Mexico Open odds, staff picks: young PGA Tour stars take center stage at Vidanta

Following a thrilling West Coast Swing, highlighted by Rory McIlroy’s win at Pebble Beach and Ludvig Åberg’s dramatic victory in San Diego, the PGA Tour heads south of the border for the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld.

Many of the game’s top players have opted to take this week off, which will allow younger PGA Tour stars and journeymen to shine. Look no further than what happened at the Mexico Open last year, when Jake Knapp went from being a nightclub bouncer to a PGA Tour winner. Tournaments like this often produce the best stories despite lacking many household names and top-10 players. They also shine a light on up-and-comers, players to watch for as time wears on.

One of those young players is Akshay Bhatia, the 23-year-old American who won last year’s Valero Texas Open. Bhatia has not missed a cut in his four starts this season and arrives in Mexico fresh off a T-9 at Torrey Pines.

Other notables include Rasmus and Nicolai Højgaard, the latter of whom played on the European Ryder Cup team in 2023. But Rasmus has got the best of his brother in recent months, as he broke McIlroy’s heart at the Amgen Irish Open last September. Rasmus also posted a T-12 finish at the WM Phoenix Open but missed last week’s cut at Torrey Pines. He struggled in the wind and rain on Thursday, posting a first-round 82, the worst round of his PGA Tour career to date. Meanwhile, his brother Nicolai did not have the best seasons in 2024, but he did make the cut at the WM Phoenix Open, his only PGA Tour start so far in 2025. Perhaps he can right the ship this week in Vallarta, Mexico.

Oddsmakers also have Kurt Kitayama and Patrick Rodgers among the favorites this week. Kitayama has not had a great start to the season, with his best result being a T-37 at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Rodgers, on the other hand, entered Sunday’s final round at Torrey Pines holding a one-shot lead over Denny McCarthy. But the former Stanford standout could only muster a 1-under 71, finishing three strokes behind Åberg. Rodgers’ T-3 at the Genesis Invitational was his best finish of the season to date, and he hopes to build off that this week in Mexico. It’s worth noting that Rodgers has made 286 career stars on the PGA Tour, the most of any active player with a card. Maybe he will finally get a break in Mexico.

Samuel Stevens, who played collegiately at Oklahoma State, is another player who looks to build on recent momentum. The 28-year-old finished solo second at the Farmers Insurance Open and then posted a T-17 finish at Pebble Beach the following week. He has not missed a cut in all six of his starts in 2025, which includes last week’s Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines, where he carded three rounds of 72 and a 1-under 71 to tie for 31st.

Mexico Open Odds:

Here are the latest odds for players to win the 2025 Mexico Open, courtesy of FanDuel:

Akshay Bhatia +1400

Rasmus Højgaard +1800

Kurt Kitayama +2200

Patrick Rodgers +2200

Samuel Stevens +2200

Taylor Moore +2500

Michael Kim +2500

Stephan Jaeger +2500

Harry Hall +3000

Aaron Rai +3300

Ben Griffin +3300

Beau Hossler +3500

Kevin Yu +3500

Alex Smalley +4000

Niklas Norgaard +4000

Jake Knapp +4000

Nicolai Højgaard +4000

C.T. Pan +5000

Matt Wallace +5500

Michael Thorbjornsen +6000

Thorbjorn Olesen +5500

Ryan Fox +6000

Erik Van Rooyen +6000

Greyson Sigg +6000

Jesper Svensson +6000

Patrick Fishburn +6000

Mac Meissner +6000

Aldrich Potgieter +7000

Justin Lower +7000

Kevin Roy +7000

Playing Through’s Picks:

Jack Milko — Staff Writer, Golf

One player who continues to trend in the right direction is social media star Michael Kim, who played his way into last week’s Genesis Invitational via the Aon Swing 5. After missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open, Kim shot four rounds in the 60s at TPC Scottsdale to tie for second at the WM Phoenix Open. He then tied for 13th at Torrey Pines last week, in what was the first Signature Event of his career.

Kim will keep his momentum and win for the second time at VidantaWorld, a course that prioritizes distance and ball-striking. He is not the biggest of hitters, but he has enough length off the tee to keep up with the best. He’s also a solid long-iron player, ranking among the top 4 in approaching the green from 200 yards or more on the PGA Tour in 2024. That will come in handy this week as Kim breaks through for the first time since the 2018 John Deere Classic.

FanDuel Odds: Kim to win at +2500

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.