Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico – For the second consecutive year, the Mexico Open at Vidanta, an official PGA Tour event, is preparing to welcome 144 professional golfers to the Vidanta Vallarta golf course from April 27-30 to compete for a purse of 7.7 million USD and 500 FedExCup points.
World ranked No. 2, Spain’s Jon Rahm, defending champion of the Mexico Open at Vidanta, heads the list of confirmed players. In the 2022 edition, Rahm led the board from start to finish in Puerto Vallarta.
A year after its official debut on the PGA Tour, the Vidanta Vallarta venue at Riviera Nayarit is in even better condition to relive the emotions the world’s golf stars will experience.
“We are proud to welcome the world’s golf elite to Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta for the second time during the Mexico Open at Vidanta, the most important social and sporting event in Mexico and Latin America,” said Jose Alonso, COO of Grupo Vidanta.
“This international tournament is an authentic showcase to demonstrate the richness of Riviera Nayarit and Puerto Vallarta to the world and to confirm that in Mexico, we have it all: the best service, hospitality, beautiful landscapes, and the ability to do things with incomparable quality. We invite you to enjoy some memorable days of golf, gastronomy, entertainment, and beach with friends and family,” he added.
Fernando Lemmen-Meyer, president of the Mexican Golf Federation (FMG), thanked Grupo Salinas and Grupo Vidanta for their work to promote Mexican golf’s growth: “At the Mexican Golf Federation, we are very proud of this alliance with Grupo Salinas and Grupo Vidanta that allows us to have the elite of world golf in our country.”
Among the national players is Sebastián Vázquez, who has experience in multiple tournaments within the PGA Tour and will be part of the field, as he will receive an exemption for finishing as the best Mexican player in the Tabachines Classic, corresponding to the fifth stage of the Mexican Professional Golf Tour (GGPM).
Omar Morales from Puebla, winner of the Value Next Generation Qualifier, played at the Club Campestre Monterrey, will also be at Vidanta Vallarta. The junior is a sophomore at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), where he is part of the golf team.
José Cristóbal Islas, representing the University of Oregon, received an exemption and will compete for the second consecutive year. The Hidalgo native became the first amateur player to be crowned on the Mexican Professional Golf Tour, winning the El Campanario Classic.
José de Jesús Rodríguez, better known as “El Camaron,” will debut at the Mexico Open at Vidanta for the first time; he was granted the exemption for being the top-ranked Mexican in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). The player from Irapuato, Guanajuato, has played 33 PGA Tour events and 20 international victories in his professional career.
Also playing will be Álvaro Ortiz, winner of the 2021 edition of the Abierto Mexicano de Golf and the Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) in 2019, which led him to participate in the Augusta Masters that year. The tapatío has played PGA TOUR events, including the Mexico Open at Vidanta 2022, where he finished T42.
Other participating players will be announced in the coming days. Tickets for the Mexico Open at Vidanta are on sale at ticketmaster.com.mx.
For more information about the Mexico Open at Vidanta, please visit mexicoopen.mx and follow the tournament’s official channels on Facebook: @MexicoOpenGolf, Twitter: @MexicoOpenGolf, and Instagram: @MexicoOpen.