American Tony Finau held off the threat from Masters champion and world No 1 Jon Rahm to win the Mexico Open on Sunday, shooting a final round 66 to win by three strokes from the Spaniard and claim his sixth PGA Tour title.
Rahm, the defending champion at Vidanta, put himself in contention after a 10-under course-record 61 in his third round on Saturday put him within two strokes.
But his four-under round of 67 on Sunday was not enough to close the gap on Finau, who produced a calm and solid bogey-free round, completing a consistent week where he had shot 65, 64 and 65 before the final round.
The Vidanta course in Puerto Vallarta is a happy hunting ground for Finau, who ended tied for second behind Rahm last year.
That result sparked an upturn in form for Finau, who went on to win three events in seven starts with victories in Minnesota, Detroit and the Houston Open.
Since that last win, Finau has had eight top-10 finishes in 11 events but not been able to add another title until Sunday.
The 33-year-old finished 24 under for the week and was delighted to have got the upper hand on Rahm this time round.
“Rahmbo is the best, top of the world right now, so I knew I was going to have my hands full with him all the way to the end,” he said.
“I didn’t know this tournament was mine until I hit this [last] green. It is crazy how this game is, you never think you have it won until its over. So it feels great,” he added.
4 wins in his last 18 starts 🏆@TonyFinauGolf is back in the winner's circle @MexicoOpenGolf. pic.twitter.com/vGOvN2kNjb
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 30, 2023
Finau birdied the par-three 5th, the par-four 7th, the par-three 11th and then the par-five 14th but missed a short putt for birdie on the final hole, where Rahm made birdie.
Rahm, gave himself a glimmer of hope with a birdie on 15, but said he wasn’t surprised at Finau’s calm defence of his lead.
“Yeah, I knew I needed a low one again today … It was a day where I didn’t do much wrong, but I didn’t do much right, either,” said the Spaniard.
Rahm, who played the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head in the week after his Masters triumph before attempting his title defence in Mexico, will take a break before the PGA Championship, starting on 18 May, in Rochester.
“I probably need a bit of time off, just a little bit of rest. Not too much, just mind, body and soul, I just need it. It’s been a lot of golf. I haven’t had time to really sit back and rest after The Masters. I’m looking forward to do that,” he said.
American Brandon Wu finished third, five strokes behind Finau after making 68 in his final round, but had made a real push early in his round.
Wu birdied the 1st and 3rd holes before an eagle on the par-five 6th and a birdie on the 7th.
But he bogeyed the 8th and fell out contention with a double-bogey on the par-four 10th, where he drove into the water.
American Akshay Bhatia, the 21-year-old who shot 63 on Saturday, finished fourth after shooting a one-under 70.
South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen shot a final-round 74 to finish on eight under (T33).
© Agence France-Presse
