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Course Guide: Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta is a golf destination in the town of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Set on the Pacific Coast, Grupo Salinas within their Vallarta resort complex have a number of golf courses, the newest of which is the Norman Signature Course.
Designed by Greg Norman and opened in 2015, it is only accessible via the world’s longest golf cart suspension bridge. Set within a kilometre of the Pacific shoreline, the course itself is set on the Ameca River, with a few holes running alongside, reminding me of Austin Country Club in that aspect. It’s not a coastal links by any means, but with strong winds in play it actually put up some reasonable defence in 2022. The course is flat with plenty of lakes and ponds forming hazards around the set-up for the errant.
Norman Signature Course, Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico: Designer: Greg Norman, 2015; Course Type: Coastal, Mid-Score, Long; Par: 71; Length: 7,456 yards; Holes with Water Hazards: 13; Fairways: Paspalum; Rough: Paspalum 2″; Greens: Paspalum; Tournament Stimp: 11-11.5 ft. 2022: 70.32 (-0.68), Difficulty Rank 24 of 50 courses.
Course Designer Links: For research purposes other Greg Norman designs include:
- Earth Course – DP World Tour Championship (DP World Tour)
- El Camaleon GC – Mayakoba Classic
- TPC at Sugarloaf – 1997 – 2008 Classic
- Oaks Course, TPC San Antonio – Valero Texas Open
Course Overview: This will be the second Mexico Open that has been “promoted” to the PGA Tour. The Mexico Open actually dates back to 1944 and is considered Mexico’s national championship. Grupo Salinas, who brought the WGC Mexico Championship to Chapultepec across 2017-2020, now finance and host the tournament at their Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta golf complex.
Set within a kilometre of the Pacific coastline, if you’re expecting a course with coastal vistas and holes that front onto the sea, well that isn’t the case. Built on flat land adjacent to the Ameca River to the north and an International airport to the south, the course is pretty unique in that no buildings or housing surround the property. Indeed access to the course is via a unique suspension bridge over the river.
The par-4 2nd and par-4 16th run alongside the Ameca, with the 6th green and 7th tee also in close proximity. Apart from that, the course is inland and features plenty of lakes meaning water is very much in play across the vast majority of holes. The volume of water actually reminds a little of a Florida-type golf course, although there are far more trees on the property than you would find at say PGA National. The topography, volume of water, Paspalum agronomy and length of the course also remind me of Grand Reserve Country Club where they play the Puerto Rico Open. Naturally with their shared designer and geographical location within Mexico, you can also see elements of El Camaleon where they play the Mayakoba Classic – that course though is over 400 yards shorter.
The Signature Course features very wide fairways, small bunkers, long waste areas, and Paspalum greens with plenty of subtle breaks and surrounded by tricky collection areas. As per any course located by the sea, scoring in the 2022 first renewal was dictated purely by wind strength, although saying that Tony Finau and Brandon Wu both shot -8/63s on a day when the wind was gusting over 30 mph.
For me the most fascinating aspect of the course as I alluded to above is its length. At 7,456 yards and a Par 71 it’s fairly long, especially at sea level. Temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius will negate that to a fair degree, but it’s worth noting that 2 of the par-5s are 603 (6th Hole) and 637 (12th Hole) yards, plus there are 4 par-4s around or slightly above 500 yards in length. This isn’t a standard Par 71 format either, with 5 par-3s and 4 par-5s, leaving 9 par-4s.
Distance off the tee undoubtedly paid huge dividends in the first renewal with 7 of the top 10 finishers all ranking in the top 16 for Driving Distance on the week.
Mexico Open Winners (2022 Played at Vidanta Vallarta): 2022: Jon Rahm (-17); 2021: Alvaro Ortiz (-23); 2019: Drew Nesbitt (-18); 2018: Austin Smotherman (-18); 2016: Sebastian Vasquez (-16); 2015: Justin Hueber (-23); 2014: Oscar David Alvarez (-17); 2013: Ted Purdy (-7); 2012: Lee Williams (-14); 2011: Erik Compton (-17); 2010: Jamie Lovemark (-12).
2022: Jon Rahm 64-64-68-69 -17/267
OWGR of Mexico Open Winners: 2022: Rahm 2.
Cut Line: 2022: -1.
Lead Score Progression:
2022: Round 1 -7; Round 2 -12; Round 3 -15; Round 4 -17.
Tournament Stats: We’ve published some key player statistics for this week’s event that are well worth a look. Naturally they’ll help to shape a view on players who could go well this week: Current Form | Tournament Form | First Round Leader | Combined Stats.
My published predictor is available here. Top 10 of my published predictor are: Jon Rahm, Tony Finau, Gary Woodland, Luke List, Byeong Hun An, Nicolai Hojgaard, Patrick Rodgers, Wyndham Clark, Ben Martin and Matt Wallace.
Our brand new predictor model is running alongside, where you can build your own rankings in live time, using the variables listed on the left hand side.
Mexico Open Winners & Prices: 2022: Rahm 5/1F.
Historical Weather:
- 2022: Thursday: Sunny. High of 83. Wind SW 8-13 mph, increasing in the afternoon with gusts to 29 mph. Friday: Sunny. High of 84. Wind SW 8-16 mph, increasing in the afternoon with gusts to 32 mph. Saturday: Sunny. High of 83. Wind SW 8-17 mph, increasing in the afternoon with gusts to 22 mph. Sunday: Sunny. High of 81. Wind SW 10-15 mph, increasing in the afternoon with gusts to 32 mph.
Weather Forecast: Latest weather forecast for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, is here.
As ever, hot and humid is the best way to describe the conditions this week in Mexico. With temperatures at 33-34 degrees Celsius (91-93 Fahrenheit) throughout, the players will welcome some breeze. Wind looks similar to last year, with limited wind early building up to south-westerly gusts to 20mph around lunchtime and into the afternoon. With no threat of rain I’d expect similar upper mid-score scoring levels.
Player Strokes Gained Rankings: These top 25 in the field rankings are based on an 8-tournament window that stretches back to the Arnold Palmer Invitational which includes both PGA Tour and DP World Tour events, where recorded. Player rankings are based on performance relative to the rest of the field:
- Top 25 SG Off The Tee: 1) Cody Gribble; 2) Gary Woodland; 3) Carl Yuan; 4) Cameron Percy; 5) Aaron Rai; 6) Cameron Champ; 7) Luke List / Ben Martin; 9) Michael Gligic / Scott Harrington; 11) M.J. Daffue / Jon Rahm; 13) James Hahn; 14) Lanto Griffin; 15) Garrick Higgo / Henrik Norlander / Carson Young; 18) Emiliano Grillo; 19) Lucas Glover / Taylor Pendrith; 21) Akshay Bhatia / Chez Reavie / Patrick Rodgers; 24) Doc Redman / Trevor Werbylo.
- Top 25 SG Approach: 1) Tony Finau / Nicolai Hojgaard; 3) Sean O’Hair; 4) Kevin Chappell; 5) Ricky Barnes; 6) Wyndham Clark / Cody Gribble / Jon Rahm; 9) Andrew Putnam; 10) Michael Kim; 11) Ben Martin; 12) Aaron Rai / Erik van Rooyen; 14) Charley Hoffman / Cameron Percy; 16) Alex Noren; 17) Paul Haley II; 18) Callum Tarren; 19) Chez Reavie; 20) M.J. Daffue / Ryan Moore / Kevin Roy / Gary Woodland; 24) Francesco Molinari; 25) Will Gordon / Nate Lashley / Jimmy Walker.
- Top 25 SG Around The Green: 1) Tano Goya; 2) Jonathan Byrd; 3) Trevor Werbylo; 4) Sean O’Hair; 5) Ricky Barnes; 6) Garrick Higgo; 7) Byeong Hun An; 8) Nicolai Hojgaard; 9) Ryan Armour / Aaron Baddeley; 11) Harry Hall / Alex Noren; 13) Scott Harrington; 14) Stephan Jaeger; 15) Brian Stuard; 16) Matt Wallace; 17) Jon Rahm; 18) Joseph Bramlett / Wesley Bryan; 20) Charley Hoffman / David Lipsky; 22) Max McGreevy; 23) J.B. Holmes / Patrick Rodgers; 25) Mark Hubbard / Dylan Wu.
- Top 25 SG Tee to Green: 1) Tony Finau; 2) Nicolai Hojgaard; 3) Wyndham Clark; 4) Kevin Chappell / Aaron Rai; 6) Sean O’Hair; 7) Tano Goya / Trevor Werbylo; 9) Jon Rahm; 10) Gary Woodland; 11) Byeong Hun An / Ben Martin; 13) Cody Gribble; 14) Augusto Nunez / Patrick Rodgers; 16) Emiliano Grillo; 17) Chez Reavie; 18) M.J. Daffue / Stephan Jaeger / S.H. Kim; 21) Garrick Higgo / Jimmy Walker / Matt Wallace; 24) Ryan Armour / Charley Hoffman / Dylan Wu.
- Top 25 SG Putting: 1) Cody Gribble; 2) Cameron Percy; 3) M.J. Daffue; 4) Michael Kim; 5) Trevor Cone; 6) Patton Kizzire; 7) Andrew Novak; 8) Maverick McNealy / Sean O’Hair; 10) Harry Higgs; 11) Marty Dou; 12) Nicolai Hojgaard; 13) Wyndham Clark; 14) Jonathan Byrd; 15) Alex Noren; 16) Nico Echavarria; 17) Hank Lebioda; 18) Andrew Putnam / Jimmy Walker; 20) Harrison Endycott; 21) Emiliano Grillo / Patrick Rodgers / Brian Stuard; 24) Jon Rahm / Austin Smotherman / Nick Watney
- Top 25 SG Total: 1) Bill Haas / Nicolai Hojgaard; 3) Wyndham Clark; 4) Cody Gribble; 5) Tony Finau; 6) Kevin Chappell; 7) Chris Stroud; 8) Michael Kim; 9) M.J. Daffue / Ben Martin / Jon Rahm; 12) Seung-yul Noh; 13) Sean O’Hair; 14) Aaron Rai; 15) Harry Hall; 16) Byeong Hun An / Geoff Ogilvy / Dylan Wu; 19) Greg Chalmers; 20) Tano Goya / Henrik Norlander; 22) Gary Woodland / Jimmy Walker; 24) Brent Grant / Emiliano Grillo.
Trends & Key Factors: Analysing the Strokes Gained Stats of the Mexico Open winners gives us a little more insight into the requirements for this test:
Strokes Gained Tournament Trends:
- 2022, Jon Rahm (-17). SG Off the Tee: 2nd, SG Approach: 30th, SG Around the Green: 22nd, SG Tee to Green: 3rd, SG Putting: 18th.
Tournament Trends & Key Factors: Analysing the final stats of Mexico Open winners gives us a little more insight into the requirements for this Norman Signature Course:
- 2022, Jon Rahm (-17). 340 yards (1st), 69.2% fairways (15th), 76.4% greens in regulation (7th), 40’2″ proximity to hole (18th), 70.6 % scrambling (17th), 1.73 putts per GIR (32nd).
Let’s take a view from players as to how the Norman Signature Course sets up and what skill sets the course favours:
Jon Rahm (2022 – Thursday): “Yeah, really comfortable off the tee. It’s not like it’s ever bad, but today felt especially comfortable. It’s not the most demanding golf course off the tee, right, besides 10 and maybe 1. You’re not really in real danger of being in bad position, but even though it’s generous, when I’m hitting shots the way with the trajectory and the ball flight that I wanted, it just gives me more confidence for every other shot. It’s a really good golf course. And the one thing to keep in mind for people watching the scores, there’s a big difference between morning and afternoon. We had no wind for 13, 14 holes, it’s very, very scoreable. Once the wind starts going 20, 30 miles an hour, this golf course starts showing some teeth. It’s long, you have a couple really long par 4s, 4 and 8 straight into the wind, both of them 500 yards, so you can start seeing higher scores out there.“
Jon Rahm (2022 – Friday): “Well, the wind makes it a completely different golf course. Yesterday, you know, except the last four holes or so, we enjoyed a wind-free day and you can be a little bit more aggressive with certain shots. Even with a couple longer irons, you’re just comfortable hitting it at the pin because those greens are receptive. On the other hand, today a couple of the par 5s were shorter, yes, but some holes were playing long, 10 was long, eight was long, nine and 13 were playing very, very difficult. You need to hit some quality shots on those holes. Sixteen and 17, you need to hit great shots to give yourself chances. And even 18, it is a par-5, but it’s not the easiest fairway to hit with that crosswind.”
Kurt Kitayama (2022 – Friday): “Not really. I just kind of stayed patient because I know I was able to make a lot of birdies yesterday so I figured I would be able to make a few more today, so just stayed patient. It happens. Especially 10’s such a hard starting hole and I had still a lot of par 5s coming in, so just kind of regrouped and stayed patient. I hit a couple 4 irons into 3 today and then 8, that was playing really long. I actually missed on 8, but I thought it was a really good 4-iron shot. I know on 3 I hit it to like 20 feet and that was really good. when you’re near the ocean, you get a lot of this grass, but everything’s like so purely conditioned and you don’t really get a bad lie out there, which is nice. Just a lot of like island golf, I guess.”
Jonathan Byrd (2022 – Thursday): “ Well, I mean, for a guy who’s kind of, struggled with my tee ball a little bit over the years at times and when you’ve got so many tee shots where you can just let it go and swing as hard as you want, you start off on the first hole and it kind of puts a little pressure on you like you don’t want to mess up the first tee. So it was nice to hit the first fairway. But then the rest of the golf course, it kind of gives you plenty of room off the tee and the rough’s not bad, so it’s just kind of swing away.”
Alex Smalley (2022 – Friday):” It was hard, it certainly was. We were laughing about it. The par 5, I think it’s 605, 610 yards and I hit a really good drive, but I hit 5-iron into that green on my second shot. And then No. 8 was a par-4 and I had 3-wood in on my second shot. So some of the par 4s were certainly playing pretty long. That’s what happens when you have winds that are gusting 25, 20 or 25. I was able to keep the ball in play and was able to get out of those holes that were playing really long, and happy I’m done with them.”
Path to Victory: Below are the end of round positions for the winners of the RBC Heritage:
- 2022 – Jon Rahm: Round 1: 1st, Round 2: 1st, Round 3: 1st.
Shots From the Lead: Below are the Mexico Open winners and where they were positioned in terms of shots from the lead during the tournament:
- 2022 – Jon Rahm: Round 1: Level, Round 2: 2 ahead, Round 3: 2 ahead.
Incoming Form of Mexico Open winners:
- Jon Rahm: 27th Augusta/9th WMP/55th TPC Sawgrass/17th Bay Hill.
First Round Leader Analysis: First round leader(s), their wave and winning score since 2010. Full First Round Leader stats are here.
- 2022 – Byrd/Kitayama/Mullinax/Nimmer/Rahm/Todd – 5AM / 1PM Split -7/64 180/1, 100/1, 125/1, 200/1, 16/1, 60/1.
For the record, here’s the breakdown of Paspalum PGA Tour victors in the field since 2008:
- 2 – Ryan Moore.
- 1 – Scott Brown, Nico Echavarria, Tony Finau, Brice Garnett, Emiliano Grillo, Charley Hoffman, Patton Kizzire, Derek Lamely, George McNeill, D.A. Points, Jon Rahm, Martin Trainer, Matt Wallace.
We’ve only seen a single renewal here on the Norman Signature Course, so it’s dangerous to make a full view on what we witnessed. However the “grip and rip” style of golf was certainly viewable at the top of the leaderboard with 7 of the top 10 finishers all ranking in the top 16 for Driving Distance on the week.
Strokes Gained Ball Striking was the critical metric, with winner Jon Rahm ranking 6th and runners-up Finau, Wu and Kitayama also ranking 2nd, 3rd and 11th in that particular category.
World Number 2 (at the time) Jon Rahm, despite not being in the best of form was a class above, but a look at the placers showed undoubted links to Grand Reserve Country Club (Puerto Rico Open) Corales Golf Club (Corales Championship) and El Camaleon (Mayakoba Classic), which is hardly surprising given the coastal location, tropical climes and the Paspalum agronomy.
