The PGA Tour FedEx Cup Fall continues in Mexico this week as Vidanta Vallarta hosts the Mexico Open for the fifth consecutive season.
This national Open is an historic tournament but it only gained PGA Tour status in 2022, when Vidanta took over hosting duties and Jon Rahm beat Tony Finau, Kurt Kitayama and Brandon Wu by a shot.
Finau turned the tables on Rahm a year later, then Jake Knapp won the 2024 tournament, becoming the latest in a succession of long drivers to achieve success at the venue which straddles the Pacific coast.
Last year's winner, short-hitting Brian Campbell, showed that length off the tee is not the only way to get it done, but power remains the route to Vidanta success and the man he beat in a playoff, Aldrich Potgieter, is the longest driver on the PGA Tour.
This year's event has switched from a February slot but conditions in Mexico are sunny and calm, so there should be plenty of birdies given the last four winners have reached 17, 24, 19 and 20 under par.
Mexico Open betting picks and predictions
Blades Brown to win (+3300)
US Open champion Wyndham Clark is the biggest name in the field but two previous Mexico spins have ended in 67th and 24th-place finishes.
Clark is a better player now, but he was lackluster in Japan last time out and it is hard to understand his reasons for teeing it up in an event which has no bearing on his position in the FedEx Cup next season.
Others will be more highly motivated including rising star Blades Brown, who can continue to make a name for himself on the PGA Tour.
Brown is just 19 but he has been around for a little while and made his third PGA Tour appearance in the 2025 Mexico Open, finishing an encouraging 34th.
He has split his time between the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour this year, taking advantage of sponsors' invites to record a number of eye-catching results, including third in the Puerto Rico Open, ninth in the Myrtle Beach Classic, 14th in the Byron Nelson, 12th in the John Deere and 11th in the Corales Puntacana.
Brown has secured a PGA Tour card for next year via the Korn Ferry Tour, and was runner-up in the season finale on that circuit in his most recent start.
Blessed with a complete all-round game, it is surely only a matter of time before he makes his breakthrough.
Johnny Keefer to win (+2000)
Johnny Keefer has needed more time to adjust to life on the PGA Tour but the 25-year-old also has a bright future and can threaten a first title in Mexico this week.
Keefer has all the attributes required to shine at Vidanta Vallarta - he is long enough off the tee to take advantage of the ultra-wide fairways, and he is one of the PGA Tour's best with short irons and wedges in hand.
At 74th on the FedEx Cup Fall standings, he knows he needs a big week if he's to force his way into the Signature Events next season, and recent form suggests that could well be the case.
Keefer was seventh at the Biltmore Championship in September, 10th at a similar course in the Bank of Utah Championship and a respectable 33rd at a less suitable venue in the Baycurrent Classic last time out.
Gordon Sargent to win (+6000)
Power-packed Potgieter came up just shy last year but he showed the advantage of raw power at Vidanta Vallarta and his performance points towards Gordon Sargent.
Former world no.1 amateur Sargent ranks 11th in driving distance on the PGA Tour this year and has a similar profile to Potgieter, only with a tidier short game than the South African.
He is still raw, but his best results of this year came by the coast when he was eighth in Puerto Rico and second in the Corales Puntacana Championship. He has finished 33rd and 21st in two FedEx Cup Fall events.
Mexico Open odds
Wyndham Clark | +1000 |
|---|---|
Tom Kim | +1800 |
Ben Griffin | +2000 |
Benjamin James | +2000 |
Johnny Keefer | +2000 |
Marco Penge | +2200 |
Doug Ghim | +2500 |
Corey Conners | +2800 |
Harry Hall | +3000 |
Blades Brown | +3300 |
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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.
