Jake Knapp won the Mexico Open last year (Image: Getty Images)
The fourth edition of the Mexico Open at Vidanta Vallarta is set to conclude on Sunday, with the champion of the par-71 event walking away with a hefty £1million ($1.26m) from the total prize fund of £5.5m ($7m).
Ahead of the final round, a spot in the Arnold Palmer Invitational is also up for grabs, with 500 FedEx Cup points being awarded at one of the most lavish courses on the . Last year’s champion was Jake Knapp, who secured his first PGA Tour triumph at the stunning resort.
In the case of a tie after the final round, a sudden-death playoff could be held on Sunday, typically starting at the 18th hole. And as we gear up for the results of the 2025 edition, we revisit some of the most chaotic and unforgettable moments from recent years at the Mexico Open.
Bryson DeChambeau apologised after cameras caught him damaging the green in the background (Image: Sky Sports)
DeChambeau apologises
One such incident involved Bryson DeChambeau, who had to publicly apologise following an angry outburst during the first day of the 2019 Mexico Open. The American was visibly upset with his opening round performance, which saw him struggle particularly on the greens, ending with a four-over 75 without a single birdie.
Finishing the day 12 shots behind leader Rory McIlroy, he immediately headed to the practice putting green to hone his short game. However, his frustration was caught on live TV as broadcasters Nick Dougherty and Rich Beem were discussing the day’s highlights, with DeChambeau seen grabbing his putter from his caddie and slamming it into the edge of the putting green.
He was quick to repair the damage with his pitchmark tool, but the incident gained traction on social media, while DeChambeau received plenty of criticism for his outburst. Tournament officials considered fining him for his fit of anger, after which he tweeted an apology ahead of the second round, promising to work hard to improve his temperament.
“I want to apologise to my fans, fellow players and the staff at Chapultepec for my actions following the round yesterday,” DeChambeau said. “I am an extremely passionate player and I am always working on ways to be better. I am certainly not perfect but I respect the grounds staff and the game of golf and am focused on working harder on this just like I do on my golf game.”
Grayson Murray was involved in a heated clash with another PGA Tour star (Image: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Driving range bust-up
Two PGA Tour stars almost got into a physical altercation at a Mexico Open driving range the previous year. In January 2022, the late-Grayson Murray publicly criticised Kevin Na, now competing on the LIV Golf circuit, via X (formerly known as Twitter), criticising the time he took to hit putts. Murray wrote: “Kevin Na taking 3 minutes to putt them. Does get old.” Na, a five-time winner of PGA Tour events, hit back by tweeting: “U missing the cut is getting old!”
The feud appeared to have cooled down until Murray revealed on podcast that the pair clashed on the range at Vidanta, where both had been competing. “I was hitting balls on the range, and just kind of had my head down walking to the chipping green,” Murray recalled. “Sure enough, I hear someone yelling and cussing at me.
“I won’t repeat every word he said, but basically there was a lot of profanity involved, and calling me a not-so-nice word about how I should have said it to his face in person. He didn’t like that I didn’t tag him on the post, which I’m pretty sure I did.”
Murray, who tragically took his own life two years later, revealed that the confrontation almost escalated into physical violence, saying: “I guarantee every one of them could hear what he said, and the caddies. I went right up to his face and held my ground, and I told him, if I wasn’t going to get suspended right now I’d drop his a** right there on the range, because what he said was very immature and I know he wouldn’t have said it to me if we were just seeing each other outside of the golf course.
“It was a very immature thing to say four months later, and to do it on the range, which he knows is his safe spot, he knows that I’m not going to do anything to him, he’s just provoking me.”
Erik van Rooyen was attacked by a swarm of bees at the Mexico Open in 2023 (Image: PGA Tour)
Attack of the bees
Unusual scenes unfolded during the first round of the Mexico Open in 2023, when players were seen dropping to the ground as a swarm of bees descended on the course. TV cameras caught South African Erik van Rooyen being attacked by a “fog of bees” as he lined up his second shot on the par-4 10th hole.
Van Rooyen had to hit the deck to avoid the swarm of bees during play. The on-course camera captured Van Rooyen’s playing partners – Francesco Molinari and Chez Reavie, along with their caddies – also taking evasive action.
“I just saw them here and I just told my caddie ‘bees, bees, bees,’ and he looks at me like I’m crazy,” Van Rooyen said afterwards. “So, I dropped down, then he saw them, he dropped down. (Molinari) and (Reavie) look at me like I’m nuts and then they realised, like, 30 seconds later… the bees just went right at them. It’s funny, but you certainly don’t want to get stung by those bad boys.”
Jon Rahm won the Mexico Open in 2022 (Image: Getty Images)
Recent winners
Jon Rahm arrived at the tournament as the favourite in 2022, headlining the event in its first year as an official PGA Tour event after years of being held on the Korn Ferry and Latinoamerica tours. He just about beat Kurt Kitayama at the current venue to claim his seventh PGA Tour title.
The Spaniard, who would join LIV in late 2023, returned to retain his title earlier that year but could only manage a second place finish, behind Tony Finau. Finau won with a 5-under 66 to win by three strokes over the then-world No.1.
The latest edition of the Mexico Open saw Californian rookie Knapp shoot an even-par 71 on Sunday to clinch his first PGA TOUR victory in just his fifth start as a member.