Great news for Josele Ballester. As confirmed by Ten Golf, the Spanish golfer has received an invitation to play in the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld, a PGA Tour tournament that will take place from 20th to 23rd February in Vallarta, Mexico.
As it stands, the young player from Castellón, who made history by becoming the first Spaniard to win the US Amateur, will participate in two professional American circuit tournaments in just three weeks. First up is the Waste Management Phoenix Open in Arizona next week, a tournament for which he was invited as the US Amateur champion while playing for Arizona State, and two weeks later in Mexico, right after the Genesis Invitational. Great sequence.
Josele ya tiene encima de la mesa la primera invitación del PGA Tour
Phoenix and Mexico will be Ballester’s first two regular tournaments on the PGA Tour, after having played in the Open Championship in 2023 and the Acciona Open de España del DP World Tour last year. Two good tests to measure his level alongside the best in the world. Additionally, it will also give him the chance to earn valuable points in the race to be the best player in the PGA Tour University. To do this, he needs to make the cut and finish in the top ten. Let’s remember that the PGA Tour University champion receives the full PGA Tour card. He is currently in second place in this ranking, only behind David Ford, who played and made the cut at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic a couple of weeks ago.
The Mexico Open is a historic event that has become a must-stop for the best golfers on the PGA Tour in recent years. It is considered one of the best weeks of the year by both professionals and their families. Among the recent winners are Jake Knapp, the current champion, Tony Finau, and Jon Rahm. The Barrika native has a win and a second place in this event.
It has been a PGA Tour tournament since 2022, although it has been held since 1944. Last year marked 80 years since its inception. Among the list of winners are two other Spanish golfers: Ángel Miguel (1959) and Ángel Gallardo (1971). The former won at Chapultepec, which later became the venue for the WGC Mexico Championship. Other illustrious champions of this tournament include Lee Treviño, Billy Casper, Bobby Locke, Roberto de Vicenzo, Ben Crenshaw, Tommy Armour III, Stewart Cink, and Eduardo Romero.
