The Mexico Open at Vidanta has been played at Vidanta Vallarta for the last two seasons and a few players have seen more success than others.
Take defending champion Tony Finau for example. Before he beat Jon Rahm by three shots last year, he finished in a tie for second in 2022.
This year’s field is on the weaker side, but that’s easy to understand if you take a look at the PGA Tour schedule. After this week, the Tour heads to the Sunshine State for the Florida Swing, a stretch that includes the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players, both of which are signature events.
To get you ready for this week, here are 10 of the best players at the Mexico Open over the last two years.
“Second place is just the first-place loser. There is no room for second place.”
With the calendar flipping to June, the PGA Tour counts eight first-time winners this season, including the duo of Davis Riley and Nick Hardy, who teamed up for their first wins at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
McCarthy isn’t alone. So far this season, 14 different players have finished runner-up or tied for second 15 times while bidding for their first Tour title. If the Netflix documentary “Full Swing” taught us anything it is that winning is hard. (Don’t drink every time a player says just that or you may not make it through a single episode.)
“The only one who will remember you if you come in second place is your wife and your dog,” World Golf Hall of Famer Gary Player once said, “and that is only if you have a good wife and a good dog.”
NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt didn’t mince words either, saying, “Second place is just the first-place loser. There is no room for second place.”
Nevertheless, let’s take a closer look at this year’s runner-ups, who were so close to tasting victory and climbing another rung on the professional golf ladder with their first Tour wins.
JACKSON, Miss. – The first time Brandon Wu went to The Country Club of Jackson last year, he was scared of the greens.
When he arrived at the Sanderson Farms Championship, he’d heard plenty about the putting surfaces. How fast they were. How punishing they could be if you were in the wrong spot. Making only his second start as a PGA Tour member, Wu was intimidated.
A year later, his thoughts on the greens have changed. They have also gained his respect.
“I think they’re just perfect,” Wu said. “They’re super pure, so if you are hitting good putts, they’re going to break the way you think they are and they’ll go in. These are some of the best on Tour, for sure.”
The Sanderson Farms Championship is the second event of the PGA Tour’s 2022-23 schedule. Hosted at The Country Club of Jackson since 2014, the tournament has a knack for producing first-time winners, but it has also built a reputation for having tremendous greens. As many players put it, arguably the best on the PGA Tour.
When thinking of courses known for their greens, Augusta National comes to mind. Other venues get thrown out there, too. But The Country Club of Jackson has earned the respect of the best players in the world, and it’s one of the reasons many enjoy playing Mississippi’s lone Tour event.
“I’ll bet you could walk across that whole putting green and ask guys about this course, and they’ll tell you some of the best greens all year,” said Davis Riley, who grew up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. “It’s an awesome place.”
Golfers play the ninth green during the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson in Jackson, Miss., Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. (Photo: Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger)
So, what makes a good green for the best players in the world?
Stanley Reedy has been the golf course superintendent at The Country Club of Jackson since 1997. He has been in charge of play and course conditions for not only the Tour event but also day-to-day outings for members.
There are numerous things that it takes to make the course’s greens as popular as they are, but Reedy said it’s all about his team’s attention to detail.
“They have to be built right,” Reedy said. “And then it’s the weekly maintenance. We may do things a little bit different, but our membership also has to let you do those things. And ours does.”
Monday is the normal maintenance day for the course, but if it happens to rain, Reedy said he will push it back to later in the week. It takes away a day of play for members, but it allows him and his staff to properly manage the course.
The greens are Champion bermuda grass, and many players say they’re so good because of how true putts roll.
“The greens are obviously really fast, but I think if you get in the right spots, you can make a lot of putts,” defending champion Sam Burns said. “The greens roll so pure.”
Part of the reason for the pureness is how they’re cut. Reedy said The Country Club of Jackson doesn’t use a vertical mower, instead using a groomer, which has tighter blades. When mowing, Reedy and his crew will never cut in the same pattern twice, which helps eliminate a noticeable grain pattern. After using the groomer mower, they use a walk mower that also has a groomer.
The green complexes for the Sanderson Farms Championship are fairly flat, so the strong, quick greens are the course’s natural defense. Reedy said someone who is a strong putter or has a good week on the greens is more likely to raise the trophy come Sunday.
The greens at The Country Club of Jackson reward good shots and penalize bad ones. They roll pure, require a good read and a solid strike, but those who manage the tricky complexes will find their way to the top of the leaderboard.
Every year, more and more of the best players in the world come to agree on one thing: the greens at the Sanderson Farms Championship are some of, if not, the best on the PGA Tour. And it brings a smile to Reedy’s face for each compliment he gets.
“It’s gratifying,” Reedy said. “You work your butt off all summer long. For your members, too, but when the best players in the world tell you your greens are in the top three or whatever, with Augusta National and U.S. Opens, it’s good.”
There are nine players within a shot of the lead after the first round of the 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship at The Country Club of Jackson. Davis Riley, from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and Will Gordon lead at 6 under, but there are seven golfers who are tied for third a shot behind.
Kurt Kitayama, Jamie Donaldson and Brandon Wu have plans next week at the home of golf.
The trio secured their spots in the field at the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews after qualifying via their finishing positions at the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open, the final of 15 events in the Open Qualifying Series.
“It’s really exciting to be going to St Andrews. The 150th Open there, it’s going to be a really cool experience,” said Kitayama. “After my two previous experiences, the goal is now to try and make the cut. It’s just a different type of golf and you have to adapt. The atmosphere is really cool at The Open with all the grandstands and the fans who just love their golf.”
Kitayama finished runner up at the Scottish Open, one shot behind champion Xander Schauffele. Donaldson and Wu each shot rounds of 3-under 67 on Sunday to finish T-6 to lock up the final two positions. One last exemption is available from the PGA Tour’s 2022 Barbasol Championship.
He missed the cut in nine of his first 10 events this season, but things are looking up for Brandon Wu.
He missed the cut in nine of his first 10 events during the 2021-22 PGA Tour season.
But things are looking up for Brandon Wu, who fired a final-round 63 at the Mexico Open at Vidanta after carding six birdies and an eagle.
“Proud of the way I just kept my head down,” he told Amanda Renner during the CBS telecast after his round. He said he tried not to look at the leaderboard but did admit “yea, a little nervous here and there.”
The 63 sets the competitive round record at the Greg Norman-design which is hosting a PGA Tour event for the first time. About 20 minutes later, Tony Finau matched the 63 and also tied for the lead with Wu at 16 under.
At the time, Jon Rahm and Kurt Kitiyama were also 16 under. Rahm later got to 17 under to take the outright lead while Wu was hanging out for a couple hours to see if his score would hold up.
Who is Brandon Wu?
Here are five things to know about the up-and-coming talent.
Born in Danville, California, Wu played at Stanford, where he helped the Cardinal win the 2019 national championship. His yardage book cover has Stanford’s slogan “Fear The Tree” on it.
In the span of about 30 days in 2019, Wu also qualified for the U.S. Open, represented the U.S. at the Palmer Cup and claimed a share of 35th in his U.S. Open debut.
Because he made the cut at Pebble Beach, he was unable to walk with his Stanford classmates for graduation at Stanford Stadium. Instead, after walking out of scoring at the U.S. Open, he met Stu Francis, chair of the championship committee, who handed Wu his Stanford diploma.
Korn Ferry Tour pro Brandon Wu is taking advantage of his opportunity at this week’s Puerto Rico Open, grabbing the 36-hole lead.
Brandon Wu has been the forgotten man of the vaunted Class of 2019.
While Colin Morikawa has won a major championship and Matthew Wolff and Viktor Hovland have both notched PGA Tour wins and cruised into the top 20 in the world, Brandon Wu has been toiling on the Korn Ferry Tour.
But not this week. Wu, 24, is competing at the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open and grabbed the early second-round lead with a 5-under 67 on Friday at Grand Reserve Country Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.
If Wu’s name sounds familiar, it should. He helped lead Stanford to the 2019 NCAA Championship, its first title in 12 years, represented the U.S. in the Walker Cup, and became the first amateur since 1967 to qualify for the U.S. and British Opens in 2019. But after failing to secure full exempt status at Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School, Wu started last year Monday-qualifying for events on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Then COVID-19 hit, but when play resumed he proved his mettle, winning the Korn Ferry Tour Championship. He’s currently fourth on the Korn Ferry Tour money list. Under normal circumstances, he would’ve earned a promotion to the PGA Tour by now, but due to the suspension of play last year status was frozen for the current season.
This week, opportunity knocks and he’s not the only KFT regular making some noise. Wu shot 66 on Thursday as did Taylor Pendrith and Lee Hodges, which had the three KFT stars tied for second and one stroke back of pacesetter Tommy Gainey.
“That was pretty cool to see,” Wu said. “I think, yeah, it shows that we have all the skills and talent to compete at this level. And yeah, you just got to go out and play well.”
A year ago, Hovland notched his maiden PGA Tour victory in dramatic fashion at this event. Could Wu do the same? He put on a clinic with his iron play on Friday, hitting 17 of 18 greens in blustery conditions, none better than a high fade from 240 yards to 10 feet at 18.
“That was the shot of the day that I saw him hit,” said Golf Channel’s Arron Oberholser.
“I think my irons have always kind of been the strength of my game, so that’s always been there, which is good,” Wu said. “I’m definitely hitting it really solid.”
Wu made the birdie putt to climb to 11-under 133 and break out of a tie with Aussie veteran Greg Chalmers, who birdied his last two holes for 68. A day earlier, Chalmers made four birdies in a row beginning at the second and then aced the 235-yard par-3 eighth hole on his way to shooting 66.
“I played some of the best golf I have played in a long time,” he said.
Former Stanford golfer Brandon Wu won the Korn Ferry Tour Championship Sunday at Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Indiana.
Brandon Wu is a winner on the Korn Ferry Tour.
The 23-year-old won his first Korn Ferry Tour title Sunday at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship. He finished one shot ahead of Greyson Sigg.
Wu, who was coming off a T-58 finish at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, fired a bogey-free 7-under 65 in the final round to take the title at Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Indiana.
Wu said that throughout Sunday’s final round, he knew he was playing well but tried to stick to his game plan and stayed in the moment. He didn’t even know he was leading until his second shot on 18 when he asked his caddie.
“It’s almost surreal,” Wu said. “I mean I think over a month and a half ago and I was still playing Monday qualifiers and just hoping to get kind of a schedule going and I think standing here 6, 7 weeks later being a winner of the (Korn Ferry) Tour Championship is just an awesome feeling and quite surreal.”
Wu, who earned a spot in the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot with his win, carded rounds of 67-69-69-65 to finish the event at 18-under 270.
Before Sunday’s win, Wu’s best finish was T-2 at the Albertsons Boise Open in August. Wu has competed in six tournaments, recorded three top 10s and made five cuts. He also finished T-9 at the Price Cutter Charity Championship in July.
Wu competed in five PGA Tour events this season including the 2020 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in which he finished T-38 at 2 under and the 2019 Houston Open where he finished T-17 at 8 under. The former Stanford Cardinal also competed in two PGA Tour majors last season. He qualified for the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, finishing T-35 at 1 over, and the 2019 British Open, where he missed the cut.
Sigg was 3 under on the day at Victoria National until a double-bogey on the par-4 14th derailed his round. He finished the day with a 1-under 71. Vince India, Seth Reeves and Dan McCarthy finished T-3 at 16 under.
Four more professional golfers tested positive for COVID-19 during the pre-tournament testing process and withdrew from tournaments.
Another day, another PGA Tour player announced as testing positive for COVID-19.
This time it is Chad Campbell, who was the first alternate into this week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic. Campbell, who last competed at the Charles Schwab Challenge, withdrew from the tournament and has to spend the next 10-14 days in self-isolation, per Tour rules, which follow CDC guidelines.
Campbell tested positive during the pre-tournament screening process and becomes the fifth member on the Tour to contract the coronavirus and third in as many days to withdraw from the Detroit Tour stop, joining Dylan Frittelli (Sunday) and Harris English (Monday).
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“While the positive test result is unnerving, I am incredibly grateful to be asymptomatic and feel physically well and my thoughts are with anyone dealing with COVID, directly or indirectly,” he said in a Tour release. “I support the Tour’s protocol during this time and will be quarantining myself to protect others until I am well. I am looking forward to competing again once it is deemed safe for me to make my return.”
The Korn Ferry Tour also announced that at the conclusion of its on-site testing process, members Brandon Wu, Taylor Montgomery and Jonathan Hodge have withdrawn from the TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes prior to Wednesday’s first round after testing positive for COVID-19.
A total of 247 players have undergone on-site testing since the Korn Ferry Tour’s resumed play on June 11, and to date, Wu, Montgomery and Hodge are the only tour players to test positive via on-site testing.
“These positive test results serve as a distinct reminder that we all need to continue to be vigilant in this ever-changing climate. We will further reinforce the elements of our health and safety plan to all constituents, and deliver our full support to those who test positive for COVID-19,” said Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin.
Closing birdies for Brandon Wu on two of Maridoe’s final three holes – and a closing bogey from Scottie Scheffler – gave Wu the title.
But for one man, Scottie Scheffler could have pulled off the repeat victory at Maridoe Golf Club this week. Closing birdies for Brandon Wu on two of Maridoe’s final three holes – and a bogey from Scheffler on No. 18 – prevented it from happening.
This time last year, Wu and his Stanford team were gearing up for the NCAA Championship – an event they eventually won. Wu has had a lot of experiences since then – from making the cut at the U.S. Open as an amateur to representing the U.S. at the Walker Cup. He was T-17 in the Houston Open, his pro debut, and made the cut in three more PGA Tour starts.
At Maridoe, a course Wu had never seen before this event, rounds of 67-70-66 left him at 13 under and one shot ahead of Scheffler. In Thursday’s final round, Wu had seven birdies, with his lone bogey coming at the par-4 13th.
Wu was just as pleased, perhaps, with the interaction – at a safe distance, of course – as he was the opportunity play golf, a sentiment he expressed after the first round.
“I think it’s cool to play golf again and see some of my friends that I haven’t seen since the quarantine started,” he said. He next plans to tee it up at the Korn Ferry Tour’s TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes over Fourth of July weekend, with perhaps a few Monday qualifying appearances in between.
Scheffler hasn’t won a title yet on the PGA Tour, but his 2020 season had been going well so far with four top-10 finishes in 13 starts. After he won last month’s Maridoe Samaritan Fund Invitational, he donated his entire $9,000 winner’s check to the club’s caddies.
Behind Wu and Scheffler, Texas sophomore Parker Coody finished third at 10 under. The Plano, Texas, native also garnered low-amateur honors for this week.
Korn Ferry Tour player Will Zalatoris, runner-up at last month’s Maridoe event, was fourth at 9 under.
Version 2.0 of the Maridoe event also featured another twist: Eight of the top junior players in the nation (two each from the next four graduating classes) were invited to play, too. Jacob Sosa, a Texas commit representing the class of 2020, was the low junior player after a 3-under 69 in the final round left him at even par. He finished in a tie for 16th with a group of players that included four-time PGA Tour winner Ryan Palmer.
