Mexico Open at VidantaWorld 2025 Preview, Picks & Analysis

Paul Waring is living the dream. The 40-year-old Englishman was quietly going about his business, making a decent living on the DP World Tour - and then everything changed when he won the Abu Dhabi Championship, thus securing one of the 10 PGA Tour cards on offer.

He has made a quiet start to life on the other side of the Atlantic, and will be looking to make his mark in this week’s Mexico Open.

Waring was born in Birkenhead on February 2, 1985 and had a successful amateur career which included winning the English Amateur in 2005. 

He turned professional in 2007 and had almost immediate success on the Challenge Tour, losing out in a play-off to Felipe Aguilar at the Postbank Challenge in Germany. 

He gained his DP World Tour card at qualifying school in 2007.

Waring finished tied for third place in the 2013 Portugal Masters and 2015 Malaysian Open. In February 2017 he had his highest finish on the tour when he was runner-up in the Joburg Open. This event was one of the Open Qualifying Series events for the 2017 Open and he gained an entry to the Open for the first time since 2008. In April, Waring finished third in the Trophee Hassan II.

He earned his first DP World Tour win in his 200th event at the 2018 Nordea Masters in Sweden. 

His victory in Abu Dhabi was just his second success in his 332nd start. He started the week in 48th place in the Race to Dubai, but the win took him to fifth and ensured he enjoyed his best ever finish to a season.

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

Twelve months ago the Mexico Open provided a breakthrough success for Jake Knapp, but he did it the hard way.

PGA Tour rookie Knapp lost a four-shot lead in seven holes and then held it together with a remarkable short game, closing with an even-par 71 to win the Mexico Open at Vidanta and earn a trip to The Masters. 

Knapp said he still sends a text after each round to his grandfather, who died in 2023. He didn't hit a fairway until the eighth hole and found only two the entire round. He never lost the lead, but twice allowed Sami Valimaki of Finland to catch him. They were tied with six holes to play until Knapp took over, getting up-and-down on four of the next five holes, one of them for birdie. It wasn't easy until the end.

Another big par save on the par-3 17th gave him a two-shot lead going to the par-five closing hole at Vallarta Vidanta. Valimaki, needing an eagle to have a chance, hit his drive down the right side, off a cart path and it nestled next to a boundary fence. He had to take a penalty drop, effectively ending his chances.

Valimaki made par for a 69 to finish runner-up. He was among the leading 10 players from the DP World Tour to earn PGA Tour cards via the Race to Dubai. 

Knapp, who finished at 19-under 265, won in his fifth start of his rookie season. Along with winning $1,458,000, he secured places in the field for both The Masters and US PGA Championship.

Knapp was born in Costa Mesa, California on May 31, 1994. His earliest golf memory is watching Tiger Woods beat Stephen Ames, 9&8, at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and having Woods' caddie, Steve Williams, toss him one of the balls Woods used during the match. The ball still sits displayed on his desk.

His grandparents live in Palm Springs, California, and he grew up going to the golf course with them and loved running around the fairways as a child, until driving the golf cart became his favourite thing to do.

When he was a junior in high school, he shot 58 at Costa Mesa Country Club’s Mesa Linda Course. He started bogey-birdie-birdie-bogey and played 12 under on the par-70 layout from there. As a senior in high school, Knapp shot 61 in a local qualifier for the U.S. Open in Newport Beach, California. 

He turned pro in 2016 but struggled to make a living from the game and in a bid to make ends meet, he spent nine months as a security guard at a night club from autumn 2021 until the spring of 2022.

He gained his place on the PGA Tour after finishing in the top 30 on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Points List. He has three wins on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada - the Canada Life Open, which he won twice, and the 2022 CRMC Championship. 

He finished 13th on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Points List, in what was his second season on the tour. He enjoyed 10 top-10 finishes and made 20 out of 22 cuts. He secured his place in the top 15 with three top-10s in his final five starts, including a fifth place at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship and T10 at the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship. Prior to the 2023 season, he had one top-10 and 16 made cuts in 36 career starts on the Korn Ferry Tour.

He loves to work out and says that if he didn't play golf, he would pursue a career in the fitness industry.

If ever there was a player who was made for the PGA Tour it is Rasmus Hojgaard. Like Waring, he also gained his PGA Tour card via the DP World Tour. The highlight of a marvellous 2024 came at the Irish Open, where he defeated home hero Rory McIlroy in sensational fashion, closing the deal with an eagle at the final hole. He has already shown some flashes of his best on the PGA Tour but had a miserable time at the Genesis at Torrey Pines and will be determined to bounce back this week.

Valimaki made 22 starts in 2024 but that second place in Mexico was a rare highlight. He missed 13 cuts but did just enough to keep his PGA Tour card, finishing in 99th place in the FedEx Cup standings. But he will know that he needs to do better in 2025.

Tournament Winners:

Jon Rahm won the inaugural tournament in 2022, it was won in 2023 by Tony Finau and last year by Jake Knapp.

The Course:

Vidanta Vallarta was designed by Greg Norman. Although there are plenty of trees, the fairway are generous so scoring will be low once again. Most greens are large and undulating and protected by cavernous bunkers. It is a par 73 measuring 7,287 yards.

Form Guide:

Akshay Bhatia is one of the most exciting young talents on the PGA Tour and I expect him to take advantage of the fact that the PGA Tour’s biggest stars are sitting this one out.

Prize Money:

The total prize fund is $8.5m, with $1.5m going to the winner along with 500 FedEx Cup points.

How to Watch:

Thursday, February 20, Friday, February 21, Sky Sports Golf, 9pm, Saturday, February 22, Sunday, February 23, Sky Sports Golf, 6pm.

To Win:

Akshay Bhatia. Exciting talent

Each Way:

Jake Knapp. Has moved up a gear

Five to Follow:

Akshay Bhatia. Searching for a third PGA Tour victory

Jake Knapp. The defending champion

Rasmus Hojgaard. Looking for a better week

Nicolai Hojgaard. Has been relatively quiet of late

Paul Waring. Aiming to prove he belongs here