The PGA Tour heads south of the border this week for the Mexico Open, which will be hosted by the Vidanta Vallarta for the fifth successive season.
Short-hitter Brian Campbell is the defending champion after he came through a playoff with South African Aldrich Potgieter, but his victory was very much against the grain as this has traditionally been a venue where strong and long drivers have done well.
There is a strong chance that there will be plenty of birdies as the tournament has moved from a February slot to take place in the Fall, and the fact 17-under-par has been the highest winning score in the last four runnings highlights the need to get off to a fast start.
US Open champion Wyndham Clark is in the field and favourite to lead from the front, but there are plenty of other players hungry to boost their FedEx Cup standing as competition in 2026 heads towards its close.
Mexico Open First-Round Leader betting picks and predictions
Doug Ghim to be first-round leader (+3000)
Doug Ghim last visited Vidanta Vallarta two years ago when he posted an eighth-placed finish and there is potential for him to enjoy a successful return.
The 30-year-old has been a consistent performer in the second half of the year.
He has claimed top-20 finishes in seven of his last ten tournaments and as the game’s big stars start to wind down towards the end of the year, he is one who seems intent on taking advantage of their absence and earning some FedEx Cup which could prove to be of great value later on in the season.
Ghim’s recent fine results include second spot at the Bank of Utah Championship at the beginning of the month and it has been easy to identify that strong first-round scoring has been a vital ingredient to that successful recipe.
He has not shot more than 71 in any of his last 14 opening rounds and he sits second behind Ben Kohles in the PGA Tour first-round scoring statistics.
Confidence should not be an issue and the potential is there for him to post another impressive score in his Thursday effort.
Zach Bauchou to be first-round leader (+5000)
Zach Bauchou missed the cut on his only visit to Vidanta Vallarta in 2023, but that should not put anyone off from backing him to end up at the top of the leaderboard once everyone has completed their opening round of this year’s tournament on Thursday.
He heads to Mexico in decent form after finishing ninth in his last effort at the Baycurrent Championship a fortnight ago, which was his third top-ten finish of the season.
It was a closing 72 that prevented him from making a much stronger challenge and even potentially claim his first PGA Tour title, but it should still have given him a big confidence boost.
Bauchou has got off to some notable good starts in his last few tournaments as he shot 64 in his opening round at the Wyndham Championship and he then shot 62 during his opening spin at the Bank of Utah Championship.
The 30-year-old has shot more than 71 on a Thursday just once all year, so the consistency is there and the player who ranks seventh in first-round scoring can make a big early impression once again.
Taylor Moore to be first-round leader (+5000)
Taylor Moore heads into this week’s tournament on the crest of a wave having finished third at last week’s Bermuda Championship, which was reduced to 54 holes due to poor weather.
He finished two shots behind Austin Smotherman and Seamus Power who were left to duke it out in a playoff, and that should have given the man who won the 2023 Valspar Championship a massive lift.
Moore has rarely had a first-round disaster this year with his best effort being his 62 at May’s CJ Cup and with the boost of last week’s performance behind him, there is scope for him to get off to a flying start on Thursday.
Mexico Open First-Round Leader odds
Wyndham Clark | +2200 |
Tom Kim | +3000 |
Benjamin James | +3000 |
Doug Ghim | +3000 |
Johnny Keefer | +3300 |
Ben Griffin | +3300 |
Marco Penge | +3500 |
Corey Conners | +3500 |
Harry Hall | +4000 |
Max Homa | +4000 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time
