Novak Ties Course Record To Lead Mexico Open As Clark, Finau Miss Cut

Andrew Novak equalled the course record at the VidantaWorld Mexico Open on Friday, carding a 10-under-par 61 to move to 14-under and open a three-shot lead heading into Saturday's third round, Golf Monthly reported.

The American, who has not won on the PGA Tour since 2025, sits ahead of a five-strong chasing pack for second place that includes Ryder Cup player Ben Griffin and amateur Kihei Akina.

Twenty players remain within five strokes of Novak as the event moves into moving day at Vidanta Vallarta.

Now in its fifth year, the tournament is the fifth of eight events on the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup Fall series, running from 29 October to 1 November with a $6,000,000 purse and 500 FedEx Cup points on offer, according to Golf365.

A field of 120 has been cut to 68 for the weekend. Yahoo Sports reported that the winner will collect $1.08 million along with valuable FedEx Cup points, as players continue their push to finish inside the top 100 and secure a 2027 Tour card.

The Greg Norman-designed Vidanta Vallarta layout stretches to 7,436 yards and has traditionally ranked among the more forgiving tracks on Tour, with players using driver on 83% of holes, Golf365 noted. Moving the event from its usual spring date into Mexico's wet season has softened the paspalum fairways, putting a premium on distance and allowing the longest hitters to attack pins directly.

Among those who missed the four-under cutline was Tony Finau, a past champion at the event, who closed at three-under. The result marked his third missed cut in four starts, leaving him 107th in the FedExCup Fall standings with only one top-10 finish in 2026, despite holding his Tour card through 2027.

Wyndham Clark, the reigning US Open champion, also failed to make the weekend after rounds of 69 and 73 left him at level par, four shots outside the cut. It was the first time this season Clark had missed a weekend. Golf365 had identified Clark, a three-time winner in 2026, as the leading pre-tournament favourite before the first round was played.

Saturday's third round gets under way with groupings including Max McGreevy, Rafael Campos and Karl Vilips, and Adam Hadwin, Mac Meissner and Marcelo Rozo among the early starters, with later tee times featuring Corey Conners, Tom Kim and Austin Eckroat.

With Novak holding a three-shot cushion and a congested leaderboard behind him, Saturday's moving day in Puerto Vallarta is set to shape both the destination of the $1.08 million first prize and the FedEx Cup points battle ahead of Sunday's final round.