Knapp secures Masters bid; Tavatanakit wins at home in Thailand

VALLARTA, Mexico — PGA Tour rookie Jake Knapp lost a four-shot lead in seven holes and then held it together with a remarkable short game Sunday, closing with an even-par 71 to win the Mexico Open at Vidanta and earn a trip to the Masters.

Knapp said he still sends a text after each round to his grandfather, who died last year, and this message might require a lot of detail.

He didn’t hit a fairway until the eighth hole and found only two the entire round. The former UCLA player never lost the lead, but twice allowed Sami Valimaki of Finland to catch him.

They were tied with six holes to play until Knapp took over, getting up-and-down on four of the next five holes, one of them for birdie. It wasn’t easy until the end.

Another big par save on the par-3 17th gave him a two-shot lead going to the par-5 18th at Vallarta Vidanta. Valimaki, needing eagle to have a chance, hit his drive down the right side, off a cart path and it nestled next to a boundary fence. He had to take a penalty drop, effectively ending his chances. Valimaki made par for a 69.

Knapp, who finished at 19-under 265, won in his fifth start of his rookie season. Along with winning $1,458,000 and moving into the top 10 in the Fedex Cup, the 29-year-old Californian is headed to the Masters and PGA Championship. He also gets into the remaining five $20 million signature events.

LPGA Tour: At Chonburi, Thailand, local favorite Patty Tavatanakit closed with a 5-under 67 and held off a hard-charging Albane Valenzuela of Switzerland for a one-shot victory in the Honda

LPGA Thailand.

Tavatanakit was coming off a Ladies European Tour victory last week in Saudi Arabia. She hit a superb approach for an easy birdie on the final hole to finish at 21-under 267. It was her first LPGA title since winning the ANA Inspiration in 2021 for her first major.

Valenzuela had a 63, including six birdies on the back nine, to finish alone in second.

Sei Young Kim of South Korea, the 2020 Women’s PGA Championship winner, closed with a 65 and tied for third with Hye-jin

Choi (66).

DP World Tour: At Nairobi, Kenya, Darius van Driel captured his first European tour title in the Magical Kenya Open when he closed with a 4-under 67 for a twoshot victory.

Van Driel, who had to regain his tour card through Q-school last year, started the final round at Muthaiga Golf Club tied with Manual Elvira of Spain. Van Driel made eagle on the par-5 10th with a 30-foot putt to take his first lead. He held steady down the stretch and closed with a final birdie to win by two.