The 2024 PGA Tour schedule heads south of the border this week for the Mexico Open at Vidanta in Vallarta, Mexico, which is about 20 minutes away from Puerto Vallarta.
World No. 24 Tony Finau, who finished tied for 19th at 6-under par at The Genesis Invitational last week, is looking to go back-to-back after securing last year’s crown in Mexico that was fueled by -5 or better in all four rounds, including a bogey free 5-under 66 in the final round a 10 months ago.
During a wild Genesis Invitational that saw 15-time major champion Tiger Woods (illness) and Jordan Spieth (disqualification) not be able to compete on the weekend, it took a comeback effort by Hideki Matsuyama to raise the trophy after a final round 9-under 62, which is the lowest final round score in history to win The Genesis Invitational.
Entering Sunday’s final round, Matsuyama was six strokes back of first-place Patrick Cantlay before having three different streaks of making three consecutive birdies.
He shaved off one stroke on the first three holes on both the front nine and the back nine as well as holes 15, 16 and 17 to have a bogey-free victorious round. His six-stroke deficit was the largest comeback at Riviera Country Club since Mike Weir was done by seven in 2003.
Furthermore, it is the third time since the turn of the century that player was down by six or more strokes to then go on to win by three. It also happened with Bubba Watson at the 2018 Travelers and Ben Crane at the 2003 BellSouth Classic.
With the win, he became the 14th player to win at both Augusta National for the Masters and at Riviera Country Club, which includes a list of 82-time PGA Tour Champion Sam Snead, three-time Masters Champion Nick Faldo as well as eight-time major champion, including two Masters, Tom Watson. Surprisingly, that list does not include Tiger Woods nor Jack Nicklaus, who have a combined 11 green jackets.
Related: Where Nick Faldo, Sam Snead and Tom Watson rank on the all-time major victories list
Matsuyama, who won the 2021 Masters tournament, also became the winningest Asian-born player in PGA Tour history with his ninth victory, surpassing K.J. Choi’s eight PGA Tour wins. It marked Matsuyama’s first win since the 2022 Sony Open (763 days) and his first top 10 since last year’s Farmers Insurance Open (343 days).
The global theme on the PGA Tour continues this week at the Mexico Open at Vidanta as some players in the field have received sponsor exemptions, including Mexican golf professionals Rodolfo Cazaubon, Roberto Diaz, Alvaro Ortiz and Sebastian Vazquez.
Vidanta Vallarta is a par-71, measuring 7,456 yards. Like events on the West Coast and Hawaii over the last six weeks, players will have to battle the ocean breezes as wide fairways favor the long hitters this week. The course is also the sixth longest on the PGA Tour this season. Weather will not be a factor this week as temperatures are expected to hit 80 degrees, the first time since the two events in Hawaii, The Sentry and the Sony Open.
What channel is the Mexico Open at Vidanta on?
The Mexico Open at Vidanta will be televised between NBC and the Golf Channel. This week marks the first of seven straight weeks that the PGA Tour will be televised on NBC, going all the way up until the final tournament before the first major tournament of 2024, the Masters, at the Valero Texas Open.
Television schedule for the Mexico Open at Vidanta
| Round | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
| 1 | Thursday, Feb. 22 | 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| 2 | Friday, Feb. 23 | 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| 3 | Saturday, Feb. 24 | 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. | Golf Channel NBC |
| 4 | Sunday, Feb. 25 | 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. | Golf Channel NBC |
Other coverage for the Mexico Open at Vidanta
In addition to the Mexico Open at Vidanta being televised on the Golf Channel and CBS, the tournament will also be broadcasted on ESPN+ and Peacock. PGA Tour Live for the marquee and featured groups can be exclusively found on ESPN+ for all four days of the tournament, in addition to the featured holes around the course.
The Mexico Open at Vidanta will also be on the airwaves of Sirius XM for all four rounds.
Thursday, Feb. 22 (Round 1)
ESPN+: 9:15 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
Peacock: 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
Sirius XM: 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
Friday, Feb. 23 (Round 2)
ESPN+: 9:15 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
Peacock: 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
Sirius XM: 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ET
Saturday, Feb. 24 (Round 3)
ESPN+: 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Peacock: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Sirius XM: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Sunday, Feb. 25 (Round 4)
ESPN+: 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Peacock: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
Sirius XM: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET
How much are tickets for the Mexico Open at Vidanta?
Tickets to walk the grounds at the Mexico Open at Vidanta begin at $700 pesos and prices increase for elevated access, such as the Par-tee Deck hospitality venue.
To grow the game, children 12 and under are admitted free into the Mexico Open at Vidanta when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
Payout for the Mexico Open at Vidanta 2024
The total purse is $8.1 million, and the winner will receive $1.458 million. In addition, the winner will receive 500 points towards the FedEx Cup standings.
Who are some of the top golfers in the Mexico Open at Vidanta field?
Tony Finau leads the way as the highest ranked player in this week’s field, sitting at No. 24 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Finau’s 24-under 260 last year set the record for the least number of strokes in a 72-hole event for this event.
This field also features Ryder Cup players in Robert MacIntyre and last year’s DP World Tour Championship winner Nicolai Hojgaard. After his third-place finish at this event a season ago, Brandon Wu makes his return.
A couple of past major champions are playing this week, including 2008 PGA Champion and Open Champion Padraig Harrington, who also won the Claret Jug in 2007 and is a 2024 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee is competing this week. 2018 Open Champion Francesco Molinari is also in the field looking to have a strong week of competition.
In addition, Ben Sigel is making is PGA Tour debut this week after qualifying rom Monday, Sigel, Stuart MacDonald, Matt Atkins and Preston Stanley earned spots after Monday’s qualifier. 5 players with the best chance to win the Mexico Open at Vidanta trophy on Sunday
5 players with the best chance to win the Mexico Open at Vidanta trophy on Sunday
Tony Finau
This is the second year Vallarta Vidanta is hosting this week and the reigning champion has returned in Tony Finau. One of the improvements to Finau’s game this season is his ball speed off the tee, now getting back into the 180 miles per range after getting down into the upper 170s.
The key thing to watch for Finau this week is his putting. Like World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the putter is what limited him last week, ranking 47th in strokes gained putting all week at -3.585 strokes. Making putts is going to be crucial this week on top of the shots off the tee. Last year at this event, Finau was eighth in strokes gained putting with 4.865 strokes, a seven-stroke difference from his performance last week compared to last year at the Mexico Open at Vidanta.
Keith Mitchell
Keith Mitchell enters this week with a one-wek break to prepare for this tournament. He is coming off a T17 at the WM Phoenix Open and his best finish so far this season is a T9, which came at The American Express.
Mitchell also ranks fourth this season in strokes gained off the tee and around 20th in both strokes gained total and strokes gained tee to green. He also ranks eighth this season with a 75.64 clip for his greens in regulation percentage, which is going to be crucial to have that game come together for 72 holes in Mexico. He is player to watch come Sunday as he also ranks fifth this season in round four scoring average (65.67).
Emiliano Grillo
Emiliano Grillo enters this week coming off a T5 finish at this evet last year. Before last week’s Genesis Invitational, Grillo recorded four straight top 25 finishes, including a T7 at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
This event moved up in the calendar schedule before taking place the final weekend of April in between the first and second majors of 2024. In regard to Grillo, before last year’s event, he was coming off a T7 at the RBC Heritage. That was part of eight top 10s, including a T6 at the Open Championship, that he recorded last season before finishing 29th in the FedEx Cup.
Thomas Detry
Thomas Detry, who I picked before the WM Phoenix Open, rolls into this week coming off three straight, top 30 performances, highlighted by a T4 during the rain-shortened AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am a couple weeks ago at the Signature event, which started with a first round 63 for his best round this season.
Detry’s two strong suits so far this season has been his play on the greens and off the tee, ranking 13th in strokes gained putting and 19th in strokes gained off the tee. He is also sixth this season in birdie average, averaging 5.43 birdies per round.
Nicolai Hojgaard
Some of the top young names within the last couple of years to win on the PGA Tour include Tom Kim, Ludvig Aberg, Akshay Bhatia and Nick Dunlap. The 22-year-old Nicolai Hojgaard is ready to join that group as he is coming off two consecutive made cuts at the previous Signature events, The Genesis Invitational and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. However, those performances also come after a runner-up finish at the Farmers Insurance Open where he shot 73-70 among the final 36 holes.
In the six strokes gained categories (total, tee to green, off the tee, approach the green, around the green and putting), Hojgaard ranks inside the top 60 in five of the them, signifying the all-around game he has entering tournaments and the difficult courses this season, highlighted by ranking 28th in strokes gained total.
The Mexico Open at Vidanta pairings
All times ET; (FG) is Featured Group, (MG) is Marquee Group; (a) means amateur
| Round 1: 1 tee | Round 2: 10 tee | Players |
| 8:30 a.m. | 1:15 p.m. | Taylor Pendrith, Robby Shelton, Justin Lower |
| 8:41 a.m. | 1:26 p.m. | Michael Kim, Brandon Wu, Sam Stevens |
| 8:52 a.m. | 1:37 p.m. | Josh Teater, Justin Suh, David Lipsky |
| 9:03 a.m. | 1:48 p.m. | Davis Riley, J.B. Holmes, Scott Stallings |
| 9:14 a.m. | 1:59 p.m. | Martin Trainer, Mark Hubbard, Harry Hall |
| 9:25 a.m. | 2:10 p.m. | Scott Piercy, Henrik Norlander, Greyson Sigg |
| 9:36 a.m. | 2:21 p.m. | Jacob Bridgeman, Mac Meissner, Preston Stanley |
| 9:47 a.m. | 2:32 p.m. | Harrison Endycott, David Skinns, Matt Atkins |
| 9:58 a.m. | 2:43 p.m. | Victor Perez, Alexander Bjork, Ben Sigel |
| 10:09 a.m. | 2:54 p.m. | Paul Barjon, Norman Xiong, Stuart Macdonald |
| 10:20 a.m. | 3:05 p.m. | Robert MacIntyre, Ryo Hisatsune, Omar Morales (a) |
| Round 1: 10 tee | Round 2: 1 tee | Players |
| 8:30 a.m. | 1:15 p.m. | Kevin Chappell, Doug Ghim, Andrew Novak |
| 8:41 a.m. | 1:26 p.m. | Maverick McNealy, Ben Taylor, Ryan Fox |
| 8:52 a.m. (FG) | 1:37 p.m. (FG) | Keith Mitchell, Charley Hoffman, S.H. Kim |
| 9:03 a.m. (MG) | 1:48 p.m. (MG) | Tony Finau, Mackenzie Hughes, Nicolai Hojgaard |
| 9:14 a.m. (FG) | 1:59 p.m. (FG) | Chez Reavie, Cameron Champ, Brandt Snedeker |
| 9:25 a.m. | 2:10 p.m. | Francesco Molinari, Peter Malnati, Padraig Harrington |
| 9:36 a.m. | 2:21 p.m. | Tyler Duncan, Troy Merritt, Thorbjorn Olesen |
| 9:47 a.m. | 2:32 p.m. | Pierceson Coody, Raul Pereda, Fred Biondi |
| 9:58 a.m. | 2:43 p.m. | Jake Knapp, Wilson Furr, Cristobal Del Solar |
| 10:09 a.m. | 2:54 p.m. | Chris Gotterup, Ryan McCormick, Austin Wylie |
| 10:20 a.m. | 3:05 p.m. | Jorge Campillo, Blaine Hale Jr., Jose Antonio Safa (a) |
| Round 1: 1 tee | Round 2: 10 tee | Players |
| 1:15 p.m. | 8:30 a.m. | Nate Lashley, Aaron Baddeley, Alex Smalley |
| 1:26 p.m. | 8:41 a.m. | Garrick Higgo, C.T. Pan, Scott Gutschewski |
| 1:37 p.m. (FG) | 8:52 a.m. (FG) | Lanto Griffin, Austin Eckroat, Dylan Wu |
| 1:48 p.m. (MG) | 9:03 a.m. (MG) | Erik van Rooyen, Emiliano Grillo, K.H. Lee |
| 1:59 p.m. (FG) | 9:14 a.m. (FG) | Vincent Norrman, Matt Wallace, Nico Echavarria |
| 2:10 p.m. | 9:25 a.m. | James Hahn, Chesson Hadley, Aaron Rai |
| 2:21 p.m. | 9:36 a.m. | Joseph Bramlett, Carl Yuan, Ben Kohles |
| 2:32 p.m. | 9:47 a.m. | Alejandro Tosti, Tom Whitney, Rodolfo Cazaubon |
| 2:43 p.m. | 9:58 a.m. | Rafael Campos, Erik Barnes, Jimmy Stanger |
| 2:54 p.m. | 10:09 a.m. | Trace Crwoe, Chandler Phillips, Alvaro Ortiz |
| 3:05 p.m. | 10:20 a.m. | Chan Kim, Hayden Springer, Renato Naula (a) |
| Round 1: 10 tee | Round 2: 1 tee | Players |
| 1:15 p.m. | 8:30 a.m. | Jhonattan Vegas, Patrick Rodgers, Stephan Jaeger |
| 1:26 p.m. | 8:41 a.m. | Matt NeSmith, Vince Whaley, Carson Young |
| 1:37 p.m. | 8:52 a.m. | Ryan Moore, Callum Tarren, Tyson Alexander |
| 1:48 p.m. | 9:03 a.m. | J.J. Spaun, Chad Ramey, Ryan Brehm |
| 1:59 p.m. | 9:14 a.m. | Patton Kizzire, Davis Thompson, Matti Schmid |
| 2:10 p.m. | 9:25 a.m. | Ryan Palmer, Thomas Detry, Roger Sloan |
| 2:21 p.m. | 9:36 a.m. | Bronson Burgoon, MJ Daffue, Sebastian Vazquez |
| 2:32 p.m. | 9:47 a.m. | Sami Valimaki, Philip Knowles, Max Greyserman |
| 2:43 p.m. | 9:58 a.m. | Parker Coody, Joe Highsmith, Roberto Diaz |
| 2:54 p.m. | 10:09 a.m. | Ben Silverman, Rico Hoey, Adrien Dumont de Chassart |
| 3:05 p.m. | 10:20 a.m. | Kevin Dougherty, Patrick Fishburn, Santiago De la Fuente (a) |