After a shortened but dramatic tournament in Bermuda, the PGA TOUR continues the FedExCup Fall this year by heading to Mexico. This year, for the first time, the PGA TOUR will play two straight weeks south of the border, starting with this week’s VidantaWorld Mexico Open. The event will be played on the Vidanta Vallarta course, which has hosted the event since 2022. It’s located at VidantaWorld resort, which is in Nuevo Nayarit, a residential and resort community on the Pacific coast of Mexico. The event will begin on Thursday, October 29, and will conclude on Sunday, November 1, weather permitting.
Let’s start the week with a look at the format, history and course for the VidantaWorld Mexico Open.
VidantaWorld Mexico Open Format
This week’s format will be another standard, full-field event with a standard cut. Of the 120 players who start the week, the top 65 and ties will make the cut after Round 2. All four rounds will be played at Vidanta Vallarta.
This is the fifth of the eight FedExCup Fall tournaments. Winners of fall events earn the same benefits as regular-season events – including a two-year exemption on the PGA TOUR, 500 FedExCup points and spots in THE PLAYERS, The Sentry, and the major championships that invite PGA TOUR winners.
At the end of the eight tournaments in the FedExCup Fall, the top 100 players in the FedExCup Fall standings earn full-time membership and exemption for the 2027 season, while players ranked No. 101-125 will have conditional status. Additionally, players who finish ranked from 51-60 in the standings earn entry into the first two Signature Events following The Sentry via the Aon Next 10.
Plenty is at stake throughout the fall on the PGA TOUR, including this week’s visit to Vidanta.
Tournament History
This will be the first time the tournament takes place as part of the FedExCup Fall, after previously taking place in the spring at the end of the West Coast swing before the PGA TOUR headed to Florida. The event hasn’t happened in over 18 months since the 2025 edition was held in February.
The Mexico Open began in 1944 but has only been a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event since 2022. Jon Rahm won the 2022 tournament, with Tony Finau winning in 2023 and Jake Knapp triumphing in 2024. Last year, Brian Campbell defeated Aldrich Potgieter in a playoff after his tee shot in a playoff bounced out of the trees and back into play. Campbell added another win at the John Deere Classic in 2025, but he has had a tough season coming into his title defense.
The event will have a $6 million purse this year, with $1.08 million as the winner’s share, matching last week’s totals at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
The field at the Mexico Open is a little stronger than last week’s in Bermuda, with Wyndham Clark as the headliner, Tony Finau looking to regain his form as another big name, and Blades Brown leading a group of young rising stars. Tom Kim and Ben Griffin are two other recognizable names to watch for this week, along with lots of players right around the fringes of the top 100 as they try to play their way into a better status for next year.
Be sure to check back for this week’s full field and opening odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
A Closer Look at the Course
The course the pros face this week will be a little different than what they have seen in the past at this event. Not only is the time of year different, but the course will also have new routing placing the first, ninth, 10th and 18th holes within one central area to improve the feel around the turn and the finish. No. 17 will now feature a stadium-style buildout, and several other holes have been adjusted as well.
The par-71 layout comes in at 7,337 yards and features paspalum greens and fairways. The tropical resort setup has allowed for easy scoring relative to par in the past, with iron play (Strokes Gained: Approach) being extremely important. Strokes Gained: Putting and Driving Distance have been helpful in the past, but the key differentiator on the leaderboard has been exceptional approach play.
The course is tucked along the Ameca River and provides great views of the nearby Sierra Madre mountains. Large landing areas off the tee give plenty of forgiveness to long hitters, and large undulating greens typically run a little slower due to the paspalum. The course also features the cavernous bunkers that designer Greg Norman has become famous for in his best course designs.
To refresh your memory of the look and layout of the course, here are the Final Round highlights from 2025.
As you make your fantasy golf and betting selections this week, be sure to emphasize Strokes Gained: Approach along with players who have performed well on this course and other similar setups in the past. Driving Distance can help at this week’s course, as well, since there is very little rough.
As you get ready for this week’s tournament, be sure to get your DFS fantasy golf lineups and betting cards filled out with help from DraftKings Network! We’ll have ongoing coverage throughout the week to help you enjoy this week’s tournament.
