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Three storylines for Mexico Open: Who's Tiger Woods rooting for?
After supplying fans with loaded fields and iconic golf courses for the past month, the PGA Tour takes a step back this week with the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld.
With so many top-tier players skipping this week to prepare for the Florida Swing, there won't be any big names on the leaderboard. Still, there will be a few fun storylines to follow at Vidanta Vallarta.
How will Akshay Bhatia perform as the favorite?
Maverick McNealy earned $2.2 million last week for a second-place finish at The Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines. He would have been the favorite, but McNealy has withdrawn from the tournament. Now Bhatia is now the choice to win at +1400 (per FanDuel on Tuesday).
The 23-year-old has a bright future on the PGA Tour, but he's normally an afterthought in strong fields. It's much harder to play well when you're expected to, and that added pressure can cause players to crack. Bhatia might be the best player in this field, but the target is on his back for the first time in his young career. How will he handle the pressure?
Jake Knapp returns to defend his title
Two years ago, Jake Knapp was a bouncer at a nightclub, trying to save money and keep his golf dreams alive.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) February 25, 2024
Today, he became a PGA Tour Champion at the Mexican Open—securing $1.5 million.
pic.twitter.com/Z7d0JZW6Zv
Knapp won the Mexico Open last season in just his eighth career PGA Tour start. It was quite an impressive start to his rookie season, but the journeyman recorded only two top-20 finishes in his last 18 starts of 2024 and failed to qualify for the BMW Championship.
Coming off a T17 at the Genesis Invitational, his best finish of the young season, Knapp is in a good spot to defend his title at Vidanta Vallarta. This is a perfect golf course for Knapp because he can bomb his driver on almost every hole with little worry about hazards. The former nightclub bouncer should be considered one of the favorites to win in Mexico.
We know who Tiger Woods will be rooting for this week
Woods isn't in the field for the Mexico Open, but he still has a stake in the tournament. On Tuesday morning, Woods announced PGA Tour rookie Karl Vilips as the first brand ambassador for his clothing line, Sun Day Red. Vilips, a Stanford product like Woods, will make his PGA Tour debut this week at Vidanta Vallarta.
Before playing at Stanford, Vilips was a star junior golfer and the No. 1 amateur in the world. He was named the Korn Ferry Tour Rookie of the Year in 2024. Woods is hoping Vilips has a bright future on the PGA Tour, and that starts this week.
More must-reads:
- TGL has a major problem Tiger Woods may not be able to fix
- The best golfers who never won at the Masters
- The 'PGA Championship winners' quiz
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Other golfers could learn from admirable Tommy Fleetwood
Tommy Fleetwood did nothing at the FedEx St. Jude Championship to dispel his reputation as a Sunday choker, but he proved once again he's a classy professional even in defeat. Other players on the PGA Tour (*cough cough* Rory McIlroy) could learn a thing or two from his admirable Ryder Cup teammate. Immediately after going 1-over in his final three holes to blow another back-nine lead at TPC Southwind, Fleetwood didn't shy away from the criticisms. Instead, he politely agreed to an on-camera interview with NBC's Damon Hack while his emotions were still running high. "Did a lot of good things today, really," Fleetwood said. "Obviously, right at the end again. I’m getting close. I think that’s the good side of it. I think I’m getting really close. Again, on that back nine, managed to get myself ahead. Played some really good golf, putted really well. Obviously, Justin [Rose] and J.J. [Spaun] have done great there, and I just didn’t quite do enough. You get to those last three holes. It’s the Par 5 16th and the bogey on 17. I don’t know, I’m obviously disappointed. Again, when you reflect, look at the positives. I was right in there with a chance. It’s hard, right? It's hard to win. There are so many good players. I was next to somebody who was playing some really great golf there. Yeah, just didn’t get it done." After pouring his heart out on national television, Fleetwood made his way over to the fans and signed autographs with a big smile on his face. He understands that this could be the best experience of these kids' lives, and he wants to make it special for them, even if he has just endured one of the most disappointing moments of his career. For all the fans and media pundits who poked fun at Fleetwood for squandering another Sunday lead, there were just as many commending him for facing the music afterward. Fleetwood's conduct after the loss was a stark contrast to McIlroy's recent behavior with the media. After losing to Bryson DeChambeau at the 2024 U.S. Open, McIlroy breezed past reporters and peeled out of the parking lot as fast as he could. At the 2025 PGA Championship, he refused to speak to the media after all four of his tournament rounds. He even doubled down on these decisions at the 2025 U.S. Open. "I feel like I've earned the right to do whatever I want to do," McIlroy told reporters at Oakmont Country Club in June. Losing with dignity is a skill not every professional golfer has. Even though Fleetwood is still searching for his first win on the PGA Tour, he hasn't lost his character.
Patriots have big Drake Maye concern surface at Vikings' joint practice
Defense ruled the day during the joint practice between the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings. Per Chad Graff of The Athletic, the Patriots defense did a masterful job of disrupting Vikings second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy at Wednesday's practice. However, New England's offensive line was unable to allow Drake Maye to have enough time to finish plays. "Even with four new expected starters up front following last year’s debacle, Wednesday suggested that there will likely be some bumps ahead for this offensive line," Graff wrote. "Sure, going up against the Vikings was always going to be a difficult task. Greenard has been wrecking his own team’s practices in training camp, and everyone in New England knows how good Flores’ scheme can be. But the domination was so thorough by the Vikings’ front seven that three straight plays at one point would’ve resulted in a sack." Maye showed flashes of promise when he had time to throw downfield or was able to use his legs to buy time or scramble when pressure came. The concern is that the offensive line won't allow Maye enough time to even scramble, so he can make throws. Graff has noticed the same issues that happened on Wednesday have been a constant at training camp against the Patriots defense. With a new-look offensive line that includes first-round pick Will Campbell at left tackle, the Patriots are expected to have some bumps at training camp and in September. New England's offense probably won't look great out of the gate while the offensive line develops in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels' scheme. If and when the offensive line improves, Maye will have a chance to show off the arm that made him the No. 3 pick in 2024. For now, the offensive line is a concern much like it was last season.
Browns HC confirms Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders whispers
A previous report suggested that the Cleveland Browns want to start 2025 third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel at quarterback for this coming Saturday's preseason game at the Philadelphia Eagles over 2025 fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders as long as Gabriel is healthy enough to play at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field. While speaking with reporters ahead of Wednesday's joint practice involving the clubs, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that Gabriel began the day on track to start Saturday's contest. "The plan was always to give both of those guys a start in the preseason, so we’ll see how it shakes out," Stefanski explained, as shared by Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. Neither Gabriel nor backup Kenny Pickett played in Cleveland's preseason opener at the Carolina Panthers on Friday as they continued to recover from lingering hamstring injuries. Sanders received the bulk of the meaningful reps in that game and completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-10 win over Carolina. While Gabriel is doing 11-on-11 work during joint practices this week, Pickett remained relegated to 7-on-7 drills as of Wednesday. That said, FanDuel Sportsbook continued to list 40-year-old Joe Flacco as the betting favorite at -310 odds to be the Browns' starting quarterback for their Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals as of Wednesday. Pickett was at +360 odds, followed by Sanders at +1060. Gabriel was a +1800 underdog to get the nod for the Cincinnati matchup at that time. Gabriel began Wednesday as the Browns' unofficial QB3 ahead of Sanders. Meanwhile, Sanders did not get any reps in the opening few periods of the Browns' joint practice with the Eagles on Wednesday morning after suffering an oblique injury. Earlier in the month, the former Colorado star missed some practice time due to arm soreness. Per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Stefanski added that he wants "to get through" Thursday before he finalizes his plans for the Philadelphia game. Unless Gabriel experiences a setback ahead of the weekend, it seems he will receive an opportunity to silence critics while serving as Cleveland's temporary QB1 against the Eagles.
Bears make big decision amid concerning Caleb Williams reports
Second-year Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and other starters were spectators for Chicago's preseason opener versus the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, first-year Bears head coach Ben Johnson confirmed things will be different when his club hosts the Buffalo Bills for an exhibition matchup this coming Sunday evening. "Everyone's going to play," Johnson said, as shared by Courtney Cronin of ESPN. Johnson added that how many snaps Williams will take versus the Bills is "to be determined." The Bears will first host the Bills for a joint practice on Friday. Johnson came to this decision following multiple reports detailing the supposed struggles that Williams has endured throughout training camp. Most recently, Monday’s practice was allegedly "a low point for" Chicago's first-team offense and featured "Williams and receiver Rome Odunze both looking frustrated" after some failed connections. "I've been pretty consistent with the thought of reps, reps, reps are the most important thing to get [Williams] up to speed," Johnson explained. "And by the plan that we had a week ago, we were able to get him probably somewhere between 80 and 100 more reps than we would've been able to do had he played in the game. This week, it's a different schedule. Different length of time in terms of in between games and all that. And so, our plan right now is the guys that sat out last week, they will be playing this week." Those running the Bears hope that the hiring of Johnson, an advertised offensive guru, will help Williams become a top-tier quarterback after the 23-year-old won only five of 17 starts during his rookie season. However, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic is among those who have mentioned that Williams has been responsible for a noteworthy number of inaccurate passes this summer. "I think the trust that we've been talking about from the get-go, that's really where that comes into play," Johnson added about risking the health of his starters by playing them against Buffalo. "We haven't been here with this group as a coaching staff. That trust has been earning, and we've been developing that amongst each other. It's not a one-way street. It goes both ways. And so I think that's just another step in the progression, you know?" The Bears will wrap up the preseason with a game at the Kansas City Chiefs on Aug. 22. It's unclear if Williams or other Chicago starters will see any action that Friday night.
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