This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
Mexico Open at Vidanta
Vallarta, Mexico
Vidanta Vallarta - Par 71 - 7,456 yards
Field - 132 entrants
Purse - $8.1M
The Preview
An event that's been around since the 1940s, the 2024 Mexico Open marks only the third edition as an official stop along the PGA Tour schedule, having previously been part of the Latinoamerica rotation from 2013 to 2021. The Greg Norman-designed Vidanta Vallarta is primed to host for the third time as well, but the tournament's transition to the big stage hasn't exactly translated to prestige as we see one of the worst fields all season in attendance this week, despite the full 500 FedExCup points and typical victory perks awarded to the eventual champion.
Vidanta's wide fairways lend a resort-style feel that could invite a potential birdie fest if the wind remains tame, but while driving distance is rewarded at this lengthy sea-level venue, various defenses still exist in the form of water hazards and 100-plus bunkers. The par-71 layout features five par-3s ranging from 170 to 226 yards, but the usual quartet of par-5s encourages scoring opportunities as well. Caddies will be reaching into bags for drivers and long irons all week, but favorable weather conditions should allow the contenders to flirt with the 20-under-par mark by Sunday afternoon.
Recent Champions
2023 - Tony Finau
2022 - Jon Rahm
Key Stats to Victory
Driving Distance
SG: Approach
Proximity: 200-plus yards
Birdie or Better Percentage
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Tony Finau - $41
Remaining without a single top-5 finish since his win here at Vidanta last year, Finau couldn't fool Yahoo into pricing him any higher than $41 atop this week's salary board, despite outright odds as short as 7/1 for him to become a back-to-back Mexico Open champion. Aside from the brief course-history narrative, Finau gained a collective 20 strokes with his ball striking across his past three starts from the Farmers Insurance Open to The Genesis Invitational, and he's No. 1 among this weak field in Opportunities Gained over his last 24 measured rounds.
Nicolai Hojgaard - $40
Hojgaard, who won the DP World tour Championship by two shots in November just a week after placing second at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, added another runner-up effort more recently at Torrey Pines in late January. Albeit a relatively small sample of PGA Tour data for Hojgaard thus far, he gained a career-best 3.5 strokes off the tee en route to that solo-second at the FIO. The 22-year-old Dane hasn't missed a cut worldwide since last July's 3M Open, and in addition to his admirable driving power, he's third in proximity from 175-200 yards over his past 12 rounds as well.
Glue Guys
Jake Knapp - $33
The rookie might be a first-timer at the Mexico Open, but Vidanta Vallarta suits Knapp well as someone who can turn heads with how far he moves it off the tee. He recently followed up his third-place showing at the Farmers Insurance Open with a top-30 result at the WM Phoenix Open, gaining a combined 6.7 strokes with his irons at these two stops. Sampling just his past eight rounds, Knapp is fifth in Par-4 Efficiency, ninth in Birdies or Better Gained, ninth in driving distance and 11th in SG: APP. This recipe screams fantasy points if the flat stick gets cooking.
Doug Ghim - $29
Rebounding from four straight missed cuts, Ghim notched back-to-back top-15s in his last two outings at the FIO and the WMPO, gaining strokes across the board at each tournament. Over his last 24 rounds, he's second to none in Par-5 Efficiency, and top-10 in both SG: OTT and SG: APP. Ghim missed the Mexico Open cut last year, but he gained 9.1 strokes ball striking here at Vidanta in 2022.
Bargain Bin
Jhonattan Vegas - $20
Vegas appears to be getting past the nagging arm injuries that kept him sidelined for much of the 2023 calendar year, notably posting a top-25 performance in Scottsdale at the WMPO where he joined Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns as the only three players in that field to gain at least three strokes both off the tee and with their irons. Driving distance hasn't been an issue for Vegas since his return, but he's also fifth in P3: 175-200 Efficiency, sixth in Prox: 175-200 and 14th in Opps Gained over his last 12 rounds.
Cameron Champ - $20
Finishing T8-T6 the past two years here in Mexico, this is one of the rare instances that a player who's missed four consecutive cuts could draw significant ownership, and the minimum salary only projects to inflate Champ's exposure in lineups even more. This Champ salary is extremely low compared to other DFS sites and the betting market as well. Despite poor recent form in the results column, he still ranks fourth in SG: OTT over his last 24 rounds, thanks in large part to the elite-tier distance. Champ's driving and long-iron upside cater to fantasy potential, and you'll likely need a couple eagles throughout the week to separate.
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