Novak wins Mexico Open by five shots after closing birdie run
The American turned a shrinking lead into a comfortable victory on Sunday at Vidanta Vallarta, securing his first individual PGA Tour trophy.
By Lucas Navarro ·
Andrew Novak closed with three consecutive birdies on the back nine to win the Mexico Open by five shots, claiming his first individual title on the PGA Tour.
The 2-under 69 Sunday at Vidanta Vallarta in Mexico secured the victory for Novak, who had entered the final round with a six-shot advantage.
Novak built that cushion with rounds of 61 and 62 earlier in the week. His lead began to erode on the front nine, however. A soft bogey on the 10th hole reduced his margin to three strokes over Steven Fisk and Kristoffer Ventura.
The gap narrowed further when Novak’s second shot on the par-5 3rd hole plugged into the lip of the cup. He could only nudge the ball back into the bunker for a par. He also missed two birdie putts from inside 10 feet on the front half.
"I played really well on the front and didn't get much out of it," Novak said.
The momentum shifted on the 12th hole, a par 5. Novak hit a greenside bunker shot to 4 feet. He followed that with a drive to 15 feet on the 13th for a two-putt birdie. He completed the run with a 45-foot birdie putt on the 14th.
"That kind of really settled everything," Novak said. "Just happy with how I played today. I thought I grinded it out pretty well."
Ventura and Fisk both finished with rounds of 63. The result was critical for Ventura, a Mexico-born Norwegian who sat at No. 108 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings before the final round. Only the top 100 in that race retain full playing cards for 2027. His runner-up finish moved him to No. 76 and guaranteed his status for next season.
Mackenzie Hughes of Canada shot 66 to tie for fourth with Ben Griffin, who carded a 67. Hughes moved up to No. 101 in the FedEx Cup standings. He cited the result as a positive step with three events remaining in the Fall series.
"Gives me a bit of momentum for the last three," Hughes said. "Obviously, I still know I need more points and I need to keep climbing, but today was a big step in the right direction."
Griffin had been waiting on the 18th green when Novak finished. The two men won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans as a team last year. Novak noted that while he enjoyed their partnership, he had been working toward an individual win for some time.
"It is nice to have one by myself, too," Novak said. "This is one I've been working for for a while. Obviously not a great season for how I wanted it to go, but this is a nice way to kind of finish." The victory also moved Novak from No. 89 to No. 53 in the FedEx Cup. That position virtually guarantees him a spot in two $20 million signature events next year at Pebble Beach and Riviera. He is also assured of starting the 2028 season in the upper Championship Series. Kihei Akina, a 20-year-old sophomore at BYU, finished 15th after shooting a 59 on the final day. It was his third top-20 finish on the tour this year.
