Patrick Reed, Davis Riley and Kevin Streelman will be among the celebrities to be discussed in Tuesday’s Draws and Fades.
Since confirming the addition of the Mexico Open in Vidanta, the field has increased by a dozen to 144. Because this is a standalone tournament, the winner will receive 500 FedExCup points and an exemption from the 2023 Masters. Places in the 2022 PGA Championship, as well as the 2023 editions of the Sentry Tournament of Champions and THE PLAYERS Championship will also be awarded in addition to a Membership exemption secured until at least 2023-24.
Vidanta Vallarta’s Greg Norman Signature Course sets the stage. It is about a mile northeast of the closest point on the Banderas Bay shoreline where Puerto Vallarta sits. It is nestled in a triangular piece of land framed by the Ameca River to the north and the Nayarit-Jalisco border to the east and south. (Although the two Mexican states were once separated by time zones — Central and Mountain — the entire area has belonged to Central since 2010. The course opened in 2015.)
Unlike Chapultepec, which sits over 7,000 feet above sea level in the mountains of Mexico City, Vidanta Vallarta is just high enough not to be underwater. It can stretch for 7,456 yards and plays to a par of 71.
Like the Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course, Vidanta Vallarta offers five par 3s with the full complement of four par 5s, three of which are on the inner nine, including the 548-yard finisher.
Four of the par 3s – Nos. 5, 9, 11 and 17 – are played over water, which is one of the three most dangerous hazards on the course. Although ubiquitous throughout the property and adjacent to many holes, including the tee box at #7, it is not in play there. The reason it’s worth mentioning is that it’s a rideable par 4 measuring just 297 yards.
Another problem amounts to 106 in number. These are the bunkers and many are quite large. All were refurbished in the run-up to the tournament. The frequent combination of water and sand supports why many Norman designs require a precise launch to the green. That’s how The Great White Shark made it, even on the ropes.
Platinum paspalum covers the course, the longest of which is crowned to an inch and a half at the edges. Greens are groomed to 12 feet on the Stimpmeter, standard for PGA TOUR competitions, but it’s still the maximum depending on the third pillar of obstacles – the wind.
Warm and dry conditions are forecast but prevailing offshore breezes will be moderate and steady throughout. The ability to play target golf at its finest is all the more rewarded with unfamiliar greens. Ball forwards usually thrive in situations like this, but especially on a course designed by a man who rode into the World Golf Hall of Fame with those skills.
ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE
PGATOUR.com’s Rob Bolton summarizes and previews each tournament from multiple perspectives. As planned, look for his following posts.
MONDAY: Power Rankings
TUESDAY*: Sleepers, draws and fades
WEDNESDAY: Select them preview
SUNDAY: Medical Extensions, qualifiers, reshuffle, Rookie Ranking
* – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Selection for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, also released Tuesday.