Golf
Mexican Open Preview: C.T. Plans to contend at Vallarta
The 2025 Mexican Open at Vidanta Vallarta is set to take place on Thursday, 20th February, at the Norman Signature Course in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
This tournament marks the fourth consecutive year the PGA Tour has chosen this venue, renowned for its wide fairways and minimal rough, favouring powerful drivers.
While we saw differing levels of success on last week’s selections, with Sepp Straka missing the cut and Daniel Berger finishing 12th in the Genesis Invitational, we’re hoping for our selections to place at this year’s Mexico Open.
Aaron Rai – 28/1
Our first pick to perform at the Mexico Open this year is England’s very own Aaron Rai.
After a very consistent start to the year, Rai has finished in the top 40 in three out of the last four events he’s teed up in. A solid 8-under par at Pebble Beach followed by a 1-over par at Torrey Pines has him in decent form heading to Vidanta Vallarta.
While Rai’s last win came at the 2024 Wyndham Championship, we feel that he can make a charge for the top spots this week, given the strength of the field. In last year’s Mexico Open, Rai finished with a very sturdy 10-under to place in the top 20.
His performances have him placed on the cusp of the 70th mark in the FedEx Cup Rankings, and he’ll be hoping to add to his totals to get himself inside the top 70 and feature at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
C.T. Pan – 45/1
Our outsider pick this week for the Mexico Open is C.T. Pan. The Taiwanese has made the cut in his last two events, carding a 10-under par at the Sony Open in the process.
Pan’s last PGA tour win came back in 2019 at RBC Heritage, but has been the runner up in three events and finished in third place four times in his PGA tour career.
We understand if you’re not feeling too convinced just yet, but perhaps Pan’s previous finish at the Mexico Open will inspire you. The 2019 Presidents Cup team member finished in a tie for third place last year at Vallarta, with a tidy 14-under par – five shots off Jake Knapp’s stunning performance of 19-under par.
If Pan can come close to reproducing his week last year, there’s no doubt he’ll be in contention on Sunday.
