VALLARTA – 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.
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He didn’t hit a fairway until the eighth hole and found only two the entire round. The former UCLA player 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. It wasn’t easy until the end.
Another big par save on the par-3 17th gave him a two-shot lead going to the par-5 18th at Vallarta Vidanta. Valimaki, needing eagle to have a chance, hit his drive down the right side, off a cart path and it nestled next to a boundary fence. He had to take a penalty drop, effectively ending his chances. Valimaki made par for a 69.
Knapp, who finished at 19-under 265, won in his fifth start of his rookie season. Along with winning $1,458,000 and moving into the top 10 in the FedEx Cup, the 29-year-old Californian is headed to the Masters and PGA Championship. He also gets into the remaining five $20 million signature events.
LPGA TOUR
CHONBURI, Thailand (AP) — Local favorite Patty Tavatanakit closed with a 5-under 67 and held off a hard-charging Albane Valenzuela of Switzerland for a one-shot victory in the Honda LPGA Thailand.
Tavatanakit was coming off a Ladies European Tour victory last week in Saudi Arabia. She hit a superb approach for an easy birdie on the final hole to finish at 21-under 267. It was her first LPGA title since winning the ANA Inspiration in 2021 for her first major.
Valenzuela had a 63, including six birdies on the back nine, to finish alone in second.
Sei Young Kim of South Korea, the 2020 Women’s PGA Championship winner, closed with a 65 and tied for third with Hye-jin Choi (66).
ASIAN TOUR
MUSCAT, Oman (AP) — Carlos Ortiz ran off seven birdies in a nine-hole stretch in the middle of his round and closed with a 7-under 65 to win the International Series Oman by four shots on the Asian Tour.
The field had 21 players from LIV Golf, and they occupied five of the top six spots in Oman.
Louis Oosthuizen, going for his third straight win in a tournament recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking, had a 69 to finish second. Joaquin Niemann (67) finished alone in third.
Ortiz began the week with a double bogey and did not drop a shot over the final 71 holes. It was his first victory worldwide since he won on the Mexican Golf Tour a year ago.
EUROPEAN TOUR
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Darius van Driel captured his first European tour title in the Magical Kenya Open when he closed with a 4-under 67 for a two-shot victory.
Van Driel, who had to regain his tour card through Q-school last year, started the final round at Muthaiga Golf Club tied with Manual Elvira of Spain. Van Driel made eagle on the par-5 10th with a 30-foot putt to take his first lead. He held steady down the stretch and closed with a final birdie to win by two.
Nacho Elvira had a 66 and tied for second with Joe Dean (67). Manuel Elvira (70) finished another shot back in a tie for fourth.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Ricardo Gonzalez of Argentina made four straight birdies on the back nine and closed with a 3-under 70 for a one-shot victory in the Trophy Hassan II in a tournament that ended Saturday.
Gonzalez got into the field by finishing among the top four on the European Legends Tour last season. The victory gives him PGA Tour Champions membership for the first time.
Thomas Bjorn closed with a 69 to finish one shot behind.
Two-time major champion Angel Cabrera, in his first PGA Tour Champions event since he was released from two years in prison for gender violence, shot 70 and tied for 27th.
OTHER TOURS
Bronte Law made up an eight-shot deficit by closing with a 9-under 64 for a three-shot victory in the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco on the Ladies European Tour. Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (71) finished second. Maria Fassi, the 36-hole leader, closed with a 76. ... Bjorn Akesson shot 4-under 68 for a one-shot victory over Lee Slattery in the Nelson Mandela Bay Championship. The tournament was co-sanctioned by the Challenge Tour and the Sunshine Tour. ... Altin van der Merwe won the inaugural Africa Amateur Championship in a three-way playoff against Christiaan Maas and Ivan Verster. Kyra van Kan had an easier time, going wire-to-wire in the Africa Amateur Women’s Invitational to win by nine shots.
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