2022 Mexico Open at Vidanta: Latest Betting Odds, Favorites and Sleeper Picks for Vidanta Vallarta

Without the WGC tag, the Mexico Open lacks star power but offers opportunity to many players further down the odds board.

At +5500, there has been some steam on Sahith Theegala this week, but we still like his chances.

Golffile | Eoin Clarke

When two elite players are looking to get off the schneid and secure their first wins of the season, what better way than to team up and do it together?

For Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, they not only notched their first victories of 2022, but did so in dominating fashion. In a tournament known for fluctuating leaders because of the non-traditional team format, they completed the first ever wire-to-wire finish in Zurich Classic history, including firing a combined 59 in their first round.

As for the picks, all three groups made the cut, but none made any moves on the weekend. Aussie duo Cam Smith and Marc Leishman and Americans Max Homa and Talor Gooch both excruciatingly missed top-20 finishes by one stroke.

South of the border we go for the once-WGC event but now just the Mexico Open at Vidanta. Because of the non-WGC factor, the field has suffered tremendously with only two players in the top 20 in the world taking part. The event has also left Club de Golf Chapultepec for a more scenic and coastal course along the Ameca River at Vidanta. Normally when courses debut on Tour the setup will favor the players, so look for low scores throughout the week on the 7,456-yard, par-71 layout.

According to SI Sportsbook, world No. 2 Jon Rahm is the short favorite at +450 in his first start since the Masters. To follow is Mexico native Abraham Ancer at +1800. Next up is long-ball hitter Tony Finau at +2000. To close out the notables are trending Gary Woodland and Kevin Na at +2200.

For our favorite, Gary Woodland at +2200 looks to have the most upside. In such a weak field, every player is much higher on the odds board than normal, so we’re looking for motivation. Woodland should be someone who wants to be in Mexico this week and should have the confidence to win. Woodland has shown flashes of his major-winning self with three top 10s in his last six starts and ranking in the top 10 in every key strokes-gained category, including first in strokes gained: approach. This could be the week where Woodland finally follows up his 2019 U.S. Open win.

For a midrange pick, we’re going to take the value in Cameron Champ at +5000. The three-time PGA Tour winner has thrived in these situations during his early career, with each of his wins coming against subdued fields. Champ has not shown much promise since the new year but delivered his best performance in adverse conditions with a T10 at the Masters in his most recent start. If the PGA Tour’s driving distance leader can stay in the fairway and take advantage of the favorable course setup, he should thrive in a setting where he has many times before.

For a light sleeper, we are looking at Sahith Theegala at +5500. Theegala does not fit our traditional sleeper pricing, but neither does the full board. Since the new year, he’s made 10 cuts in 12 events. After being the tournament darling at the WM Phoenix Open and finishing T3, he also made a run at the Valspar Championship with a T7. It’s a new course this week and taking a budding star might be the perfect combination for more upside on the leaderboard.

2021-22 picks scoreboard:

Events: 24
Winners: 2
Top 5s: 6
Top 10s: 3
Top 20s: 1

Here are some notable odds, according to SI Sportsbook:

Jon Rahm +450
Abraham Ancer +1800
Tony Finau +2000
Gary Woodland +2200
Kevin Na +2200
Patrick Reed +2500
Cameron Tringale +3000
Aaron Wise +3000
Sebastian Munoz +3000
Chris Kirk +3000
Matt Jones +4000
Kevin Streelman +4000
Aaron Rai +4500
Doug Ghim +4500
Brendon Todd +4500
Cameron Champ +5000
Russell Knox +5000
Davis Riley +5000
Charles Howell +5000
Carlos Ortiz +5000
Sahith Theegala +5500
C.T. Pan +6000
Anirban Lahiri +6000
Lanto Griffin +6000
Taylor Moore +6000
Mark Hubbard +6000
Chad Ramey +6500
Scott Stallings +6500
David Lipsky +7000
Adam Long +7000
Patrick Rodgers +8000
J.T. Poston +8000
Brian Stuard +8000
Wyndham Clark +8000
Vaughn Taylor +8000
Brandon Wu +8000
Alex Smalley +8000
Peter Uihlein +10000
Hank Lebioda +10000
Adam Svensson +10000
Kevin Chappell +10000
Michael Thompson +10000
Tyler Duncan +10000
Graeme McDowell +10000
Rafa Cabrera Bello +10000
Nate Lashley +10000
Kramer Hickok +10000
Pat Perez +10000
Scott Piercy +10000