This week the PGA Tour heads to the Vidanta Villarta course in Villa Hidalgo, Mexico for the Mexico Open. The total purse is $7,700,00, and Jon Rahm is the defending champion. The course is a par 71 and begins the PGA Tour “Spring Swing.”
Course Breakdown
The course was designed by Greg Norman and is the sixth longest course the tour visits all season. The average par 4 and 5 is 495 yards. Strong tee to green and some distance will be key for players to find success this week in Mexico.
While many believe the course is elevated, which would help the players’ length, the course actually ranks as the 6th lowest on tour. The course has 106 bunkers which is the third most on tour; some good bunker stats will be key as well. 12 holes on the course have water features, which ranks sixth most on the tour.
The players will also be dealing with Paspulam, which is a different type of grass than is grown for most courses in the States. Typically this type of grass is found on courses that are more “coastal.” The fairways and greens are Paspulam and will affect how players interact with the turf.
The greens are 7,000 square feet in average which rank as the 8th largest on Tour. Three-putt avoidance will be key in keeping scores low.
The Favorites
While Rahm (+290) and Finau (+800) are both heavy favorites to win this week, there are better spots for bettors to look towards to make some money this week. Rahm and Finau finished #1 and #2 last year at this event.
I do not envision the exact same finish this year as well. I would be happy to eat my words if such an occurrence came to be.
Nicolai Hojgaard +3000
Nicolai Hojgaard is a golfer that primarily plays on the DP World Tour and it is often tough to find stats and predict how the young phenom will play. However, last week, playing in the Zurich Championship with partner Thorbjorn Oleson, Hojgaard gained 7.6 shots.
In an event that so often allows players to share the load, Hojgaard carried his team as Oleson was negative 10.5 shots gained. Further, Hojgaard was +7.3 shots gained on the field at large last week at the Zurich Championship.
Hojgaard is 22 years old and is looking for his first PGA Tour win, and this course should set up nicely for the young Dane.
