Raul Pereda is ranked 810th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Before Thursday’s opening round of the 2023 Mexico Open at Vidanta, he had never played a round on the PGA Tour.
By the end of his first 18 holes, he was tied for second after an opening 6-under 65.
What a debut.
The 26-year-old, one of seven players from Mexico playing in Puerto Vallarta at Vidanta Vallarta this week, was born in Mexico City and played collegiately at Jacksonville University. In his most recent starts on PGA Tour Latinoamerica and the Mexican tour, he has a mixed bag of results. A few top fives. A few missed cuts.
Making his TOUR debut as a sponsor exemption, Mexico's Raul Pereda, who played collegiately at Jacksonville University, posts a bogey-free 65.
Pereda is the first player to shoot 65 or better in TOUR debut round since Robin Roussel (64/2022 Barbasol Championship).
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) April 27, 2023
Now, he’s near the lead of a PGA Tour event.
“I just think more than the score I’m proud I was able to stay very present shot by shot,” Pereda said. “My coach, my old coach from school just told me just enjoy shot by shot, and sometimes it sounds easier said than getting it done. I was just able to stay in the present and give myself opportunities and roll it very good today.”
His old coach, Mike Blackburn, has talked with Pereda about taking everything shot-by-shot and living in the moment. And that paid off.
“My mental game was on point, my driver was very good, I think my strategy was very good,” Pereda said. “I think it was all on me today.”
Austin Smotherman, meanwhile, birdied his final four holes, including a chip-in on the ninth, his last of the day, and leads at 8 under after the opening round. Pereda is in a group two shots behind including Tony Finau, Stephan Jaeger, Eric Cole and Taylor Pendrith.
Defending champion and World No. 1 Jon Rahm finished at 4 under after an even-par front nine.
Buzz buzz
Watch out for the bees.
No, seriously. Don’t get stung.
During the first round, Chez Reavie, Erik van Rooyen and Francesco Molinari were walking up the 10th hole when all of the sudden, players started dropping to the ground. A swarm of bees was flying by, and it was a sight to behold.
“I was over the ball with a 4-iron, look back and I just saw them here and I just told my caddie, I’m like, “Bees, bees, bees,” and he looks at me like I’m crazy,” van Rooyen said. “So I dropped down, then he sees them, he dropped down. Frankie and Chez, they look at me like I’m nuts and then they realized, like 30 seconds later the bees just went right at them. It’s funny, but certainly don’t want to get stung by those bad boys.”
"I have never seen anything like that."
A swarm of bees was probably not something @FredVR_ and crew saw coming @MexicoOpenGolf 😅 pic.twitter.com/4RjzysQ5qx
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 27, 2023
Terrific Tony
Last year, Tony Finau tied for second in Mexico, finishing a shot behind Rahm. His game was slowly coming into form, and an 8-under 63 in the final round showed he was prime to strike soon.
Since then? He has won three times, his latest coming at the Cadence Bank Houston Open in November. And he’s off to a strong start at Vidanta Vallarta.
Finau carded a 6-under 65 on Thursday and slid into a tie for fourth with his birdie on the final hole, the par-5 18th. He had three birdies on the front before a lone bogey on No. 10. But in his final seven holes, he carded four birdies.
His 6-under total was the second-lowest round of the afternoon wave.
“I liked that it was really clean,” Finau said. “I didn’t make any big mistakes, any terrible swings off the tee to put myself in bad position. It was a solid way to start this golf tournament, no question.”
Mark down a 2
Remember the bees from earlier? Safe to say the situation didn’t sting Erik van Rooyen.
On the 10th fairway, he dropped to the turf to avoid being stung. On the 15th, he hole out from 141 yards to card an eagle.
His eagle was the highlight of his round, and it helped him card a 7-under 64. He birdied his final hole to move into a tie for second and a shot behind Smotherman, finishing with the low round of the afternoon wave.
“It’s funny, I’m friends with Smotherman and I’m walking up to the first tee and I’m messing with my caddie and I’m like, I wonder what he did well today,” van Rooyen said. “Probably hit it well, chipped it well, putted well. I kind of did the same thing today, so everything clicked nicely. I feel like I’ve been trending the last couple months, and things came together nicely today”
Tano Goya was one of the final players to finish his first round, and he also birdied his final hole to finish at 7 under. He had seven birdies and no bogeys.
Turnaround on the horizon?
To say Cameron Champ has struggled recently would be putting it bluntly.
One of the longest hitters on Tour is in the midst of a career slump. He hasn’t made a cut since the Farmers Insurance Open and has made only two in his 13 starts this season.
However, Mexico could possibly be a turning point for the three-time PGA Tour winner. Champ shot 3-under 68 on Thursday, and that came after making a double on the first hole.
His 67 was his best round since the fall at the Zozo Championship, when he carded a 64 during the third round in Japan.
Champ had three birdies on the back nine to finish in 3-under 33. he had an opportunity for eagle at the par-5 18th but three-putted from 35 feet. However, that doesn’t take away from a strong start to try to turn things around.
