Van Rooyen's T3 in Mexico Elevates Him to No. 40 in OWGR

MEXICO CITY -- Patrick Reed put on a remarkable display of putting last week at Club de Golf Chapultepec, and the result was a victory in the WGC Mexico Championship. The 29-year-old former Masters champ one-putted 46 of 72 greens during the tournament, and capped off his performance with birdies at the par-5 15th, par-4 16th and par-3 17th holes during the final round on Sunday.

That enabled him to overtake Bryson DeChambeau down the stretch on the way to a closing round of 4-under-par 67, which gave him a winning total of 266 (18 under). It allowed him the luxury of being able to bogey the final hole, after an errant tee shot, and still claim the first-place check of $1,820,000. 

This was Reed's second World Golf Championship victory and his eighth PGA Tour title overall. 

As for DeChambeau, who made $1,150,000, he took the lead Sunday with four birdies on the first five holes of the back nine. Playing one group ahead of Reed, he bogeyed the 17th, at roughly the same time Reed was making his birdie at the 16th to take the lead. Reed's birdie at the 17th gave him all the insurance he needed. 

Finishing three behind Reed in a tie for third at 269 were Erik Van Rooyen and Jon Rahm. 

Van Rooyen , a former University of Minnesota star from South Africa, won the 2012 Minnesota State Amateur at Hastings CC, then turned professional the following spring, after completing his eligibility for the Gophers. He played mainly on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa for the next four years, but he earned his first victory as a pro in Minnesota, at the 2016 Tapemark Charity Pro-Am at Southview Country Club.

That victory was worth $6,000. 

On Sunday, Van Rooyen and Rahm made $600,000 apiece as their shares of third place. 

In the Tapemark that Van Rooyen won, he played the first nine holes in 3 over par, before realizing that he needed to keep the ball below the pins on Southview's greens. He then played the last 45 holes in 15 under.

Last Thursday, in the opening round of the WGC Mexico, Van Rooyen was 3 over after his first nine holes (the back nine at Chapultepec). He got started in the right direction with a chip-in for eagle at the 305-yard, par-4 first hole. He chipped in one more time before the day was done, and managed to finish the round under par with a 70.  

Friday was Van Rooyen's 30th birthday, and he celebrated by tying the then-course record score of 62, with another chip-in. (Rahm broke the record with a 61 on Saturday.)

A winner of one tournament and more than 2 million euros last year on the European Tour, Van Rooyen was in the final group both Saturday and Sunday, and he held his own in competition with playing partners who were all PGA Tour winners and ranked near the top of the Official World Golf Rankings. On Saturday, he got off to a birdie-eagle start and birdied four holes in a five-hole stretch on the back nine, on his way to a 67. On Sunday, he birdied the first and second holes and was tied for the lead.

He suffered his only double bogey of the week on the par-4 10th hole, where he hit his tee shot into the left trees, punched his second shot into a greenside bunker and then blasted the next shot 20 yards over the green. A birdie and a bogey followed, but Van Rooyen lifted himself back into the top three in the standings with birdies at the 15th and 16th holes, and signed for a final-round 70. 

Although he isn't an official member of the PGA Tour, Van Rooyen has made $667,000 in the two PGA Tour events that he's played during the 2019-20 season. The money from WGC tournaments also counts toward the European Tour money list, where Van Rooyen is now No. 6, with the equivalent of 776,511 euros.

The tie for third raised him from No. 52 in last week's OWGR to No. 40 this week. He has already claimed a spot in this year's Masters by being in the top 50 at the end of the 2019 calendar year, and he got into the WGC Mexico field by being No. 50 in the rankings a couple of weeks ago. At No. 40 this week, should now be a lock to get into the Players Championship and the WGC Match Play Championship in March, both of which have the same top-50 qualifcation category.    

PGA TOUR

WGC Mexico Championship

At Club de Golf Chapultepec

Par 71, 7,355 yards

Mexico City

Final results

1. Patrick Reed                   $1,820,000       69-63-67-67--266

2. Bryson DeChambeau     $1,150,000        68-63-71-65--267

T3. Erik Van Rooyen             $600,000        70-62-67-70--269

T3. Jon Rahm                       $600,000        72-69-61-67--269

5. Rory McIlroy                     $430,000         65-69-68-68--270  




Minnesotans or players with Minnesota connections who are listed in the Official World Golf Rankings 

Rank    Player    (Prev. Rank)    From          Final 2019 Rank           Highest Career Ranking (Date)

40. Erik Van Rooyen (50), South Africa                  49*                                   40 (current)

146. Tom Hoge (144), Fargo                                   240                                  142 (2020)

154 Troy Merritt (154), Spring Lake Park              140                                    82 (2016)

714. Charlie Danielson (708), Osceola                   692                                  630 (2019)

865. Brady Schnell (836), Milford, Iowa                  752                                   291 (2018)

1544. Justin Doeden (1542), Lakeville South         1548                                1447 (2019)

1599. Tim Herron (1534), Wayzata                       1425                                    29 (1999)

1623. Ben Polland (1599), Spring Lake Park         1428                                 747 (2018)


* -- The top 50 players from the final 2019 rankings, including Erik Van Rooyen, have earned invitations to the 2020 Masters.

Others

T2085. Tom Lehman (T2082), Alexandria             T2074                              1 (1997) 

T2085. Cameron Beckman (T2082), Burnsville     T2074                             75 (2002)

T2085. Neil Johnson (T2082), River Falls              T2074                           1147 (2004)

T2085. Andre Metzger (2082), Sioux Falls             T2074                           1443 (2012)

T2085. Donald Constable (T2082), MInnetonka     T2074                            1491 (2013)

T2085. Derek Chang (2082), Atlanta                       T2074                            1558 (2015)

T2085. Robert Bell (T2082), Pierz                           T2074                             1584 (2015)

T2085. Andrew McCain (T2082), Minneapolis/Nashville   T2074                   1925 (2018)

T2085. Nick Heinen, Edmond (T2082), Okla.           T2074                            1986 (2018)       

T2085. Craig Brischke (T282), Madison, Wis.           T2074                          T2061 (2019)