Vilips makes 10 birdies in a career-low 62 to lead in Mexico

Karl Vilips started on the 10th at Vidanta Vallarta on Thursday, birdied five holes in a row from the 11th and finished with four more from the 6th to the 9th. In between he made one birdie and one bogey. The nine-under 62 is his lowest round on the PGA TOUR by two shots and gives him a one-shot lead in the VidantaWorld Mexico Open over Kensei Hirata.

Vilips had congestion and a headache and had felt unwell for a couple of days, according to Athlon Sports. He leads the field in strokes gained off the tee, and said the driver was what went right: “I thought it was my driver, had it on a string for the first nine.” Preferred lies were in force.

He won the Puerto Rico Open in 2025, which exempts him until the end of 2027. He is 141st in the FedExCup Fall standings, and a win would lift him to a projected 67th, according to Field Level Media. He finished tied 72nd here last year.

Pos	Player	To par	R1
1	Karl Vilips	−9	62
2	Kensei Hirata	−8	63
T3	Ben Griffin	−7	64
T3	Marco Penge	−7	64
T3	Garrick Higgo	−7	64
T3	Jeffrey Kang	−7	64
T3	Adrien Dumont de Chassart	−7	64
T8	Pierceson Coody	−6	65
T8	Mackenzie Hughes	−6	65
T8	Doug Ghim	−6	65
T8	Alvaro Ortiz	−6	65
T8	Matthieu Pavon	−6	65
T8	Max Greyserman	−6	65

Skinns’s ace at the 7th

David Skinns holed his tee shot at the 134-yard 7th, the fourth hole-in-one in the tournament’s history, according to Golf Today. It came on his 1,186th par 3 on the PGA TOUR, according to Athlon Sports. He shot 70 and is tied 68th.

Hirata bogey-free in 63

Hirata went round without a bogey for a 63, matching his best score on the tour. His eagle came at the par-5 3rd, where he hit 7-wood and holed from 20 feet. “It was just a perfect 7-wood distance, just hit a really good shot, then hit a really good putt, too,” he said. A week ago he shared the halfway lead in Bermuda before a 76 in the third round. He is 170th in the standings. Marco Penge eagled the same hole from 18 feet on his way to 64.

Griffin back after a month off

Ben Griffin, the second-highest-ranked player in the field, shot 64 and played his last seven holes in four under, with four birdies, an eagle and two bogeys. He leads the field in strokes gained putting. He has had about a month off after injections for tendinitis in his left knee and has a new caddie, Jon Yarbrough. “This is my first time walking 18 since the BMW so I’m just glad I made it through,” he said. He was tied fourth here last year.

Max Greyserman, who fell to 103rd in the standings after Bermuda, shot 65. Alvaro Ortiz, the leading Mexican, was bogey-free in his 65.

Campbell five behind

Brian Campbell and Tom Kim shot 67 and Wyndham Clark 69 in the defending champion’s group. Kim was playing his first competitive round since winning gold at the Asian Games. Clark, fifth in the world, birdied all four par 5s and is tied 54th. Aldrich Potgieter, who lost last year’s playoff to Campbell, shot 75. Tony Finau had a 68, and John Daly II, in his first start as a professional, shot 70. Billy Horschel withdrew without recording a score.

Friday’s tee times (GMT)

Local time at the course is six hours behind GMT.

GMT	Local	Tee	Players
13:38	07:38	1st	Karl Vilips, Joe Highsmith, Kevin Yu
13:38	07:38	10th	Wyndham Clark, Tom Kim, Brian Campbell
18:29	12:29	1st	Ben Griffin, Andrew Novak, Joel Dahmen
19:13	13:13	1st	Kensei Hirata, Trace Crowe, Tayler Termeer
19:24	13:24	10th	Marco Penge, Ben James, John Daly II

Golf Channel shows live coverage between 20:00 and 23:00 GMT, and the cut is made after Friday’s round.

Sources

• PGA TOUR: Official leaderboard, VidantaWorld Mexico Open
• Golf Today: Mexico Open 2026 R1, Karl Vilips leads with career-low 62
• ESPN (AP): Karl Vilips shoots 62, takes first-round Mexico Open lead
• ESPN: VidantaWorld Mexico Open leaderboard
• Athlon Sports: Karl Vilips fights illness, fires 62 to lead Mexico Open
• Field Level Media: Karl Vilips fires career-low 62, takes first-round lead at Mexico Open
• TSN (AP): Vilips takes first-round lead at Mexico Open
• GOLF.com: 2026 VidantaWorld Mexico Open TV schedule and tee times