Akshay Bhatia | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Three storylines for Mexico Open: Who's Tiger Woods rooting for?

By Jack Dougherty | Last updated Feb 18, 2025 2:46 PM ET

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 He would have been the favorite, but McNealy has withdrawn from the tournament.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.

Today, he became a PGA Tour Champion at the Mexican Open—securing $1.5 million.

pic.twitter.com/Z7d0JZW6Zv
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) February 25, 2024

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.

Jack Dougherty

Jack Dougherty has been writing professionally since 2015, contributing to publications such as GoPSUSports. com, Centre Daily Times, Associated Press, and Sportscasting. com

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