The First Look: Mexico Open at Vidanta

The PGA TOUR added a second event in Mexico to its schedule with January’s announcement of the Mexico Open at Vidanta. Vidanta Vallarta will host the event for the next three years. World No. 3 Jon Rahm headlines the field, with plenty of home-country talent trying to lift a trophy on Mexican soil. FIELD NOTES: Rahm tees it up for the first time since the Masters. He’s the highest-ranked player in the field … Abraham Ancer leads the Mexican contingent at Vidanta Vallarta alongside fellow TOUR winner Carlos Ortiz and Korn Ferry Tour winner Roberto Diaz … Major champs Gary Woodland, Graeme McDowell and Patrick Reed are set to tee it up … Multi-time TOUR winners Tony Finau, Daniel Berger, Cameron Champ and Kevin Na are in the field … Several 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour graduates are teeing it up and looking to lock up PGA TOUR status for next season with a solid effort this week … The Monday qualifier already occurred. Patrick Flavin, Jeffrey Kang, Turk Pettit and Bryson Nimmer earned their way into the field. Flavin and Pettit advanced via a 6-for-2 playoff. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points. COURSE: Vidanta Vallarta, par 71, 7,456 yards. This Greg Norman design opened in 2015. There are large landing areas off the tee, while the greens are protected by cavernous bunkers. The course meanders along the Ameca River, with views of the Sierra Madres offered on every hole. STORYLINES: The Mexico Open is considered the country’s national golf championship and was first contested in 1944. It boasts winners like Lee Trevino, Billy Casper, Roberto De Vicenzo, Ben Crenshaw and Stewart Cink … Four native Mexican golfers have won on the PGA TOUR. Abraham Ancer was the most recent – he captured the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in 2021 … This will be the second event in Mexico on the 2021-22 PGA TOUR schedule, as Viktor Hovland won the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba in November … 250 yards were added to the golf course from its original design in preparation for the arrival of the PGA TOUR, along with 51 new bunkers (for a total of 106). 72-HOLE RECORD: N/A 18-HOLE RECORD: N/A LAST TIME: This is the first Mexico Open on the PGA TOUR calendar. Patrick Reed won the former World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship in 2020, the last time it was contested in Mexico City, while Alvaro Ortiz (brother of Carlos) won the 2021 Abierto Mexicano de Golf. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 1 p.m.–6:30 p.m. ET. Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.–6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio) For outside of the U.S., click here for GOLFTV powered by the PGA TOUR PGA TOUR LIVE PGA TOUR Live is available exclusively on ESPN+ • Main Feed: primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course • Marquee Group: new “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group • Featured Groups: traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups • Featured Holes: a combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes

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