Andrew Novak secured his first individual PGA Tour title by winning the Mexico Open by five shots after carding a two-under 69 at Vidanta Vallarta. Novak held a commanding six-shot lead entering the final round following rounds of 61 and 62 over the previous two days.
Closing Out the Victory
Novak saw his lead shrink to three shots over Steven Fisk and Kristoffer Ventura after a bogey on the 10th hole. However, Novak responded by hitting a greenside bunker shot to four feet on the par-5 12th, driving the 13th green to 15 feet for a two-putt birdie, and sinking a 45-foot birdie putt on the 14th.
“That kind of really settled everything,” Novak stated, as reported by SkySports. “Just happy with how I played today. I thought I grinded it out pretty well.”
Novak previously won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside partner Ben Griffin last year. Reflecting on his latest win, Novak noted that it is nice to have one by himself and described the victory as something he has worked toward for a while after a season that did not go how he wanted.
Chasing Pack and Standout Finishes
Fisk and Ventura each finished with a round of 63 to tie for second place. For Ventura, the runner-up finish moved him from No. 108 to No. 76 in the FedEx Cup Fall, securing his full card for 2027 by finishing inside the top 100.
Mackenzie Hughes of Canada shot a 66 to tie for fourth place alongside Ben Griffin, whose 67 put him on the 18th green to greet Novak. The finish moved Hughes up to No. 101 in the standings with three tournaments remaining.
“Gives me a bit of momentum for the last three,” Hughes explained to SkySports. “Obviously, I still know I need more points and I need to keep climbing, but today was a big step in the right direction.”
Doug Ghim, playing in the final group, finished further down after a double bogey on the 18th hole. Meanwhile, 20-year-old BYU sophomore Kihei Akina closed out his tournament with a 59 to finish 15th, marking his third top-20 finish on the PGA Tour this season.
The victory propelled Novak from No. 89 to No. 53 in the FedEx Cup standings, making him a lock for $20 million signature events at Pebble Beach and Riviera next year while ensuring he starts 2028 on the upper Championship Series.
