VALLARTA – Jake Knapp did not have his “A” game on Feb 25. But after three days of birdie binges, an even-par finish was more than enough to get the job done.
The 29-year-old American carded a final-round 71 and fended off Finland’s Sami Valimaki by two strokes to win the Mexico Open at Vidanta Vallarta for his first PGA Tour title.
The tour rookie started the day with a four-shot lead on Valimaki and played with him in the final pairing. After a shaky start saw Knapp briefly lose the lead, he steeled himself down the stretch to complete a 19-under 265 week.
“Didn’t necessarily have my best stuff today, that’s for sure,” Knapp told the Golf Channel broadcast.
“Knew it was nerve-racking, knew it was going to be tough. Kind of told (his caddie), I was like, ‘After those first three holes, that’s as bad as we could have played and we’ve still got a two-shot lead’.”
Knapp took time away from golf in 2021 and 2022, saving up money while working as a bouncer at a restaurant and bar in his home town of Costa Mesa, California.
After returning to the Korn Ferry Tour, he earned his PGA Tour card for the first time last fall and quickly made noise with a joint-third finish at the Farmers Insurance Open in January.
Now Knapp is fully exempt on tour till the end of the 2026 season and has played his way into The Players Championship, the Masters, the PGA Championship and the five remaining signature events of 2024.
On Feb 25, Knapp bogeyed Nos. 1 and 3, then watched Valimaki birdie the fourth hole. At the short par-four seventh, the Finn’s drive rolled to about six feet of the pin, and he made the ensuing eagle putt to take the lead at 18 under.
But that was where Knapp made the first of his two birdies, despite his tee shot landing in a bunker. After he matched Valimaki at 18 under, Knapp added a birdie at the par-five 14th despite a wayward drive.
The Californian found just two of 13 fairways in regulation in Vallarta on Feb 25 after missing a combined six over the first three rounds, when he shot 67-64-63 with 23 birdies.
“It would have been nice to hit driver better and hit it a little bit better, but was super pumped on how I played in the finishing stretch. Yeah, just grinded it out,” Knapp said.
He saved three straight pars before hitting his tee shot at the par-five 18th hole into a bunker. But Valimaki, sitting two back, had his drive land under the out-of-bounds fence and he had to take an unplayable lie and a penalty stroke.
Knapp calmly got out of the bunker and finished up with a par. Valimaki also managed a par to tie up a final-round 69 and 17-under 267 over four days.
“I feel like I have the game to win over here, it just wasn’t this Sunday. I mean, I was four behind, yesterday was Jake’s day and he kept it going on the back nine so I feel like I didn’t lose it today,” Valimaki said.
Stephan Jager of Germany (65), Pan Cheng-tsung of Chinese Taipei (65) and American Justin Lower (68) tied for third at 14 under. Patrick Rodgers carded a 67 and tied with Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre (69) for sixth at 13 under.
Tony Finau, the highest-ranked player in the field and the tournament’s defending champion, finished the week 69-67-69-68 and tied for 13th at 11 under. REUTERS
