Vallarta, Mexico – Andrew Novak comes out of nowhere to lap the field for his first individual victory as the 2026 VidantaWorld Mexico Open champion. This win will give Novak 500 FedEx Cup points which vaults him into 53rd place on the standings. It also provides him playing exemptions into the 2027 Players Championship and PGA Championship in addition to all regular tour events through 2028.
The 2026 VidantaWorld Mexico Open is part of the PGA Tour’s wrap around fall season and is played at the Vidanta Vallarta course In Vallarta, Mexico. This is the first time the Mexico Open was played as part of the fall series but is still a popular stop among players with its scenic mountainous backdrop and family friendly resort amenities. While these fall events still may not draw the biggest names, there is plenty of competition. 2026 US Open winner Wyndham Clark and 2023 Mexico Open winner Tony Finau were both in the field although they missed the cut by only a few strokes collectively.
Six time PGA Tour winner Max Homa did make the cut but after a disappointing third round 79, he fell down the leaderboard and ultimately finished in 66th place. Popular Netflix star Joel Dahmen put together a solid week posting scores of 67, 70, 69, and 67 to finish in a tie for 34th while rookie Ben James forced his way inside the top 20 with a five under final round of 65.
This week was all about Andrew Novak, however. Andrew’s only other PGA Tour victory was the 2025 Zurich Invitational when he won as partner to Ben Griffin. Although that provided him significant playing opportunities, this individual victory proves that wasn’t a fluke. Novak’s second round score of 62 tied the course record while gaining more than 12 strokes on the field in putting through the first three rounds. His final score of 25 under par set a new tournament record. The second place finishers, Kristoffer Ventura and Steven Fisk, finished at 20 under par, five strokes behind Novak. This win was a convincing one and proves that Novak could be a name to watch for the 2027 season.
The prize pool for this victory included $1.06 million for winner Andrew Novak on top of all the exemptions and FedEx Cup points that he was awarded. Next week, the PGA Tour stays in Mexico for the World Wide Technology Championship in Cabo San Lucas where Ben Griffin is the defending champion.
Andrew Novak’s What’s In The Bag:
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9°) (Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green RDX 75 TX)
3‑Wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (15°) (Project X Titan Black 80 TX)
5‑Wood: Ping G440 Max (19°) (Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green 85 TX)
Irons: Srixon ZXi5 (4), Srixon ZXi7 (5–PW), (True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100)
Wedges: Cleveland RTZ 2 (50°, 54°, 60°) (True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400)
Putter: TP Mills Prototype (blade-style)
Ball: Srixon Z‑Star XV
- The 2026 VidantaWorld Mexico Open Recap - November 2, 2026
- Blue Tees Player Pro Golf Speaker Review - October 27, 2026
- Cobra OPTM Hybrid Review - August 25, 2026
