The PGA Tour heads south of the U.S. border this week for the Mexico Open. It’s the third of five stops that fill the calendar between The Masters and PGA Championship.
The long-running national championship of Mexico will include defending champion and world No.1 Jon Rahm, Tony Finau and not much else.
As we do each week, here’s a roundup of information and data to get you prepped for a week of PGA Tour golf south of the border.
This week’s Primer is powered by Taylormade Golf.
PGA Tour Skinny
Tournament: Mexico Open
Title Sponsor: Grupo Salinas
PGA Tour Debut: 2022
Dates: Apr. 27-30, 2023
Where: Vallarta, Mexico
Course: Vidanta Vallarta
Distance: Par 71, 7456 yards
Architect: Greg Norman (2015)
Format: 72-holes, stroke play
Purse: $7,700,000
Winning Share: $1,386,000
Defending Champion: Jon Rahm
How to Follow the Mexico Open
TELEVISION: Thu-Fri: 3:30-6:30 p.m. (GOLF); Sat-Sun: 1-3 p.m. (GOLF), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
PGA TOUR LIVE: Thu-Fri: 8:45 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (ESPN+); Sat-Sun: 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. (ESPN+)
Watch on ESPN+
PGA TOUR RADIO: Thu-Fri: 1-6:30 p.m.; Sat-Sun: 1-6 p.m.
(PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio)
LINKS: Web | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Mexico Open History
The roots of the Mexico Open date back to 1944 with PGA Tour pro Al Espinosa taking the first four editions. The famed Chapultepec course hosted fourteen of the tournament’s first 16 editions.
From 1944 through 2002 it was called the Mexican Open and was not associated with any tour. In 2003, it became part of the Tour de las Américas – the principal pro golf tour throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, superseded by PGA Tour Latinoamérica.
From 2008 through 2012 it was part of the PGA Tour’s major developmental tour (Nationwide and Web). In 2013 it became part of the PGA Tour Latinoamérica, formerly known as the aforementioned Tour de las Américas.
The Mexican-American Espinosa holds the record for the most Mexico Open wins with four. He’s followed by Argentinian legend Roberto De Vicenzo, who won three titles in a five-year span (1951, 1953, 1955).
Lee Trevino is the tournament’s most iconic champion. The “Merry Mex” is a two-time winner (1973, 1975) and the only player in history to win the national open championship of the United States (US Open), Canada (Canadian Open), Britain (British Open), and Mexico (Mexico Open).
Other two-time winners include Americans Tony Holguin (1949-50), Tony Lema (1961-62) and Stewart Cink (1996, 1999).
Ernesto Pérez Acosta (1970, 1976) is the only Mexican native to win multiple titles.
The new version of the Mexico Open also has bloodlines to the WGC-Mexico Championship as this was the tournament it replaced on the PGA Tour schedule. It was also initially retitled to the Mexico Championship, before deciding to take ownership of the Mexico Open’s history.
It’s also being managed and sponsored by Grupo Salinas, which ran the three editions of the WGC stop in Mexico at Chapultepec.
History: Tournament Names
- Mexico Open (2022-23)
- Abierto Mexicano de Golf (2018-21)
- Mexico Open (2015-16)
- TransAmerican Power Products CRV Mexico Open (2014)
- Abierto Mexicano de Golf (2013)
- Mexico Open (2011-12)
- Mexico Open Bicentenary (2010)
- Mexico Open (2008-09)
- Abierto Mexicano Corona (2005-06)
- Mexican Open (1944-2003)
Mexico Open Field
The weakest field of 2023 will tee it up at Vidanta Vallarta for the Mexico Open’s second edition on the PGA Tour.
Leading the way is world No. 1 Jon Rahm, who will enter as a two-time major champion. The 28-year-old Spaniard will enter in absolute top form.
Joining Rahm as a headliner is American star Tony Finau, who finished T2 at the 2022 Mexico Open.
Other marquee names include Alex Noren, Gary Woodland and Maverick McNealy.
Top-5 Betting Favorites
1. Jon Rahm (3-1)
2. Tony Finau (8-1)
3. Wyndham Clark (18-1)
4. Gary Woodland (22-1)
5. Nicolai Hojgaard (25-1)
Full Field: Rank & Odds
Vidanta Vallarta . Vallarta, Mexico . Apr 27-30, 2023
Joel Cook contributed to this preview.
Credits: PGA Tour Media, OWGR, Bovada, Getty Images, Wikipedia
