Mexico Open At Vidanta: PGA Tour Golf Odds and Predictions

This story will be shorter and this event much tougher to handicap because we have no history on which to base our picks because it’s the first PGA Tour staging of the Mexico Open. The event itself, the country’s national championship, dates to 1944 but this is the first time it’s an official Tour event — it had been part of the PGA Tour Latinoamerica. It replaces the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship, which is no longer being held.

The Greg Norman Signature Course at Vidanta Villarta is the host, a par 71 at 7,456 yards. It winds along the Ameca River and there are views of the Sierra Madre mountains from nearly every hole. It looks spectacular, but there are still going to be golfers who won’t travel to non-major events outside the USA because of COVID.

The field of 132 includes 12 sponsor exemptions with at least four of those from Latin America. The purse is a bit on the smaller side but all the usual perks that come with winning a PGA Tour event (two-year exemption, FedExCup points, etc.) are included.

Mexico Open Golf Odds

World No. 2 Jon Rahm is the highest-ranked player in the field and the +470 favourite as he tees it up for the first time since the Masters, where he was T27. Rahm has four Top 10s in 10 events this season but yet to win.

Four native Mexican golfers have won on the PGA Tour, and Abraham Ancer was the most recent in 2021 at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. He’s a +1200 second-favourite this week. Ancer also last played at the Masters and missed the cut. Not been a great season for him so far.

Daniel Berger is +1600 with Tony Finau at +2000. Berger was last in action two weeks ago at the RBC Heritage and was T21. Finau last played at the Masters and was T35. He also has had a disappointing year.

Canadians actually have fared well at this event. Drew Nesbitt won in 2019, Danny Mijovic did in 1984 and Al Balding did in 1963, although all at different courses. Adam Svensson is +10000 this week. Nick Taylor is +11000, Roger Sloan +25000 and Michael Gligic +42000.

Mexico Open Golf Predictions

It’s a long course, so we will back big-hitting Gary Woodland, who tends to be very hit or miss. In his past six tournaments he has two missed cuts but also three Top 10s.