Estrella del Mar Country Club | Mazatlán, Mexico | February 17-20, 2022
Tournament highlights at: https://bit.ly/34JxuOs-
Final Leaderboard
2022 Estrella del Mar Open
Estrella del Mar Country Club
February 20, 2022
Click here for full leaderboard
Pos. | Player | Scores |
1 | Matt Ryan (U.S.) | 63-70-66-66—265 (-23) |
T2 | Mitchell Meissner (U.S.) | 67-67-69-65—268 (-20) |
T2 | Cristóbal Del Solar (Chile) | 66-67-68-67—268 (-20) |
4 | Joseph Winslow (U.S.) | 65-68-70-66—269 (-19) |
5 | Brian Ohr (U.S.) | 70-67-66-67—270 (-18) |
T6 | Emilio González (Mexico) | 66-67-68-70—271 (-17) |
T6 | Armando Favela (Mexico) | 65-68-66-72—271 (-17) |
T6 | Anthony Paolucci (U.S.) | 67-65-67-72—271 (-17) |
T9 | Andy Spencer (U.S.) | 70-67-67-68—272 (-16) |
T9 | Andreas Halvorsen (Norway) | 68-70-66-68—272 (-16) |
T9 | Raúl Pereda (Mexico) | 70-69-65-68—272 (-16) |
Ryan wins by three following back-to-back 66s in Mazatlán
MAZATLÁN, MEXICO—Making his PGA TOUR Latinoamérica debut in 2014, Matt Ryan finished on the losing end of a seven-man playoff in a tournament in Guadalajara. He thought he would win soon, but he didn’t. Sunday afternoon, almost eight years later and making his 47th Tour start, the 35-year old from California finally had his opportunity to shine with a victory at the 2022 Estrella del Mar Open.
In a week where he began with a tournament-low 63 Thursday, Ryan closed the deal with
a strong weekend of back-to-back 66s. At 23-under 265, he finished three strokes clear of fellow American Mitchell Meissner and Chile’s Cristóbal Del Solar, who shared runner-up honors after rounds of 65 and 67, respectively.
“It’s awesome, it’s great, maybe it’s sweeter,” Ryan said about his long-awaited victory on a PGA TOUR-sanctioned Tour. In addition to the starfish shaped trophy he received, Ryan claimed 500 points to move to third on the Totalplay Cup standings, the season-long competition that will reward the leading PGA TOUR Latinoamérica players with Korn Ferry Tour status in 2023.
Entering the day in a three-way tie for the lead, Ryan opened with consecutive birdies on Nos. 1 and 2 to move past fellow 54-hole co-leaders Armando Favela and Anthony Paolucci. They ended up posting rounds of even-par 72 to slip into a tie for sixth, at 17-under.
“I got off to a great start. I drove [the green] on No. 10. I think it was 325 (yards) to the front edge and two-putted for birdie, and then, I two-putted from the fringe on 11 for (another) birdie,” said Ryan of a start that left him atop the leaderboard for good.
He added birdies on 5, 7 and 8 to make the turn at 5-under and then made a huge eagle on 10, a downwind, 541-yard par-5 the Estrella del Mar Country Club members play as hole 1.
“I hit a 2-iron from a side, downhill lie, wind off the left. It was a back-left pin, and I actually aimed at Heber (Rodriguez), the (PGA TOUR Latinoamérica) cameraman. I just thought that if I missed it a little left, the wind would help me. It started right at him, and it just kept fading, and the wind off the left softened it and it landed to 30 feet and rolled up to 10. The putter felt great for the middle stretch of holes, and I just buried [the putt],” said Ryan, who at the point was cruising at 24-under for the tournament.
Although a couple of bogeys on 11 and 14 slowed him down, no one was able to catch him. He birdied 16 and then parred the last two to secure the three-shot win.
“I felt like I was chasing a number, not playing anyone. I was prepared for Armando to make everything. He is one of the best putters I have ever seen. Anthony is a great player, ball-striker, so my goal was to be about 6-under through 13 and just go from there,” the winner added about the last-grouping battle he expected to encounter.
This win comes on the heels of a frustrating 2020-21 season that saw Ryan lose his Korn Ferry Tour membership. Over the past two years, he managed to record only five top 25s, making 15 cuts in 34 starts on PGA TOUR-sanctioned Tours, playing the Forme Tour and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica as well.
“The last couple of years have been so trying,” he admitted. “Making it to the Korn Ferry Tour, I missed by one getting full status in 2019, and then when COVID hit I didn’t get in the first few events. Even up until the practice round on Tuesday, I was playing with (Alan) Wagner, and I just whispered in his ear, ‘Man it’s been a long time since I had fun playing golf,’ and that’s what, six days ago?”
As third on the Totalplay Cup standings with nine tournaments left to play this season, Ryan can now set his sights on a return to the Korn Ferry Tour. “I definitely want to finish top five in the (Totalplay Cup) Points List, I think I’m in a good place,” he said beaming and as happy as he has been on a golf course in quite some time.
Did you know Matt Ryan has six mini tour wins as a professional? After graduating from Fresno State University, he turned pro in 2010 and joined the eGolf Tour, where he won five tournaments by 2015. He recorded his other victory on the GPro Tour.
Key Information
Matt Ryan won the Estrella del Mar Open at age 35 years, 5 months, 1 day.
Matt Ryan was making his 47th start on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, where his career record improved to one victory and 10 top-10 finishes. He had been a runner-up twice on Tour, losing playoffs at the 2014 TransAmerican Power Products Open in Guadalajara, Mexico, and at the 2017 VISA Open de Argentina in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Matt Ryan became only the sixth lefthanded player to win a PGA TOUR Latinoamérica tournament. The following are the five lefties who preceded him as Tour winners:
Armando Favela (Mexico) 2014 Guatemala Stella Artois Open
Will Bateman (Canada) 2015 Chile Open
Sam Fidone (U.S.) 2016 Honduras Open
Isidro Benítez (Mexico) 2018 VISA Open de Argentina
Conner Godsey (U.S.) 2021 Banco del Pacífico Open (Ecuador)
One of Matt Ryan’s best friends is Irishman Seamus Power, who joined the PGA TOUR’s winners’ circle with a victory at the 2021 Barbasol Championship. They met during their time as eGolf Tour players several years ago. “Watching him playing incredible golf has been inspiring,” says Ryan of his friend’s success at the highest level.
Starting the day in a tie for 52nd, Jorge Fernández Valdés carded a bogey-free 66 in Sunday’s final round to tie for 32nd, at 11-under. The 29-year old from Cordoba, Argentina, managed to remain atop the Totalplay Cup Points List, with 766 Totalplay Cup points. Not ranked after missing the cut in his first two starts of the season, Matt Ryan earned 500 points for his win to move into third. The following are the Totalplay Cup top-10 players after the third of 12 events on the 2021-22 schedule:
Totalplay Cup Standings
(Through the 2022 Estrella del Mar Open)
Rank | Player | Points |
1 | Jorge Fernández Valdés (Argentina) | 766 |
2 | Alan Wagner (Argentina) | 621 |
3 | Matt Ryan (U.S.) | 500 |
4 | Mitchell Meissner (U.S.) | 348 |
5 | Chandler Blanchet (U.S.) | 345 |
6 | Jeremy Gandon (France) | 309 |
7 | Cristóbal Del Solar (Chile) | 251 |
8 | Rak Cho (South Korea) | 245 |
9 | Aaron Terrazas (Mexico) | 199 |
10 | Ryan Cole (U.S.) | 175 |
Chile’s Cristóbal Del Solar, a two-time PGA TOUR Latinoamérica champion, had not recorded a top-10 on Tour since tying for ninth at the 2020 Estrella del Mar. The Viña del Mar native shot 67 Sunday to move up from a tie for fifth into a two-way tie for second. “I was feeling pretty good coming into this week after spending time in Chile, where I worked on my swing and started to strike the ball pretty well. Basically, now I know where the ball is headed to, and I can focus on playing golf,” said the 27-year old Florida State University alum.
The low rounds of the day were 7-under 65s shared by American Mitchell Meissner and New Zealand’s Denzel Ieremia.
Entering the day tied for ninth, the strong finish allowed Mitchell Meissner to charge into a tie for second that matched his best career PGA TOUR Latinoamérica finish. The 25-year old from San Antonio, Texas, tied for second while making his Tour debut at the 2019 Buenaventura Classic in Panama.
Denzel Ieremia, a PGA TOUR Latinoamérica rookie who earned his 2021-22 card as a runner-up at the Q-School played here last November, went bogey-free Sunday to tie for 18th. He entered the day tied for 45th and was coming off missed cuts on his first two starts last year.
Emilio González, a 24-year old from San Miguel de Allende, and Armando Favela, a 35-year old from Tijuana, were the leading Mexican players tied for the sixth spot, at 17-under.
Twenty-six Mexican players saw action this week. Ten survived the cut, and this is how they finished the tournament:
Pos. | Name | Score |
T6 | Emilio González | 66-67-68-70—271 (-17) |
T6 | Armando Favela | 65-68-66-72—271 (-17) |
T9 | Raúl Pereda | 70-69-65-68—272 (-16) |
T12 | Rodolfo Cazaubón | 69-69-68-67—273 (-15) |
T18 | Jorge Villar | 66-68-66-74—274 (-14) |
T24 | Aaron Terrazas | 66-70-72-67—275 (-13) |
T46 | José Narro | 73-67-68-72—280 (-8) |
T50 | Cristian Romero | 69-71-70-71—281 (-7) |
T50 | Angel Morales Hernández | 66-70-72-73—281 (-7) |
T56 | Roberto Rodríguez Cacho | 71-69-74-69—283 (-5) |
Quotable
“Starting (the day, I had) some advice from (PGA TOUR winner) Seamus Power, one of my best friends. He told me that everybody has the same feelings, everybody is a little nervous, everybody has shaky hands, we all should be used to that if we are in contention.”—Matt Ryan
“Argentina and Mexico, every time I get off the plane I’m just so happy. That was a running joke a few years ago. Every time I come to Mexico I seem to play well, Tijuana, Guadalajara, here, San Luis Potosi, I seemed to contend in all of them, so it’s awesome, I love Mexico.”—Matt Ryan
“I just think PGA TOUR Latinoamérica is such a special Tour. Some of my closest friends (play here, and) we are not even fluent when we speak to one another, but we give each other hugs and support.”—Matt Ryan
Final Round Weather: Sunny. High of 78. Wind W at 10-17 mph.
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