Andrew Novak Wins by Five Shots

• Andrew Novak won the VidantaWorld Mexico Open by five shots.
• Steven Fisk and Kristoffer Ventura shared second place after closing 63s.
• Novak’s 259 is the tournament’s 72-hole record and his margin its largest.

Andrew Novak took a six-shot lead into Sunday at Vidanta Vallarta. A bogey at the 10th cut it to three. Three straight birdies later, the VidantaWorld Mexico Open was his.

The 31-year-old closed with a 2-under 69 to finish at 25-under 259 and win by five from Steven Fisk and Kristoffer Ventura. It is his first individual PGA Tour title, in his 140th start. His only previous win was the team title with Ben Griffin at the 2025 Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

The 259 breaks Tony Finau’s 72-hole tournament record of 260 from 2023. The five-shot margin is the biggest in the event’s history, beating the three Finau won by that year.

The decisive run

Novak built his advantage with a record-equalling 61 on Friday and a bogey-free 62 on Saturday. The front nine on Sunday gave him little in return. At the 3rd, the easiest of the par-5s, his second shot plugged in the lip of a bunker and he could only nudge it back into the sand. He made par there, and he also missed two birdie chances from just inside 10 feet.

“I played really well on the front and didn’t get much out of it,” he said.

At the par-5 12th he splashed out of a greenside bunker to 4 feet. At the 13th he drove the green and two-putted from 15 feet. At the 14th he rolled in a 45-footer.

“That kind of really settled everything,” Novak said. “Just happy with how I played today. I thought I grinded it out pretty well.”

The putter carried his week. Novak arrived ranked 158th on Tour in strokes gained putting and led the field in that category in Mexico. He holed 53 of 58 putts from inside 10 feet, including all 37 he faced over the first three rounds. He also led the field in proximity on approach.

The 500 FedExCup points lift him from 89th to 53rd in the FedExCup Fall standings. That all but guarantees him spots in next year’s $20 million Signature Events at Pebble Beach and Riviera. The win also exempts him through the next two seasons, including the 2028 Championship Series.

“I loved Zurich and everything about that tournament. That’s so fun,” Novak said. “But it is nice to have one by myself, too. This is one I’ve been working for for a while. Obviously not a great season for how I wanted it to go, but this is a nice way to kind of finish.”

Griffin, who shot 67, was waiting on the 18th green when Novak finished.

Ventura secures his card

Ventura’s bogey-free 63 mattered more than most. The Mexico-born Norwegian started the week 108th in the FedExCup Fall, and only the top 100 keep full cards for 2027. His runner-up finish is his best as an individual and matches his T2 with Kristoffer Reitan at this year’s Zurich Classic. It moves him to 76th, which locks up his card.

Fisk’s 63 tied his lowest round on Tour and lifts him from 70th to 54th.

Doug Ghim, playing in the final group, played his last five holes in 3-over, including a double bogey at the 18th. That dropped him into a tie for sixth at 18-under alongside defending champion Brian Campbell, who closed with a bogey-free 66. It also let Mackenzie Hughes, who shot 66, into a share of fourth with Griffin at 19-under. The Canadian, who led the field in strokes gained around the green, moves from 118th to 101st with three tournaments left in the Fall.

“Gives me a bit of momentum for the last three,” Hughes said. “Obviously, I still know I need more points and I need to keep climbing, but today was a big step in the right direction.”

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