Australian Karl Vilips has fired a nine-under-par 62 to take the first-round lead at the Mexico Open on the PGA Tour.
Vilips posted his score in the afternoon wave at Vidanta Vallarta on Thursday (local time), AP reported, finishing one shot clear of Japan’s Kensei Hirata.
The 25-year-old started on the back nine and made five straight birdies from the 11th to the 15th. He added another birdie and a bogey in the middle of his round before closing with four birdies in a row.
Driver the key
Vilips credited his driving for the round. “Had it on a string for the first nine,” he said, via ESPN. “Got a little loose in the middle and got it back on course toward the end of the round. It was lift, clean and place today so being in the fairway was a must for me and I took advantage of those drives that I hit.”
Hirata, who is trying to climb from 170th in the standings, made a 20-foot eagle on the third hole and holed two more birdie putts from outside 20 feet in his 63.
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Leaderboard after round one
Ben Griffin, Marco Penge, Garrick Higgo and Jeffrey Kang were among the players at seven under after opening rounds of 64. Mexico’s Alvaro Ortiz, who won the event in 2021 when it was part of PGA Tour Latinoamerica, shot a bogey-free 65.
Defending champion Brian Campbell and Tom Kim opened with 67s, while US Open champion Wyndham Clark, the only player from the world’s top 10 in the field, shot 69.
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What it means for Vilips
Vilips won the 2025 Puerto Rico Open for his only PGA Tour title, which keeps him exempt on the tour through next season. He came into the week 141st in the FedEx Cup Fall standings.
The Mexico Open is the first of two straight PGA Tour events in Mexico, with the World Wide Technology Championship to follow next week at El Cardonal at Diamante in Los Cabos.
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