

📊 Data-Driven Insights for Fantasy & Betting

If you’re serious about making the best picks this week, our GolfStats tools have you covered.

• Our Performance Chart ranks players by their average finish of all players at the Mexico Open at Vidanta, helping you identify those who consistently contend.

• Our GolfStats Custom Formula highlights the best performers at this event over the last five years, factoring in course history and key stats.

• Our Sortable 3-Year Glance lets you track trends, breakout performances, and potential sleepers at the Mexico Open at Vidanta.

These tools are invaluable whether you’re betting, setting a DFS lineup, or simply looking for an edge in your fantasy league. Check out the full blog post for DK fantasy advice.

🌎 Things to Know About the Mexico Open at Vidanta

The Mexico Open at Vidanta may only be in its fourth official year as a PGA Tour event, but its roots run deep, dating back to 1944. It serves as a replacement for the WGC-Mexico Championship, which had a successful four-year run at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City. That event thrived on strong local community support, but after being relocated due to COVID-19, it was eventually removed from the schedule. Now, the Mexico Open is marketed toward tourists and vacationers in Puerto Vallarta, adding a unique dynamic to the event.

⛳ Course Breakdown: Vidanta Vallarta

• Location: Vallarta, Mexico

• Course Designer: Greg Norman (Opened in 2016, modified for PGA Tour in 2022)

• Par/Yardage: Par 71, 7,456 yards

• Course Rating & Slope: 75.1 / 143

• Scoring Average (2024): 70.10 (Ranked 33rd toughest on Tour)

Vidanta Vallarta offers stunning views of the Sierra Madre Mountains, with holes winding along the American River. While the course challenges amateurs with water hazards, large waste areas, and native vegetation, tour pros will find wide fairways and excellent playing conditions. The greens are large, undulating, and in pristine shape, rewarding good putters. However, wind is the biggest factor, as the course sits just a half-mile from the Pacific Ocean. Last year, gusts reached 20 mph, but the scores still remained low.

This week, conditions should be ideal for scoring, with firm, fast fairways and milder winds (8-9 mph) leading to another birdie-fest.

🏌️‍♂️ What Kind of Player Wins Here?

Past winners show a clear trend: while putting plays a role, elite ball-striking and power off the tee have been the key to success.

• Jon Rahm (2022): 1st in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green, 4th in Putting Inside 10 Feet

• Tony Finau (2023): 8th in Strokes Gained Putting, 11th in Putting Inside 10 Feet

• Jake Knapp (2024): 1st in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green, but only 17th in Putting

This suggests that while putting helps, the players who gain strokes off the tee and on approach have the biggest edge.

🚀 Who Has the Advantage This Week?

The lack of big names in the field means this is an open event, but history shows that elite players have the edge. Jon Rahm and Tony Finau won in back-to-back years, proving that stronger players tend to prevail here. However, with Finau absent this year, the field lacks true marquee names.

So, who has the edge?

• Patrick Rodgers is a strong pick, with three straight top-10 finishes here (T-10 in 2022, 2023; T-6 in 2024). He’s also in solid form, finishing T-3 at Genesis recently.

• Kurt Kitayama has a history of success on coastal tracks, finishing T-2 here in 2022 and winning at Bay Hill in 2023.

• Long hitters tend to thrive. The best in driving distance this week include Chris Gotterup, Michael Thorbjornsen, Jesper Svensson, Kurt Kitayama, and Trey Mullinax.

 Key Stats for Success at Vidanta Vallarta

The Mexico Open at Vidanta is a course where bombers thrive, birdies come in bunches, and approach shots make all the difference. While it may look tough with water hazards and large waste areas, pros find wide fairways and excellent scoring conditions, making it one of the more gettable courses on Tour.

With past winners like Jon Rahm, Tony Finau, and Jake Knapp, the formula for success is clear: hit it long, attack the par 5s, and dial in approach shots. Here are the four key stats to watch this week:

1. Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee

Vidanta Vallarta is one of the few PGA Tour courses where distance is a huge advantage. The average drive here is around 297 yards, ranking it among the longest-driving courses on Tour. Winners here—Rahm, Finau, and Knapp—were all elite drivers, ranking inside the top 20 in Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee.

2. Proximity to the Hole

Hitting greens isn’t enough—players need to stick it close to capitalize on birdie chances. Vidanta Vallarta has ranked inside the top 3 in Proximity to the Hole each year, meaning approach play is crucial.

3. Par 5 Scoring

Despite two par 5s measuring over 600 yards, all four are reachable in two, making them the best scoring opportunities. Past winners have dominated these holes, typically needing to go at least 10-under on the par 5s to contend.

4. Par Breakers (Birdies & Eagles)

Vidanta is not a difficult course for Tour pros, and winning scores will be low. Birdie-makers thrive here, and past champions have ranked near the top in Par Breakers (percentage of holes played under par).

With light winds and firm fairways expected this year, we can expect another birdie-fest—meaning aggressive scorers will have the edge.

Who to watch for at the Mexico Open

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