Mexico Open 2023: Form stats for this week's PGA Tour event at Vidanta Vallarta

• World No 1 Rahm defends title in Mexico

• Big-hitting Woodland to make title charge

• Vidanta Vallarta stages its second PGA Tour event

PGA tour crossing the border

The PGA Tour has made the long journey south, to tee-up at the Greg Norman-designed Vidanta Vallarta course close to Mexico's western coast.

From last week's event in New Orleans, the players have travelled more than 1,500 miles to take part in Mexico's national open.

Opened eight years ago, Vidanta Vallarta offers excellent views of the Sierra Madre mountain range, and has fairways and greens which are both sown with Paspalum grass.

Fairway width is generous at a venue that has typically large, undulating Greg Norman-crafted greens.

Water is certainly a major issue, coming into play on as many as 14 holes - thanks to numerous large hazards.

Latest betting for this week's Mexico Open

First staged in 1944, Mexico's national championship has appeared on many Tour schedules.

These include the tours of Latin America, Challenge Tour and Web.com Tour - before it changed its name to the Korn Ferry Tour.

Laid out around half a mile from the country's Pacific coastline, this resort course at Vallarta is approximately 200 miles from Guadalajara, and 550 from the country's capital Mexico City.

Latest betting for next month's PGA Championship

Five players to watch

Tony Finau: Runner-up 12 months ago, and the second highest-ranked golfer teeing-up this week.

Emiliano Grillo: The Argentinian tied-seventh - his first top-10 of the year - last time out at Harbour Town.

Byeong Hun: The former world No 24 posted his first top-10 for seven months at the start of April, when competing in the Texas Open at TPC San Antonio - since when he's enjoyed a three-week break from Tour golf.

Jon Rahm: Sponsors will be delighted that the recent winner of The Masters has returned to defend his title in Mexico. Is one of only two top-40 ranked players in attendance.

Gary Woodland: The big-hitting 38-year-old should find the generous fairways to his liking. Tied-14th at Augusta three weeks ago, while the most recent of his four PGA Tour titles came at the US Open in June 2019.

Betfair Sportsbook Mexico Open

Note: List Contains Leading Reserves