2025 Mexico Open leaderboard, grades: Brian Campbell beats Aldrich Potgieter in playoff for first career win

How is that for a first professional victory? Brian Campbell overcame a one-stroke deficit Sunday at Vidanta Vallarta to win the 2025 Mexico Open, battling through two playoff holes to finally topple 36- and 54-hole leader Aldrich Potgieter.

Beginning the day just off the pace, Campbell signed for a final-round 70 to reach 20 under for the tournament and claim victory over the South African. The win represents not only the first of Campbell’s PGA Tour career but the first of his professional career as he becomes the second straight first-time winner to reign supreme at the Mexico Open following in the footsteps of last year’s champion Jake Knapp. Campebell is also the second first-time winner in 2025 thanks to his first trip to the winner’s circle since the 2015 NCAA Noblesville Regional.

With the triumph, Campbell locks up his status on the PGA Tour for the next two years and climbs more than 150 spots in the FedEx Cup standings to 13th in the season-long race. He also secures invitation into the Masters and PGA Championship for the first time in his career as well as the remaining signature events this season. If Campbell wishes to, the 31-year-old can begin his next year’s campaign in Maui at The Sentry.

Campbell’s final stroll around Vidanta Vallarta began in nervous fashion as he missed a close range tickler for par and dropped a couple strokes off the lead. After a string of pars to settle his game, the former Illinois standout fought back and kicked in birdies on Nos. 6-7 to get back into the tournament. 

With Potgieter struggling around the greens and Aaron Rai making a charge up ahead, Campbell kept his cool. Navigating the difficult turn, Campbell clinched the lead on his own for the first time when he rolled in a 12-foot birdie on the par-3 13th.

Rai’s run came to a screeching halt while Isaiah Salinda made his presence known. The PGA Tour rookie posted the clubhouse lead at 19 under and waited as both Campbell and Potgieter came to the par-5 finisher at that very number. Greenside in two, both players were able to get up-and-down to eliminate Salinda while setting up a date for extra holes.

After exchanging pars on their second playing of No. 18, Potgieter found the fairway while Campbell found a tree located out of bounds that miraculously kicked his ball back into play. Hitting a 3 wood 70 yards short of the green, Campbell clipped his third to perfection to set up a 3-foot birdie putt that he was able to brush in for his first win in his 187th Tour-sanctioned event.

“Oh my gosh, that bounce?!” Campbell said. “I’ll take it.” Grade: A+

Here are the grades for the rest of the notable names on the leaderboard at the 2025 Mexico Open.

2. Aldrich Potgieter: After sleeping on leads the last two nights, Potgieter hung tough Sunday. The youngest player on the PGA Tour looked like it at various points throughout his final round as the 20-year-old was nervy on approach and even more so around the green. Despite hitting some turbulence, the South African used his distance to take advantage of all three par 5s on the back nine to force a playoff. His short-game woes proved too much to overcome, but the upside remains clear as day. There are some areas the big hitter needs to clean up in his game, but he will chalk this one up in the experience column and make his way back into contention sooner rather than later. Grade: A

T6. Joel Dahmen (-17): Dahmen’s ball striking consistency was finally rewarded this week as his putter picked up the slack. Ranking inside the top 15 on the greens, he enjoyed a solid weekend with a pair of 65s that scooted his name up the leaderboard. Amid a year where PGA Tour cards will be more difficult to obtain, last year’s bubble boy is off to a solid start with two top-10 finishes in his last three starts. Grade: A-

9. Akshay Bhatia (-15): It was refreshing to see a young star like Bhatia play in a relatively weak event given he has already locked up qualifying for signature events and major championships in 2025. The pre-tournament favorite acquitted himself nicely and rolled the rock beautifully continuing an early-season trend. His ball striking held him back ever so slightly, but if Bhatia continues to wield the broom stick in such a manner — he entered the week No. 12 on the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting — his third career victory should be right around the corner. Grade: B+

T25. Patrick Rodgers (-11): A week after squandering the fifth 54-hole lead of his career, Rodgers jumped right back on the horse. At a golf course where he had finished inside the top 10 in all three times, the rhythmic right hander played himself onto the outskirts of contention thanks to an eagle on the par-4 7th on Sunday. Getting within a handful, Rodgers backtracked with four bogeys across the first six holes of his back nine. He now has three top-25 finishes in his last three starts. Grade: B- 

T25. Jake Knapp (-11): The defending champion was initially sent packing early due to a rules violation on his last hole on Friday that dropped him on the wrong side of the cutline. The PGA Tour took another look at the infraction and reversed it as Knapp hit his greenside bunker shot and then struck the sand with his club in frustration which is legal. Knapp made good use of his weekend rounds hitting his driver well on Saturday and his irons to perfection on Sunday. He’s having trouble syncing up the whole bag at the moment, but the pieces appear to be there. Grade: C+