Pádraig Harrington finished the Mexico Open at Vidanta with a round of 70 for a four-under total as Jake Knapp ground out a career changing win for his maiden PGA Tour title.
Harrington, making his first PGA Tour start of the season settled for a share of 52nd place, fifteen shots behind Knapp who held off Finland’s Sami Valimaki.
The Dubliner will head to the Cognizant Classic in Palm Beach Gardens where he will be joined by Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry.
At the top, Knapp has gone from a life as a nightclub bouncer to a PGA Tour winner. The American is exempt into all remaining Signature Events, THE PLAYERS Championship, the Masters and the PGA Championship among other invitationals. He’s also promised a tee time at Kapalua for The Sentry in 2025 and a spot in the winners category of the Priority Ranking through 2026.
Knapp started the day with a four shot lead and after playing the “three worst holes” he could have with a bogey, par, bogey start he clung on to his advantage for dear life and managed to get over the line with a level-par 71 and a nineteen-under total for a two-shot win.
“Even though I didn’t have my best stuff (on Sunday), kind of doing it for (my grandfather) and everybody else who has been a part of my team and my family and everything for so long,” Knapp said. “Keeping them in the back of my mind and just no quit, no surrender and just grind it out.”
“I jokingly talk about it with (my caddie) and my family when all these people ask me for autographs and pictures and questions and podcasts and all that stuff, it’s hilarious to think two years ago I was working security at a bar and it was a much different scenario in my life,” Knapp added with a smile.
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