Tony Finau Looks to Use Big Win in Mexico as Springboard

The final Mexico Open leaderboard looks (very) similar to last year's.

Tony Finau, Jon Rahm and Brandon Wu all finished in the top 3 at Vidanta Vallarta for the second straight year, however, the order in which they did so differed slightly.

Finau finished runner-up to Rahm in 2022, but the tides turned this year, with Finau holding off the world No. 1 for his fourth PGA Tour win in his last 18 starts.

"I knew today was going to be a tall task going against Rahmbo with the form that he's in," Finau, who finished at 24 under, said after his three-stroke victory. "I was really put to the test and came out on top, which feels great."

Finau has played for Team USA in the last two Ryder Cups, and with his win South of the Border, the 33-year-old Utah native improved his chances of making it three straight, moving from 19th to 12th on the U.S. points list.

However, at one point during the Mexico Open's final round, Wu was Finau's biggest challenger — not Rahm.

Wu, who placed T-2 with Finau at Vidanta last year, holed a 45-foot eagle putt on the par-5 sixth and birdied the par-4 seventh to briefly tie Finau's lead. But a bogey on No. 8 and a double on No. 10 soured the 26-year-old's victory hopes and he finished solo third at 19 under.

It was the former Stanford star's second top-3 of the season and he moved from No. 40 to 29 in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings.

Photo Credit: Getty Images,

"I think going toe to toe with two of the best players in the world is good, it's great experience," Wu, who's still searching for his maiden Tour win, said, "good to kind of feel the emotions, know how to stay calm in the moment and stay focused on myself. I think it was a great experience and glad to have done it."

Wu, though, wasn't the only one in Mexico who increased their chances of teeing it up for the U.S. squad later this year at the Ryder Cup.

Akshay Bhatia, who played in the final group with Finau and Rahm, finished one stroke behind Wu for his second top-5 of the season. The 21-year-old, who earned special temporary Tour membership in March, jumped 59 sports to No. 89 in the U.S. standings.

Austin Smotherman, the 18-hole leader, finished T-5 and went up 32 spots to No. 79. Beau Hossler jumped from 46th to 41st with his second top-10 in as many weeks, and Patrick Rodgers posted his third straight top-20, moving from 48th to 43rd.

But for those hoping that the Mexico Open is a springboard to a strong second half of the season, and maybe a Ryder Cup nod, they can turn to Finau for inspiration.

Entering last year's Mexico Open, Finau didn't have a top-15 finish in his first 12 starts of the season. Now, he's won four times since — and hopes he's just getting started.

"This win was huge and hopefully propels me to do more great things as the season unfolds," he said.

Photo Credit: Getty Images,

Helping the U.S. win its first Ryder Cup on foreign soil in 30 years would be the icing on the cake.

U.S. Team Captain Zach Johnson first announced the 2023 qualifying structure last year. Points in 2023 are awarded as follows:

- 1 point per $1,000 earned at regular PGA Tour events beginning January 1, including the Zurich Classic and WGC events, through the BMW Championship (August 20)

- 2 points per $1,000 earned for winner of the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open

- 1.5 points per $1,000 earned for all others that make the cut at the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open

- No points available at PGA Tour opposite-field events

Points qualification will conclude immediately after the second FedEx Cup Play-Off event (BMW Championship) on August 20, 2023, with the top six eligible players on the points list securing spots on the U.S. Team.

The six remaining slots on the U.S. Team will be Captain’s Selections and will be announced by Johnson following the 2023 Tour Championship.

For a full list of the Top 100 in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings, click here.