While the event is no stranger to golfers, this is the first time the Mexico Open at Vidanta is sanctioned by the PGA Tour with a full allotment of FedExCup points and a hefty paycheck going to the winner. Played in some form as the country’s national championship since 1944, the tournament essentially takes the place of the WGC event that was played in Mexico for the past several years. A full field of over 130 golfers will descend on the Greg Norman designed Vidanta Vallarta, which is scheduled to host for the next three years. He’s no longer the No. 1 ranked player in the world but Jon Rahm is the highest ranked in the field and a huge favorite in the outright market. Rahm is teeing it up for the first time since the Masters looking for his first win of the season. Head over to BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Odds to Win Mexico Open at Vidanta
Jon Rahm +600
Abraham Ancer +1800
Tony Finau +1800
Gary Woodland +2200
Kevin Na +2500
Patrick Reed +2800
Cameron Tringale +3000
Chris Kirk +3000
Aaron Wise +3300
Brendon Todd +3300
Sebastian Munoz +3500
Doug Ghim +4500
Kevin Streelman +4500
Matt Jones +5000
Cameron Champ +5500
Davis Riley +5500
Anirban Lahiri +6000
Charles Howell III +6000
Russell Knox +6000
Brandon Wu +6600
Lanto Griffin +6600
Sahith Theegala +6600
Aaron Rai +7000
Carlos Ortiz +7000
Chad Ramey +7000
Adam Long +7500
C.T. Pan +7500
David Lipsky +7500
Taylor Moore +7500
Vaughn Taylor +7500
Alex Smalley +8000
J.T. Poston +8000
Mark Hubbard +8000
Scott Stallings +8000
Odds Analysis
Abraham Ancer +1800
I thought about backing Rahm in this section since he’s the class of the field, but there isn’t much value betting on him. So, I’ll take the next best thing. Ancer is the second favorite on the opening board with much steeper odds. And he’s playing a home game, which should help his motivation. Not that he needs it since he’s been steady all season. There are health concerns, though. He withdrew from two events with a MC since nice run at the WGC Match Play. He’s played well in Mexico and this is another chance to show it after finishing seventh at the Mayakoba Classic earlier this season.
Cameron Champ +5500
If anybody looks like a good fit for this course it’s Champ. His booming drives can make up a lot of ground on this beefy layout and he won’t be punished too severely with open fairways and manageable rough. Champ averages over 320 yards from the tee box and could easily take advantage of the five par-4s that play 475 yards or longer. He will have to find his touch around the green, but throwing down on Champ could be a worthwhile investment.
Sebastian Munoz +3500
Following a slow start to the season Munoz picked things up and was on a nice run until a back injury forced his WD at the RBC Heritage. He’s had a couple of weeks to mend and hopefully he continues a run that saw him land in the top-40 in his last six starts. He also landed a pair of top-5s earlier this season and he also looks like a good fit for the course. I though the outright odds would be a little longer pushing me to look at alternate markets for him this week too.
Kevin Na +2500
He’s still one of the most underrated players on Tour, though the betting markets are starting to catch up. He’s made the cut in six of nine official events, which isn’t an overly high percentage. But Na usually makes it interesting when he plays the weekend. He finished T26 or better in his last five full events and emerged victorious in the unofficial QBE Shootout in December.
Chad Ramey +7000
It’s hard to drop too far down the odds board since the field is top-heavy, but one guy who I think is worth a look is Ramey. He’s been hit or miss this season with nine MCs in 17 starts, but he’s been good when he hits. And he’s back on a familiar surface they yielded him a win at Corales Golf Club last month. He’s a longshot for reason, but paspalum was his choice putting surface and he gets another shot this week. I’m just sayin’.
Course: Vidanta Vallarta – 7,456 yards, Par 71
The course will be new to everyone in the field since this is the first time Vidanta Vallarta has hosted a PGA Tour event. As a welcome the course underwent a major overhaul with close to 200 additional yards, new and reworked bunkers and a reduced par from 73 to 71. While the layout is considered long by Tour standards, it’s a resort course and shouldn’t be too challenging. The main defense is water, which comes into play on 11 holes, and over 100 bunkers could be troublesome. Conditions are expected to be ripe for low scores with two par-5s – the 14th and 18th – likely to yield plenty of scoring opportunities.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel, CBS
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