The PGA Tour continues in paradise, trading the Atlantic Ocean for the Pacific coast as we head to Vidanta Vallarta for the VidantaWorld Mexico Open.
The Mexico resort is playing host to a surprisingly strong field, headlined by world number five Wyndham Clark. The tournament itself is also going to be different this go-around, as it has moved from its former March timeslot to the fall. I personally don't expect the course to play vastly different, as the weather report for this week seems hot and dry for the players, so expect the ball to fly.
Last time we partied in VidantaWorld, we had a battle of extremes as the longest player on Tour, Aldrich Potgieter, was taken down in a playoff by the shortest hitter on Tour, Brian Campbell (a bad time for yours truly, who had Potgieter in the rankings that week).
After this past week's event was shortened to 54 holes, Austin Smotherman is now a multiple-time winner on Tour with his playoff win over Seamus Power on Monday morning in Bermuda. This means we're going into Mexico riding another winner, so let's keep the streak going.
Honorable Mentions: Zac Blair, Harry Hall, Lee Hodges, Ben James, William Mouw
9. Johnny Keefer
Someone who can drive the ball a long way and hit his irons fairly well? Sign me up. I like Johnny Keefer this week mainly because we have seen a sustained raising of the floor with his putter since July.
Prior to his T3 in Scotland, Keefer was consistently a negative putter, but has turned his tide around and now averages around half a stroke gained from the putter each week. His T7 at the Biltmore and T10 in Utah show he's on the doorstep, and I wouldn't be shocked to see him break it down this week for win number one.
8. Steven Fisk
If you look purely at the T66 finish at the Baycurrent, you'll probably think that putting Steven Fisk in the picks is a waste of time. However, before the Baycurrent he picked up back-to-back top-25 finishes, including a T7 in Utah. Fisk has also shown some skill around Vidanta Vallarta, with a respectable T17 finish last year that was dragged down by poor iron play. The irons have been closer to field average lately, so I like his chances to be able to post a better result this go-around.
7. Neal Shipley
Obviously, a T34 finish is never ideal, but I think Neal Shipley should be happy with the finish, especially with his game not being the best fit for a wind-filled week. This week should be a better setup for him, with relatively calm winds in the forecast. One of, if not the best, driver on Tour right now, Shipley should be able to jump right back into the form he showed before Bermuda this weekend.
6. Rasmus Hojgaard
Rasmus Hojgaard going into this week is almost a perfect like-for-like replacement for Aldrich Potgieter from last season before the tournament. If you remember, Potgieter ended up winning the Rocket Classic last year after his playoff loss, and earlier this year, Hojgaard finished solo fourth in the Motor City as one of his few bright spots of the 2026 season.
It could be completely coincidental, but if there's a bit of truth to my hunch of Detroit and Vidanta Vallarta aligning with each other, then the Dane is a great bet for this week.
5. Doug Ghim
I don't know how I missed this, but Doug Ghim has had five top-25 finishes in a row, including a runner-up to Austin Smotherman in Utah. This has easily been the best golf that Ghim has played in his career, and it's because he finally figured out the putter.
I have been banging the drum that if Doug Ghim were just an average putter, he would be threatening for winners. Well, he's an average putter now, and he's right where I expected him to be. If he keeps things up like this, he'll be in the winner's circle on Sunday.
4. Zach Bauchou
International borders can't stop the Zach Bauchou hype train. A T9 finish at the Baycurrent in Japan marks a fourth straight top-25 finish for the 30-year-old, and he'll look to improve upon that this week.
This is a pure recent-form pick, as no one has been quite as consistent in recent weeks as Bauchou in the game of golf. He has been over a shot better than the Tour average in terms of overall strokes gained over this stretch, and I think he has earned the right to be considered one of the big dogs in this week's field.
3. Marco Penge
After a rough first half of 2026, Marco Penge found his footing once again and started to show more of the form he showcased last year on the DP World Tour, with six worldwide top-25s from July until now. The biggest thing that turned around for him was the irons, which could end up being a major key around Vidanta Vallarta.
Longtime readers will know that I have been high on the talent that comes from the Englishman, and I think this week can be a great showcase for him to show everyone what they missed by not following the DPWT last year.
2. Wyndham Clark
The course will play one of two ways: either it will favor bombers like it did from 2022 to 2024, or it will continue on from last year and show favor to strong approach play and being solid around the greens. If the bombers will reign supreme this week, then I have to go with Wyndham Clark this week.
The best player in the field per OWGR, the reigning U.S. Open champion has the power to bring any course to its knees, and with how far the ball can travel in Mexico, he will be able to go after every single green as long as he's in position. I know that recent showings from Clark have not been great (1-4-0 record at Medinah, T63 in Japan), but I think he just needed to shake off some rust, and I have faith things will fall into place for him this week.
1. Tom Kim
As I mentioned above, if the course is actually going to play like 2025, where an emphasis is placed on strong approach and short-game play over distance, then I love Tom Kim this week. We haven't seen a stroke play performance from Kim since the Tour Championship, but the last we saw of him was a very strong 4-1-0 performance for the Internationals at Medinah.
Despite not being a super-long hitter, the 24-year-old has a game that travels all over. No matter what, if Tom Kim is feeling his game, he will find a way to contend. Career win number five wouldn't surprise me at all this week.
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