The PGA Tour is heading south to Mexico where Jon Rahm will look to defend his title at the 2023 Mexico Open at Vidanta. The reigning Masters champion headlines the field at Vidanta, along with Tony Finau and Wyndham Clark. The 1st round tees off Thursday morning from Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico.
Below, we look at the 2023 Mexico Open at Vidanta odds and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions.
After only taking 1 week off for the Zurich Classic, Rahm is back on the course. He has a win and a top-15 in his last 2 starts, giving him 4 wins and 8 top-25s in 11 starts this season. He’s the No. 1 player in the world and he and Finau (No. 16) are the only players in the field ranked in the top 20. Rahm is heavily favored (+240) to win this event for the second straight year.
Vidanta Vallarta is a par 71 and plays at 7,456 yards, so it’s on the longer side. It’s a newer course that opened in 2015 and only began hosting this event in 2022, so it’s not a venue many players have much history on. Long hitters seem to have an edge on this course, partly thanks to the wider fairways.
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Mexico Open at Vidanta – Expert picks
Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 11:29 a.m. ET.
Gary Woodland (+2800)
It’s hard to find much value at the top of the board with Rahm at +240 and Finau at +750, but Woodland is a solid choice on that 2nd tier. He tied for 24th in this event last year and has gone T-14 and T-31 in his last 2 starts this season, so he comes in with some momentum. He also ranks 13th in strokes gained: off the tee, which is a key statistic for a course like this.
Nicolai Hojgaard (+3300)
Hojgaard has only played 3 PGA Tour events this season, including last week’s Zurich Classic. He’s finished 2nd, T-28 and 32nd in those starts, with that 2nd-place finish coming at the Corales Puntacana Championship. It’s a small sample size, but he averages 324 yards off the tee, which would rank 2nd on tour if he qualified.
Mexico Open at Vidanta picks – Contenders
Brandon Wu (+5500)
Wu tied for 2nd in this event last year, also ranking 2nd in average strokes gained in the 2022 Mexico Open. He’s made the cut 13 of 19 times this season and tied for 26th at the Zurich Classic last week, though he has been a bit up-and-down lately: 3 top-10s and 3 missed cuts in his last 9 starts.
David Lipsky (+6600)
Lipsky tied for 6th at the 2022 Mexico Open and he and Aaron Rai combined to finish 13th at the Zurich Classic last week, a solid week for the longshots in New Orleans. He’s not a long hitter, which would seem to work against him at a course that favors bombers, but it didn’t hurt him last year when he came in the top 10.
Mexico Open at Vidanta picks – Long shot
Akshay Bhatia (+10000)
Bhatia ranks 22nd in birdie average this season, which is a good indicator as he’s set to play a course that had a winning score of 17-under last year. He has 3 top-25s this season and is 28th in strokes gained: approach. He’s once again a long shot but the promising young player could break through with a good week
Brent Grant (+15000)
Grant is 22nd in driving distance and 21st in strokes gained: off the tee, which will help him this week on a longer course with wide fairways. His best finish was a T-8 at the Corales Puntacana Championship this season.
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