“What a great story” “Love at first sight” – Fans react to rookie Jake Knapp winning the 2024 Mexico Open at Vidanta
Jake Knapp carded an even-par 71 on Sunday to claim the 2024 Mexico Open at Vidanta, beating Sami Valimaki by two strokes. Despite shooting his worst round of the week, he was able to secure his first PGA Tour after aggregating at 19-under over 72 holes.
Knapp, who was making his fifth start of the rookie season, already had a four-stroke cushion as he headed to the final round. The round was nothing like what it had been so far, as he started with two bogeys in the first three holes and then could make only two birdies to finish the day at par.
However, thanks to his previous three rounds, Valimaki could only reach 17-under with his 2-under 69 on Sunday.
Fans online showered praise on Knapp for his first win on the PGA Tour. Here's a look at some of the reactions:
"Congratulations‼️ What a great story," one fan wrote.
"Love at first sight. And first time in ages that I've watched a PGA telecast without Tiger in the field," another commented.
"Let’s face it l. Mullets are 🔥," one fan commented.
"From taking fake id’s at the door 2 years ago, to the Masters in 6 weeks. 🤯," another chimed in.
"CONGRATULATIONS 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 I was cheering for you hard this weekend 🏆 Well Deserved," one fan averred.
Here's a look at some more reactions:
"I could feel my heart racing," Jake Knapp expresses his feelings after winning the Mexico Open at Vidanta
Jake Knapp had a memorable week at Vidanta Vallarta as he dominated the field to win the Mexico Open, his first title on the PGA Tour.
In the post-round interview, he shared how he was feeling the night before the Sunday round. Knapp said he was quite calm while having dinner and then going to sleep, but then woke up at midnight.
"I woke up in the middle of the night and I could feel my heart racing,” he said as per ABC news. “I was more excited to get things going. I wasn't worried about performing — maybe I should have been."
Knapp added that the win hadn't sunk in fully, as he had yet to see the events he had made it after winning the Mexico Open.
"I haven't looked at the schedule and all the events that I'm into now. Obviously I know the Masters and everything like that. Yeah, it feels pretty amazing," he said as per teescripts.com.
The 29-year-old golfer earned $1,458,000 for the Mexico Open win. Besides the Masters' invite, he has also earned a call for the PGA Championship and the remaining five signature events, including the Players Championship.