PGA Tour rookie Jake Knapp hit only two fairways in his final round but still was able to secure the Mexico Open win, which comes with $1.5 million paycheck and spots in the Masters and PGA Championship.
— PGA Tour rookie Jake Knapp lost a four-shot lead in seven holes and then held it together with a remarkable short game Sunday, closing with an even-par 71 to win the Mexico Open at Vidanta and earn a trip to the Masters.
Knapp said he still sends a text after each round to his grandfather, who died last year, and this message might require a lot of detail.
He didn’t hit a fairway until the eighth hole and found only two the entire round — the fewest in the final round of a PGA Tour win in the last 40 years, according to golf statistician Justin Ray. Knapp never lost the lead, but twice allowed Sami Valimaki of Finland to catch him. They were tied with six holes to play until Knapp took over, getting up-and-down on four of the next five holes, one of them for birdie.
“I woke up in the middle of the night and I could feel my heart racing,” he said. “I was more excited to get things going. I wasn’t worried about performing — maybe I should have been.”
Tee to green, Knapp had his worst performance. But he spent extra time Saturday night on his short game, and it won the day for him.
“We talked about it last night … if the ball-striking is off, we’re going to have to trust our hands. And we did that, grinding out some pretty tough pars,” he said.
It wasn’t easy until the end.
Another big par save on the par-3 17th gave Knapp a two-shot lead going into the par-5 closing hole at Vallarta Vidanta. Valimaki, needing eagle to have a chance, hit his drive down the right side and off a cart path, and it nestled next to a boundary fence. He had to take a penalty drop, effectively ending his chances.
