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World No. 2 Jon Rahm came into the week as the betting favorite at the Mexico Open at Vidanta and he left on Sunday as the champion, carding a 2-under 69 to win by a stroke and notch his seventh career PGA Tour title.
“I really don’t look at bets, or anything like that,” said the 27-year-old Rahm, who led wire-to-wire and finished at 17-under 276 to maintain his edge by one over Brandon Wu (63 on Sunday), Tony Finau (63) and Kurt Kitayama (68). “I like to think every time I tee it up, I’m the favorite. I’m out there to win. I’ve been playing pretty good the last few years.”
“Pretty good” includes a win in each of his last six consecutive seasons on Tour, starting with the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open. He won twice in 2020 – at the Memorial and BMW Championship – and captured his first major in 2021, at the U.S. Open. But the Spaniard also characterized his week at Vidanta Vallarta as “stressful,” which he combatted with good ol’ fashioned mental fortitude.
“I stayed positive,” said Rahm, who led the pre-tournament market at +450 via PointsBet Sportsbook, with Mexico’s Abraham Ancer next at +2000 and Finau at +2200. “I let my frustrations out a few times. but I always stayed hopeful, I always stayed positive. I think it showed in my swings. …
“I stayed aggressive. I was confident in what I was doing, I had faith in every part of my game, and it showed.”
The Greg Norman-design Vidanta Vallarta was a new venue for both Rahm and the Tour, as the Mexico Open made its debut on the PGA Tour schedule, and the course is scheduled to host the event for the next two years. The tournament, which dates to 1944 and is considered the country’s national golf championship counts Lee Trevino, Billy Casper, Roberto De Vicenzo, Ben Crenshaw and Stewart Cink among notable past champions.
Ahead of the tournament’s start, Rahm told media on Tuesday that he was “very positive about the future,” noting that he had been practicing hard and was taking a positive approach to his season, which included nine made cuts in 10 starts with four top 10s. He finished solo second at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, T-3 at the Farmers Insurance Open
“Actually, golf is life,” he said. “Sometimes you just don’t get the results you want. I keep putting in the work.”
That work paid off from the start in Mexico, where Rahm kicked off with a bogey-free 64 to co-lead with five others. He hit 12-of-13 fairways and 15-of-18 greens and took 28 putts en route to his 18th round of 64 or better on Tour (in 427 rounds). Rahm took the solo lead by two after a 66 in Round 2 and maintained that two-stroke edge with a 68 on Saturday. For his career, Rahm improved to 2-for-8 as an 18-hole leader/co-leader, 1-for-7 as a 36-hole leader/co-leader, and 2-for-7 as a 54-hole leader/co-leader.
“I knew I was improving,” said Rahm, who noted more than once that sharing it in person with wife Kelley and son Kepa made the win truly special. “I knew I was seeing results, and this week has proven that.
“I think that Sunday with Tiger at Augusta gave me quite a bit of confidence. I was a little bit technical in my approach, a little too technical. I’m a feel player and that Sunday, I told myself just go out there and hit the golf ball, make shots, see the ball flight and execute, and I shot a 3-under without having my best stuff on a tough day.
“So, I applied the same thing this week, minimal technical thoughts and just visualizing ball flight of the shot and getting back to my true self and I truly saw the difference.”
Rounding out the top five was Davis Riley, who carded a 68 Sunday to finish in fifth at 15-under, with Aaron Wise (64 on Sunday), David Lipsky (64), Alex Smalley (68) and Cameron Champ (70) finishing T-6. Patrick Rodgers (70) was 10th at 13 under.
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Ortiz brothers keep competition going through the weekend
Korn Ferry Tour player and Mexico native Alvaro Ortiz came into the week at Vidanta as the defending event champion from 2021 (when the tournament was part of the PGA Tour LatinoAmerica schedule), and happily walked away with bragging rights after beating older brother and Tour winner Carlos Ortiz by a stroke at Vidanta.
“It makes it much sweeter, much sweeter,” said Alvaro, who finished last season fourth on the PGA Tour LatinoAmerica Order of Merit to gain KFT status for 2022. “Had a tough day, but that’s how it goes sometimes. I didn’t have not even close to my best and I was able to shoot even par, which in a way kind of boosted my confidence that I can do it out here.”
Alvaro finished birdie-birdie to post an even-par 71 on Sunday, finishing T-42 at 6-under 278. Carlos birdied two of his last three holes en route to a 69 and finished T-51 at 5 under. It marked the second time the brothers have both made the cut when playing the same event, following the 2019 World Wide Technology Classic at Mayakoba, where Carlos was T-2 and Alvaro was T-48.
Abraham Ancer, one of 10 Mexican players in the field and No. 20 in the world ranking, was the only other Mexican national to make the 2-under cut. He shot 71-69 to make the cut on the number and finished T-42.
Vaughn Taylor withdrew Friday morning before the start of the second round due to a shoulder injury.
Aces for Aphibarnrat, Gutschewski
After a double bogey-bogey start on Thursday at Vidanta, Kiradech Aphibarnrat holed a 5-iron from 189 yards out for an ace at No. 5, marking his first hole-in-one on Tour.
But he had to share the spotlight Thursday when Scott Gutschewski recorded a second ace at No. 5 later in the first round. Gutschewski hit a 7-iron for his second ace on Tour, with his last coming at the 2009 Turning Stone Resort Championship.
Thursday marked the fourth time on record (1983-present) that multiple holes-in-one were recorded on the same hole in the same round of a stroke-play event on Tour. Other instances include the 2016 Masters Tournament (three aces at No. 16, Round 4), 2009 RBC Canadian Open (four aces at No. 15, Round 2) and 1989 U.S. Open (four aces at No. 6, Round 2).
Next up: Wells Fargo Championship
Rory McIlroy is set to defend his 2021 title this week at the Wells Fargo Championship, where he’ll play for the first time since his electric finish at the Masters. The current world No. 7 carded a final-round 64 at Augusta National, highlighted by a birdie on 18 where he holed out from the greenside bunker.
With the Presidents Cup set for September at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., this year’s Wells Fargo will be hosted at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm in Potomac, Maryland. The par 70, 7,160-yard TPC Potomac is a 21-time Tour host and last hosted the 2018 Quicken Loans National, won by Francesco Molinari, who also is set to appear this week.
Other notable names include Abraham Ancer, who finished runner-up last year and also shares the course record at TPC Potomac (62, in 2018). Morgan Hoffmann, who has two starts left on a medical extension, is back in action as he looks to earn 238.42 FedExCup points to maintain full Tour status. Hoffmann recently missed the cut at the RBC Heritage.
McIlroy has finished outside the top-10 just twice in 10 starts in the Wells Fargo, and regarding the different venue, McIlroy has previously played well in the D.C. area: He won the 2011 U.S. Open at nearby Congressional Country Club, winning by eight shots. McIlroy will aim to become the first player to successfully defend his title at the Wells Fargo.
Last year at Quail Hollow, McIlroy beat Ancer by a shot to win his first Tour title in 18 months. The Northern Irishman battled through a stiff his neck during his practice session and nearly withdrew, but birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 on Sunday helped him pull away from the pack. Ancer rallied with a 5-under 66 on Sunday for the low round of the day, while McIlroy carded a 3-under 68. Despite taking a penalty on the 72nd hole, McIlroy scrambled for bogey and earned the win on Mother’s Day – his first win as a parent and third at Quail Hollow after having won in 2010 (his first Tour title) and in 2015.
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