Rookie Jake Knapp earns first PGA Tour win at 2024 Mexico Open at Vidanta.
When Jake Knapp texts his grandfather, as he does after every round, he can report that he did it, holding on to win his first PGA Tour title at the Mexico Open at Vidanta in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico.
It wasn’t always pretty in the final round on Sunday at Vidanta Vallarta as Knapp closed with an even-par 71 for a two-stroke victory over Sami Valimaki.
Knapp’s grandfather, Gordon Bowley, died of colon cancer in April after a two-year battle, and Knapp and his cousin both got matching tattoos with the initials GSFB – for their grandpa’s full name of Gordon Sydney Frederick Bowley – just below his left bicep so that it would be visible during his swing. Asked what his grandfather would think of his victory, Knapp said, “He would be pumped. He’d probably say, ‘Yo, dude, good playing. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.’ So, Papa, thank you.”
Knapp appeared to put a sleeper hold on the tournament in the third round with birdies on seven of his first nine holes on Saturday en route to shooting 63 and grabbing a four-stroke lead entering the final round.
Jake Knapp plays a shot on the 12th hole during the final round of the Mexico Open at Vidanta.
Knapp, a 29-year-old rookie who played his college golf at UCLA, had never held the lead on the Tour let alone the Korn Ferry Tour, where he graduated to the big leagues after recording 10 top-10s last season. Knapp is a late bloomer, having turned pro in 2016 but lost Korn Ferry Tour status in 2021 and was mired outside the top thousand in the world as recently as May of 2022 (No. 1476).
Two years ago, he was out of money and worked as a bouncer for roughly nine months at a restaurant/bar in his hometown of Costa Mesa, and also did a stint as security at weddings, which is where he met his sports psychologist.
Two years ago, @KnappTime_LTD was a nightclub bouncer.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 25, 2024
Today, he is seeking his first PGA TOUR victory @MexicoOpenGolf. pic.twitter.com/aCBb5jldyf
He was making just his ninth career Tour start and fifth this season, which included a T-3 at the Farmers Insurance Open last month.
The final round turned into a two-man race between a pair of rookies and fellow hockey fans seeking their first Tour title. Knapp sports the logo of the Anaheim Ducks on the right sleeve of his shirt.
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