Mexico Open at Vidanta
February 22nd – 25th, 2024
Vidanta Vallarta (Greg Norman Course)
Vallarta, Mexico
Par: 71 / Yardage: 7,456
Purse: $8.1 million
with $1,458,000 to the winner
Defending Champion:
Tony Finau

This is based on the most important stats for Vidanta Vallarta, based on data from last year’s Mexico Open, and data from all the players in the field with stats from this season.
It is essential to know that this course looks tough on TV, and it is. For mortals like you and I, the course is very demanding. But for the best players in the world, we saw a lot of birdies and eagles in the event’s two-year history. What makes the course challenging for you and me are the water hazards, large waste areas, and patches of indigenous vegetation. For the best players in the world, they will find a course with wide, inviting fairways and perfect playing conditions. Of all the courses on the PGA Tour, this is the one course (along with the Plantation Course at Kapalua) that bombers have a significant advantage on. Of all the courses on the PGA Tour, those in the Mexico Open field get on the tee and flair at it to try and hit it as long as possible. You won’t see a short hitter win on this course; they are disadvantaged. The biggest challenge for the players this week will be the wind; the course lies just a half mile away from the Pacific Ocean, so that will affect how the course is played.
Last year, the field’s scoring average was 70.10, so with par being 71, the average score was about a shot under par, making the course in the middle of difficulties on the PGA Tour
Here is a look at the scoring average of the Mexico Open for the two years it’s been played:
2023 – The average was 70.10, making it the 33rd hardest of the 55 courses for the year
2022 – The average was 70.32, making it the 24th hardest of the 50 courses for the year
For the players, spotting iguanas is part of the fun while you keep an eye on the crocodiles sunning in the neighboring sanctuary.
For the average player, water plays on 15 of the 18 holes. But for the best players in the world, water will come into play on 11 holes: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,11, 14, and 17. The secret of playing well will be in the shots into the greens and being able to make a lot of 10-foot putts. One thing to remember about the 18 holes at Vidanta Vallarta is that only two holes are dogleg, the 1st and the 3rd. For the rest of the holes, drives aren’t restricted by doglegs, which allows players to hit it hard and far. Of the holes bordered by water, you can always bail out to the opposite side and have a shot to the green, so our first category is Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee, in which driving distance helps determine the number of strokes either gained or lost.
Long hitters have a significant advantage; Last year, the average drive of all drives at Vidanta Vallarta was 299.1 as the course ranked T-33rd out of the 41 courses tracked in 2023. The previous year, the average drive of all the drives at Vidanta Vallarta was 296.6, and the course ranked 24th of the 36 courses that tracked drives in 2022.
2023 – Winner Tony Finau averaged 307.6 yards on all the holes during the Mexico Open, ranked 17th in the field, and was 2nd in Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee. For 2023, Finau averaged 305.7 yards on all his drives for the year, which ranked 10th, and he was 17th for 2023 in Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee.
2022 – Winner Jon Rahm averaged 317.6 yards on all the holes during the Mexico Open, ranked 3rd in the field and was 3rd in Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee. For 2022, Rahm averaged 301.0 yards on all his drives for the year, which ranked 8th, and he was 16th for 2022 in Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee.
Our second category is Proximity to the hole, which is the average distance the ball comes to rest from the hole (in feet) after the player’s approach shot from the fairway.
2023 – Vidanta Vallarta ranked 28th in Greens in Regulation as the average shot from the fairway finished 43 feet, nine inches from the hole, as Vidanta Vallarta ranked 2nd in Proximity to hole.
As for winner Tony Finau, he was T-3rd in Greens in Regulation as the shot finished 37 feet to the hole, which was 4th in Proximity to hole.
2022 – Vidanta Vallarta ranked 26th in Greens in Regulation as the average shot from the fairway finished 43 feet, ten inches from the hole, as Vidanta Vallarta ranked 1st in Proximity to hole.
As for winner Jon Rahm, he was T-7th in Greens in Regulation as the shot finished 40 feet, two inches to the hole, which was 19th in Proximity to hole.
Our third category is Par 5 scorning average. There are four par 5s at Vidanta Vallarta, with two playing over 600 yards. Despite that, all will be accessible in two, and the winner must play these four holes in at least 10 under.
2023 – Vidanta Vallarta ranked T-34th in par 5 scoring average (out of 58 courses) as the scoring average on the four par 5s was 4.60.
As for winner Tony Finau, he played the par 5s in 12 under, which, along with two other players, was 2nd best in the field (Akshay Bhatia played par 5s in 13 under).
2022 – Vidanta Vallarta ranked T-32nd in par 5 scoring average (out of 50 courses) as the scoring average on the four par 5s was 4.62.
As for winner Jon Rahm, he played the par 5s in 12 under along with one other player as Rahm and Davis Riley led the field in Par 5s.
Our last category is Par Breakers because the course does give up a lot of birdies and eagles
2023 – 1,733 birdies were made (46th hardest) and 43 eagles (T-45th) as 22.73% of the holes played under par, making it the 39th hardest of the 58 courses that year
Winner Tony Finau made 27 birdies (Most) but had no eagles as 37.50% of the holes played under par as he ranked T-1st in Par Breakers.
2022 – 1,698 birdies were made (40th hardest) and 52 eagles (42nd) as 22.35% of the holes played under par, making it the 32nd hardest of the 50 courses that year
Winner Jon Rahm made 20 birdies (T-9th) and had one eagle as 29.17% of the holes played under par as he ranked T-7th in Par Breakers.
So what was the secret of the two winners of the Mexico Open, and how they won?
2023: Tony Finau was runner-up to Jon Rahm a year ago, but the results were reversed this year. Finau, who opened with rounds of 65-64-65, held a two-shot lead heading into the final round. On Sunday, Finau shot a bogey-free, 5-under 66 to win by three shots over Rahm. For the week, Finau was 1st in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green, 2nd in Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee, and T-3rd in Greens in Regulation. Finau will also look at his short putting as a key; in 61 putts from seven feet and under, Finau only missed one putt.
2022: Jon Rahm came into the week not only as the highest-ranked player in the field that only attracted five of the top-35 in the world, but in his opening round 64, he showed he was up to the hype, and he led after the 2nd and 3rd rounds with a 66-69. Rahm coasted in the final round, only making third birdies and one bogey as he could outlast the field to win by a shot over Tony Finau, Brandon Wu, and Kurt Kitayama.
So here are our four choices for the most critical stats from players to do well at Vidanta Vallarta:
*Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee: The number of strokes a player takes from a specific distance off the tee on Par 4 & par 5’s is measured against a statistical baseline to determine the player’s strokes gained or lost off the tee on a hole. The sum of the values for all holes played in a round minus the field average strokes gained/lost for the round is the player’s Strokes gained/lost for that round.
*Par 5 Scoring Average: There are four par 5s, with two playing over 600 yards. Despite that, all are accessible in two, and the winner must play these four holes in at least 10 under.
*Proximity to Hole: The average distance the ball comes to rest from the hole (in feet) after the player’s approach shot from the fairway.
*Par Breakers: Vidanta Vallarta has always been a pushover for the best players in the world. The field seems to make a lot of birdies and eagles as the course has a very low Par Breaker total.
92 of the 132 Players from this year’s field with stats from 2024:
Click any column title in the table header to sort columns.
# | Name | *Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee | Par 5 Scoring Average | *Proximity to Hole | *Par Breakers | Total Rank All Categories |
DraftKings Salary |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tony Finau (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 17 | 3 | 40 | 13 | 73 | 12000 |
2 | Keith Mitchell (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 4 | 32 | 11 | 53 | 100 | 9900 |
3 | Michael Kim (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 118 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 141 | 8200 |
4 | Parker Coody (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 21 | 24 | 57 | 84 | 186 | 6500 |
5 | Thomas Detry (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 19 | 116 | 46 | 8 | 189 | 10100 |
6 | Chan Kim (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 18 | 75 | 95 | 12 | 200 | 6500 |
7 | Doug Ghim (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 22 | 8 | 46 | 131 | 207 | 8800 |
8 | Jhonattan Vegas (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 5 | 50 | 25 | 128 | 208 | 7600 |
9 | Harrison Endycott (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 123 | 11 | 1 | 74 | 209 | 6300 |
10 | Stephan Jaeger (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 50 | 84 | 49 | 27 | 210 | 9800 |
11 | Aaron Rai (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 82 | 93 | 23 | 30 | 228 | 8500 |
12 | Kevin Dougherty (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 2 | 75 | 143 | 17 | 237 | 5500 |
13 | Carl Yuan (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 10 | 138 | 29 | 62 | 239 | 6200 |
14 | K.H. Lee (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 119 | 31 | 29 | 64 | 243 | 7500 |
15 | Austin Eckroat (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 47 | 93 | 11 | 98 | 249 | 8000 |
16 | Paul Barjon (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 76 | 24 | 41 | 110 | 251 | 5700 |
17 | Maverick McNealy (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 56 | 68 | 69 | 59 | 252 | 8100 |
18 | Rico Hoey (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 33 | 138 | 34 | 52 | 257 | 5300 |
19 | Carson Young (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 100 | 75 | 11 | 74 | 260 | 7400 |
20 | Hayden Springer (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 12 | 38 | 144 | 67 | 261 | 5700 |
21 | Davis Thompson (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 162 | 68 | 20 | 20 | 270 | 8900 |
22 | Sam Stevens (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 31 | 123 | 50 | 74 | 278 | 7100 |
23 | Nico Echavarria (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 81 | 61 | 108 | 34 | 284 | 5500 |
24 | S.H. Kim (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 68 | 84 | 116 | 29 | 297 | 7900 |
25 | Max Greyserman (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 132 | 24 | 17 | 125 | 298 | 5900 |
26 | Mark Hubbard (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 130 | 24 | 79 | 66 | 299 | 9000 |
27 | Emiliano Grillo (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 77 | 90 | 72 | 61 | 300 | 11100 |
28 | Cameron Champ (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 1 | 11 | 126 | 164 | 302 | 8600 |
29 | Ryo Hisatsune (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 137 | 75 | 62 | 30 | 304 | 9200 |
30 | Tom Whitney (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 116 | 131 | 3 | 67 | 317 | 5700 |
31 | Matt Wallace (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 161 | 6 | 113 | 40 | 320 | 7400 |
32 | Patrick Rodgers (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 54 | 41 | 121 | 106 | 322 | 9700 |
33 | Jacob Bridgeman (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 55 | 109 | 44 | 116 | 324 | 6600 |
34 | Jimmy Stanger (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 60 | 24 | 173 | 74 | 331 | 6100 |
35 | David Skinns (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 154 | 93 | 64 | 22 | 333 | 5400 |
36 | Jake Knapp (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 90 | 84 | 37 | 124 | 335 | 8700 |
37 | Bronson Burgoon (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 158 | 32 | 52 | 94 | 336 | 6000 |
38 | Patton Kizzire (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 6 | 116 | 89 | 126 | 337 | 6800 |
39 | Alejandro Tosti (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 7 | 158 | 126 | 46 | 337 | 7800 |
40 | Andrew Novak (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 143 | 50 | 7 | 151 | 351 | 7000 |
41 | Taylor Pendrith (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 67 | 24 | 166 | 95 | 352 | 9600 |
42 | Brandon Wu (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 125 | 109 | 10 | 110 | 354 | 9100 |
43 | Greyson Sigg (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 73 | 109 | 41 | 135 | 358 | 7200 |
44 | Troy Merritt (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 156 | 142 | 17 | 46 | 361 | 5900 |
45 | Robert MacIntyre (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 110 | 32 | 85 | 135 | 362 | 7000 |
46 | Ben Silverman (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 57 | 167 | 15 | 128 | 367 | 6200 |
47 | Nicolai Hojgaard (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 34 | 143 | 69 | 128 | 374 | 10700 |
48 | Sami Valimaki (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 44 | 164 | 19 | 147 | 374 | 6700 |
49 | Dylan Wu (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 94 | 106 | 41 | 135 | 376 | 6900 |
50 | Scott Stallings (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 142 | 55 | 78 | 113 | 388 | 7300 |
51 | Lanto Griffin (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 70 | 106 | 79 | 135 | 390 | 6100 |
52 | Justin Lower (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 121 | 123 | 25 | 121 | 390 | 6100 |
53 | Norman Xiong (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 86 | 75 | 160 | 70 | 391 | 5800 |
54 | Harry Hall (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 109 | 109 | 118 | 55 | 391 | 6800 |
55 | Aaron Baddeley (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 160 | 120 | 66 | 46 | 392 | 6600 |
56 | Erik Barnes (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 127 | 93 | 139 | 36 | 395 | 6100 |
57 | Justin Suh (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 92 | 106 | 95 | 104 | 397 | 8300 |
58 | Charley Hoffman (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 110 | 120 | 79 | 88 | 397 | 8400 |
59 | Chandler Phillips (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 139 | 146 | 50 | 64 | 399 | 5900 |
60 | Robby Shelton (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 149 | 116 | 52 | 83 | 400 | 6300 |
61 | Tyler Duncan (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 38 | 68 | 155 | 142 | 403 | 6900 |
62 | Chesson Hadley (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 153 | 138 | 5 | 116 | 412 | 7700 |
63 | Ryan Fox (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 159 | 18 | 163 | 74 | 414 | 9300 |
64 | Alexander Bjork (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 166 | 131 | 33 | 110 | 440 | 7300 |
65 | Nate Lashley (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 102 | 93 | 158 | 95 | 448 | 7700 |
66 | Ryan Moore (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 97 | 131 | 57 | 172 | 457 | 6000 |
67 | Joseph Bramlett (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 63 | 174 | 108 | 113 | 458 | 6800 |
68 | Joe Highsmith (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 175 | 93 | 76 | 116 | 460 | 6600 |
69 | Garrick Higgo (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 126 | 120 | 125 | 92 | 463 | 6700 |
70 | Chez Reavie (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 168 | 123 | 44 | 143 | 478 | 6200 |
71 | Alex Smalley (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 86 | 158 | 104 | 131 | 479 | 7500 |
72 | Chris Gotterup (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 46 | 166 | 144 | 126 | 482 | 7100 |
73 | Mackenzie Hughes (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 113 | 68 | 167 | 141 | 489 | 9400 |
74 | Trace Crowe (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 89 | 170 | 126 | 107 | 492 | 5700 |
75 | Pierceson Coody (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 115 | 146 | 113 | 123 | 497 | 5500 |
76 | Matti Schmid (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 148 | 164 | 55 | 157 | 524 | 6200 |
77 | Vincent Norrman (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 63 | 131 | 171 | 175 | 540 | 7600 |
78 | Josh Teater (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 147 | 170 | 66 | 167 | 550 | 5400 |
79 | Davis Riley (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 173 | 152 | 152 | 74 | 551 | 6500 |
80 | Ben Kohles (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 140 | 146 | 123 | 148 | 557 | 6400 |
81 | Matt NeSmith (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 113 | 154 | 147 | 145 | 559 | 6200 |
82 | J.J. Spaun (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 145 | 162 | 100 | 168 | 575 | 7200 |
83 | Ben Taylor (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 150 | 154 | 100 | 173 | 577 | 5100 |
84 | Callum Tarren (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 167 | 93 | 153 | 164 | 577 | 5600 |
85 | David Lipsky (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 163 | 131 | 118 | 170 | 582 | 5500 |
86 | Tyson Alexander (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 112 | 152 | 163 | 163 | 590 | 5600 |
87 | Vince Whaley (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 164 | 123 | 172 | 154 | 613 | 6500 |
88 | Peter Malnati (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 171 | 149 | 147 | 148 | 615 | 5900 |
89 | J.B. Holmes (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 134 | 173 | 151 | 161 | 619 | 5000 |
90 | Chad Ramey (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 146 | 175 | 150 | 150 | 621 | 6000 |
91 | Brandt Snedeker (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 172 | 168 | 165 | 171 | 676 | 5200 |
92 | Ryan Brehm (Plyr/Tnmt/YTD) | 170 | 168 | 175 | 173 | 686 | 5100 |
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