Tag: Sami Valimaki

2024 Mexico Open at Vidanta prize money payouts for each PGA Tour player

It pays to play well on the PGA Tour. Just ask this week’s winner Jake Knapp.

It pays to play well on the PGA Tour. Just ask this week’s winner, Jake Knapp.

The 29-year-old rookie from California won the 2024 Mexico Open at Vidanta in Vallarta, Mexico, after an even-par 71 on Sunday to claim his first PGA Tour victory at 19 under in just his ninth start. For his efforts, Knapp will take home the top prize of $1,458,000.

Sami Valimaki, who was aiming to become the first player from Finland to win on the Tour, finished two shots back at 17 under and earned $882,900 as a consolation prize. Stephan Jaeger, Justin Lower and C.T. Pan finished T-3 at 14 under and each bagged $429,300.

With $8.1 million up for grabs, check out how much money each PGA Tour player earned this week at the 2024 Mexico Open at Vidanta.

Prize money payouts

Position Player Score Earnings
1 Jake Knapp -19 $1,458,000
2 Sami Valimaki -17 $882,900
T3 C.T. Pan -14 $429,300
T3 Stephan Jaeger -14 $429,300
T3 Justin Lower -14 $429,300
T6 Patrick Rodgers -13 $283,500
T6 Robert MacIntyre -13 $283,500
T8 Carson Young -12 $220,725
T8 Doug Ghim -12 $220,725
T8 Andrew Novak -12 $220,725
T8 Erik van Rooyen -12 $220,725
T8 Chan Kim -12 $220,725
T13 Maverick McNealy -11 $145,125
T13 Tony Finau -11 $145,125
T13 Brandon Wu -11 $145,125
T13 Alvaro Ortiz -11 $145,125
T13 Ben Silverman -11 $145,125
T13 Henrik Norlander -11 $145,125
T19 Greyson Sigg -10 $99,549
T19 Aaron Rai -10 $99,549
T19 Martin Trainer -10 $99,549
T19 Keith Mitchell -10 $99,549
T19 Jorge Campillo -10 $99,549
T24 Dylan Wu -9 $61,695
T24 Nico Echavarria -9 $61,695
T24 Parker Coody -9 $61,695
T24 Stuart Macdonald -9 $61,695
T24 Aaron Baddeley -9 $61,695
T24 Chandler Phillips -9 $61,695
T24 Chesson Hadley -9 $61,695
T24 Davis Thompson -9 $61,695
T24 Cameron Champ -9 $61,695
T33 Harry Hall -8 $44,145
T33 James Hahn -8 $44,145
T33 Chad Ramey -8 $44,145
T33 Emiliano Grillo -8 $44,145
T33 Matt Wallace -8 $44,145
T38 Austin Eckroat -7 $32,805
T38 Rafael Campos -7 $32,805
T38 Ryan McCormick -7 $32,805
T38 Hayden Springer -7 $32,805
T38 Wilson Furr -7 $32,805
T38 Jimmy Stanger -7 $32,805
T38 Kevin Dougherty -7 $32,805
T38 Joseph Bramlett -7 $32,805
T46 Santiago De la Fuente (a) -6 —
T46 Thorbjorn Olesen -6 $25,515
T48 Ryo Hisatsune -5 $22,194
T48 Cristobal Del Solar -5 $22,194
T48 Lanto Griffin -5 $22,194
T48 Mark Hubbard -5 $22,194
T52 Nicolai Højgaard -4 $19,467
T52 Austin Smotherman -4 $19,467
T52 Padraig Harrington -4 $19,467
T52 Victor Perez -4 $19,467
T52 Carl Yuan -4 $19,467
T52 Ryan Palmer -4 $19,467
T58 Erik Barnes -3 $18,630
T58 Troy Merritt -3 $18,630
T60 Trace Crowe -1 $18,063
T60 Ryan Moore -1 $18,063
T60 Garrick Higgo -1 $18,063
T60 Jhonattan Vegas -1 $18,063
T60 Robby Shelton -1 $18,063
65 MJ Daffue 6 $17,577

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Rookie Jake Knapp earns first PGA Tour win at 2024 Mexico Open at Vidanta

Just a few years separated from working as a bouncer and doing security at weddings, Knapp is headed to the Masters.

When Jake Knapp texts his grandfather, as he does after every round, he can report that he did it, holding on to win his first PGA Tour title at the Mexico Open at Vidanta at Vallarta, Mexico.

It wasn’t always pretty in the final round on Sunday at Vidanta Vallarta as Knapp closed with an even-par 71 for a two-stroke victory over Sami Valimaki.

Knapp’s grandfather, Gordon Bowley, died of colon cancer in April after a two-year battle, and Knapp and his cousin both got matching tattoos with the initials GSFB – for their grandpa’s full name of Gordon Sydney Frederick Bowley – just below his left bicep so that it would be visible during his swing. Asked what his grandfather would think of his victory, Knapp said, “He would be pumped. He’d probably say, ‘Yo, dude, good playing. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.’ So, Papa, thank you.”

Knapp appeared to put a sleeper hold on the tournament in the third round with birdies on seven of his first nine holes on Saturday en route to shooting 63 and grabbing a four-stroke lead entering the final round.

2024 Mexico Open at Vidanta
Jake Knapp plays a shot on the 12th hole during the final round of the Mexico Open at Vidanta. (Photo: Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)

But Sundays are payday and Knapp, a 29-year-old rookie who played his college golf at UCLA, had never held the lead on the Tour let alone the Korn Ferry Tour, where he graduated to the big leagues after recording 10 top-10s last season. Knapp is a late bloomer, having turned pro in 2016 but lost Korn Ferry Tour status in 2021 and was mired outside the top thousand in the world as recently as May of 2022 (No. 1476).

Two years ago, he was out of money and worked as a bouncer for roughly nine months at a restaurant/bar in his hometown of Costa Mesa, and also did a stint as security at weddings, which is where he met his sports psychologist.

He was making just his ninth career Tour start and fifth this season, which included a T-3 at the Farmers Insurance Open last month.

The final round turned into a two-man race between a pair of rookies and fellow hockey fans seeking their first Tour title. Knapp sports the logo of the Anaheim Ducks on the right sleeve of his shirt while Finland’s Sami Valimaki has a cousin, Juuso, who is a defenseman for the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, and when asked to describe his skating skills, claimed, “I think still better than him.”

On Sunday, Knapp struggled off the tee, hitting just two fairways, the fewest fairways hit by a Tour winner in the last 40 years. That included snap-hooking his drive into the water at the third, leading to his second bogey in his first three holes. After shooting 28 on the front nine on Saturday, he shot eight strokes higher a day later. After making 23 birdies in the first three rounds, he’d make just two on Sunday.

When Valimaki, 25 and already a two-time winner on the DP World Tour, drove the seventh green to 6 feet and rolled in the eagle putt, Knapp’s overnight advantage, the largest 54-hole lead of the season, was gone. Knapp noted that his grandpa never would let him get down.

“He would just kind of whack me on the back of the head and be like, ‘C’mon, get to work,'” Knapp said.

That he did. It didn’t hurt that Valimaki made two bogeys on the final nine and managed just one birdie while Knapp followed his own advice, settling in and pitching to 2 feet for birdie at the par-5 14th and keeping his card clean to finish with a 72-hole total of 19-under 265.

“I feel like I have the game to win over here, it just wasn’t this Sunday,” said Valimaki, who closed with 69. “I mean, I was four behind, yesterday was Jake’s day and he kept it going on the back nine so I feel like I didn’t lose it today.”

Knapp choked up recounting how he spent family Sunday dinners with his grandfather and that he was the person he talked to after every single round. Asked what he would be texting him after Saturday’s stellar performance that sent him on his way to victory, Knapp said, “Wish he could see it. It was always like my dream and his dream as well for me to get out here.”

But there was no doubting the response on Sunday after becoming a Tour champion: Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

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Knapp time, class from Matt Wallace among things to know from third round of 2024 Mexico Open

Knapp set a nine-hole scoring record on Saturday.

Early on in his rookie season on the PGA Tour, Jake Knapp is quickly making a name for himself. He has a chance Sunday to make sure people don’t have an excuse to not know who he is.

Knapp had a historic start Saturday during the third round of the 2024 Mexico Open at Vidanta, making seven birdies on the front nine for a 7-under 28, the lowest nine-hole score in course history. He shot 63, tied for the lowest round of the week, on Moving Day and leads by four heading to Sunday at Vidanta Vallarta in search of his first PGA Tour win in only his ninth start.

“Struck it very similar to how I did the last couple days when I was able to get some more putts to fall,” Knapp said. “Would like to clean up a few of those bogeys on the back nine, but it was a great day.”

Knapp started with birdies on Nos. 1-2, and after a par at 3 made four straight from 4-7. Another par at 8, then Knapp added a seventh circle to the card on the ninth for a 7-under front nine.

The back nine had plenty more excitement, most of it thanks to some struggles around the greens. Knapp had three bogeys but offset that with four birdies, including on his final two holes. He sits at 19 under with 18 holes to play.

For the week, Knapp is first in Strokes Gained: Approach, gaining nearly nine shots on the field. He’s fourth Off the Tee. But around the green, he’s losing more than a stroke.

However, his power off the tee and accuracy from the fairway is making up for the couple of shortcomings around the putting surfaces. And he’s 18 holes away from a life-changing victory.

“Just a lot of the same,” Knapp said of his routine Saturday night. “Go back, shower, go to the gym tonight, do my preparation for tomorrow morning and get ready to go for tomorrow afternoon.”

Here are four more things to know about the third round of the Mexico Open at Vidanta.

History in the making, international leaderboard highlight 2024 Mexico Open at Vidanta second round takeaways

A pair of Mexican players are excelling at their national open.

The last player from Mexico to win the Mexico Open? Alvaro Ortiz.

Where does Ortiz sit after the second round of the 2024 Mexico Open at Vidanta? Tied for first.

Ortiz, who won the Mexico Open in 2021 when it was a PGA Tour Latinoamerica event, shot 7-under 64, a career best, on Friday to move into a share of first at Vidanta Vallarta alongside Englishman Matt Wallace, Finland’s Sami Valimaki and American Jake Knapp. Ortiz is a member of the Korn Ferry Tour and is making his 10th PGA Tour start this week. It’s his fourth made cut, however, the 28-year-old who played collegiately at Arkansas would have a historic and breakthrough win if he were to claim the Mexico Open title for the second time in four years.

The tournament is the national open of Mexico, but it’s only the third year it has been a PGA Tour event. Like when Nick Taylor won the Canadian Open last summer, it just means more when a national is able to capture their home open. The same can be said for Ortiz if he were to capitalize this weekend. He would become only the second Mexican ever to win his national open twice, joining Ernesto Perez Acosta.

Mexico Open: Photos

“From tee to green it was as good as it could be,” Ortiz said. “I hit the ball very well and just felt very comfortable out there. It was very clean, very stress free and I was glad to be able to make that eagle on 6. I feel like I was losing a little bit of momentum leaving a couple putts go, but it was good to get that one back. Happy to be in the position you I’m in.”

Ortiz birdied every other hole on his first nine, the back nine at Vidanta Vallarta, going out in 5-under 31. Then on the back nine, he had a clean card with eight pars and an eagle coming on the par-5 sixth hole to sign for his 64.

As far as any added pressure this weekend?

“No, it’s more fun, it’s more fun,” he said. “I don’t get to do that often. As many people, the yelling, it’s fun. I don’t get that much in the States, but it’s pretty cool to see how many people are coming and hopefully it will be packed this weekend.”

Santiago De La Fuente of Mexico putts on the second green during the second round of the Mexico Open at Vidanta at Vidanta Vallarta on February 23, 2024 in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)

He’s not the only Mexican having a strong week, either. Amateur Santiago De la Fuente, who won the Latin America Amateur Championship in January, sits at 6 under and T-9 heading to the weekend.

The duo has plenty of similarities. They’ve both won the LAAC, with Ortiz placing in the top five four times in five appearances at the event. Ortiz and his brother, Carlos of the LIV Golf League, are the last two Mexican players to tee it up in the Masters (Ortiz in 2019, Carlos in 2021) since Victor Regalado in 1979. De la Fuente will add his name to the list this April.

Here are four more things to know from the second round of the 2024 Mexico Open at Vidanta:

Oman Open: Sami Valimaki survives playoff to earn first European Tour win

Sami Valimaki won his first European Tour event at the Oman Open with a three-hole playoff.

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Sami Valimaki is a European Tour champion.

The 21-year-old Valimaki outlasted Brandon Stone in a three-hole playoff Sunday to win the Oman Open at Al Mouj Golf Course in just his sixth European Tour appearance.

Stone took the outright lead on his first time down the par-4 18th Sunday with a clutch birdie putt. Unfortunately for Stone, Valimaki carded a birdie of his own, his seventh of the day, to force a playoff.

On the third playoff hole, Stone bogeyed the 18th for the first time in the tournament, leaving room for Valimaki to take the title with a putt for par. Valimaki and Stone finished 72 holes at 13 under after each carded a 2-under 70 in Sunday’s final round.

Valimaki was coming off a bogey-free 8-under 64 on Saturday, which gave the Finn some room for error entering the final round. Valimaki totaled three bogeys throughout the round plus a double-bogey on No. 9.

Adrien Saddier finished in third one shot back at 12 under. Mikko Korhonen and Guido Migliozzi finished T-4 at 11 under, two shots ahead of a four-way tie for sixth at 9 under.

Lorenzo Gagli, who was initially forced to withdraw from the Oman Open along with fellow Italian Edoardo Molinari over concerns both had been exposed to the coronavirus, finished T-10 at 8 under. Molinari finished T-50 at 2 under.

On Wednesday, Gagli exhibited flu-like symptoms and was evaluated and tested for coronavirus. He and Molinari, who had been sharing a hotel room, were quarantined and withdrew from the event as a precaution, but were cleared to play when Thursday when Gagli’s coronavirus test was negative.

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