Who's going to survive Vidanta Vallarta for PGA Tour glory? Oddschecker's Tom Jacobs has made his picks to win in Mexico
It’s another exciting tournament in 2023 as the PGA Tour stars head to Vallarta to take on Vidanta Vallarta. Scroll down for my Mexico Open betting tips, but first…
Mexico Open preview
Venue: Vidanta Vallarta, Vidanta, Mexico
Date: April 27-30, 2023
Course stats: Par 71; 7,456 yards
Course summary: Vidanta Vallarta opened in 2015 and there are sea views of the Sierra Madres on every hole. Large greens are protected by dangerous bunkers and finding the fairways will be crucial this week, with large landing areas available to find off the tee.
Purse: $7.7 million
Defending champion: Jon Rahm (-17)
TV coverage
Thursday: Sky Sports Golf from 1.45pm and Main Event from 10.30pm
Friday: Sky Sports Golf from 1.45pm and Main Event from 10.30pm
Saturday: Sky Sports Golf from 1.30pm and Main Event from 8pm
Sunday: Sky Sports Golf from 1.30pm and Main Event from 7.30pm
2023 Mexico Open betting tips
The Banker: Nicolai Hojgaard @ 30/1
As a keen follower of the DP World Tour, there may be a touch of bias when selecting Hojgaard this week, but he’s clearly one of the most talented young players in the world and even against the world-class talent at the top of this market, I am confident the Dane can mix it over the weekend.
At a course that rewards distance over accuracy off the tee, Hojgaard is clearly going to be right at home and he should give the likes of Rahm a run for his money this week.
As a two-time winner on the DP World Tour, we know he has the ability to win, and after finishing just one shot back of Matt Wallace at the Corales, we know he can play these resort-style courses on the PGA Tour as well.
Hojgaard gained 7.6 strokes on the field last week at the Zurich, but he was on the most lopsided team at the event, as Thorbjorn Olesen lost over 10 strokes, eliminating their chances of challenging.
Nicolai is still clearly in form though and he’s good enough to win at this level.
The Each-Way Play: Brandon Wu @ 60/1
Brandon Wu is playing some consistent golf this season, highlighted by his 2nd-place finish at Pebble Beach, his 14th at the Honda Classic, and another top 20 at The Players Championship.
Twelve months ago Wu chased down Rahm all the way here on Sunday, and there’s a clear pattern of where he tends to play well.
2nd here, 2nd at Pebble Beach, 6th at the Scottish Open, and 3rd and 7th at the Puerto Rico Open, Wu is clearly comfortable playing well both in the wind and at coastal courses.
There is a chance a bomber overpowers him over the weekend, but given his current form and his effort here on debut last year, 60-1 looks generous enough in this field.
The Long Shot: Vincent Norman @ 90/1
Vincent Norrman showed incredible potential in his short time on both the DP World Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour, and he will look to continue his trajectory on the PGA Tour as well.
The Swede ranks inside the top 20 in terms of Driving Distance on the PGA Tour, and he’s played well at possible correlating courses as well.
Norrman finished 21st at the Puerto Rico Open, where he was sitting inside the top 10 going into Sunday and he followed that with a 16th-place finish at the Corales.
He’s clearly shown when the fields are weaker he can rise to the top of the leaderboard, and whilst he’d have to outlast the likes of Rahm and Finau to win this event, I do think he represents place value in the each-way market.
Golf betting from Oddschecker. Get the best golf odds pre-tournament and in-play, with expert tips and stats, plus claim bookie offers and free bets.
