Tour rookie Jake Knapp wins Mexico Open despite driver woes

VALLARTA, Mexico — PGA Tour rookie Jake Knapp misplaced a four-shot lead in seven holes after which held it along with a outstanding brief recreation Sunday, closing with an even-par 71 to win the Mexico Open at Vidanta and earn a visit to the Masters.

Knapp stated he nonetheless sends a textual content after every spherical to his grandfather, who died final 12 months, and this message would possibly require a variety of element.

He did not hit a fairway till the eighth gap and located solely two the whole spherical — the fewest within the last spherical of a PGA Tour win up to now 40 years, in keeping with golf statistician Justin Ray. Knapp by no means misplaced the lead however twice allowed Sami Valimaki of Finland to catch him. They had been tied with six holes to play till Knapp took over, getting up and down on 4 of the subsequent 5 holes, considered one of them for birdie.

“I wakened in the course of the night time and I may really feel my coronary heart racing,” he stated. “I used to be extra excited to get issues going. I wasn’t anxious about performing — perhaps I ought to have been.”

Tee to inexperienced, Knapp had his worst efficiency. However he spent further time Saturday night time on his brief recreation, and it received the day for him.

“We talked about it final night time … if the ballstriking is off, we’ll should belief our fingers,” he stated. “And we did that, grinding out some fairly powerful pars.”

It wasn’t simple till the tip.

One other huge par save on the par-3 seventeenth gave Knapp a two-shot lead going into the par-5 closing gap at Vallarta Vidanta. Valimaki, needing eagle to have an opportunity, hit his drive down the proper facet and off a cart path, and it nestled subsequent to a boundary fence. He needed to take a penalty drop, successfully ending his possibilities.

Valimaki made par for a 69 to complete runner-up, nonetheless a giant enhance to his rookie season. Valimaki was among the many main 10 gamers from the European tour to earn PGA Tour playing cards this 12 months.

“Possibly only a couple extra putts drop in,” Valimaki stated. “I really feel like I’ve the sport to win over right here. It simply wasn’t this Sunday.”

Knapp, who completed at 19-under 265, received in his fifth begin of his rookie season. He grew to become the primary participant to document a multishot win on tour inside his first 10 begins since 2018 (Cameron Champ, Sanderson Farms in ninth profession begin).

Together with successful $1,458,000 and transferring into the highest 10 within the FedEx Cup, the 29-year-old Californian is headed to the Masters and PGA Championship. He additionally will get into the remaining 5 $20 million signature occasions, beginning with Bay Hill in two weeks.

It was a giant turnaround for the previous UCLA participant who leans on a pair of initials.

One in every of them is LTD, an acronym he and his older brother have been utilizing for years meaning, “Dwelling The Dream.” The opposite initials are tattooed on the within of his left arm — GSFB, which stands for Gordon Sydney Frederick Bowles, his grandfather who died final 12 months.

Taking part in golf on the highest stage was a dream they shared, and Knapp needed to choke again feelings Saturday speaking about him, apologizing as a result of he had by no means been requested publicly about his grandfather.

“Papa, thanks,” he stated, pointing to the sky as he walked off the 18th inexperienced, soaked after mates and gamers doused him with water bottles after he tapped in for par.

Knapp was hopeful of the result. He did not think about how he would get to the end line.

Staked to a four-shot lead, he made bogey on the opening gap with a weak chip. He needed to save par on the subsequent gap after one other pulled tee shot. The third drive was the worst, a hook some 50 yards left of the green into the water, main to a different bogey.

Three holes into the ultimate spherical, his lead already was down to 2.

“I did not have my finest stuff as we speak, that is for positive,” Knapp stated. “I knew I used to be going to be a nervous wreck. I knew it was going to be powerful.”

All of it turned in Knapp’s favor down the stretch. Valimaki did not convert a 10-foot par putt after hitting right into a bunker on the thirteenth, whereas Knapp saved par from wanting the inexperienced. On the par-5 14th, Knapp hit an outstanding pitch to a foot for birdie, whereas Valimaki hit a poor chip to 25 toes and did not make birdie.

That gave Knapp a two-shot cushion, and he stored it with daring par saves on the sixteenth and seventeenth holes, after which Valimaki allowed for the Californian to benefit from the stroll up the 18th.

“Tremendous pumped how I performed the ending stretch,” Knapp stated. “Simply grinded it out.”

Knapp, who got here into the week ranked No. 101 on this planet, grew to become the seventh PGA Tour winner in eight tournaments to begin the 12 months who was outdoors the highest 50.

Stephan Jaeger (65), C.T. Pan (65) and Justin Lower (68) tied for third.

Knapp spent 4 seasons on the Canadian tour and two on the Korn Ferry Tour till lastly getting a PGA Tour card for this 12 months. He as soon as labored as a bouncer when he wanted daytime hours to observe and money to pay entry charges.

“Bumpy to say the final,” Knapp stated about his profession path. “However I would not have it some other approach. If I look again on my profession as a complete, I all the time wrestle the primary soar on. Now that I really feel my toes are beneath me, I do know myself and what I am doing, it appears like the proper time.”

Data from ESPN Stats & Data and The Related Press was used on this report.