The PGA TOUR is heading south, and things are heating up! The Mexico Open at VidantaWorld kicks off this Thursday, with Jake Knapp returning to defend his maiden PGA Tour title. Fresh off an impressive T17 at The Genesis Invitational, Knapp’s timing couldn’t be better as he looks to recreate the magic that launched his career at Vidanta Vallarta last year.

This isn’t just another tournament week, though. As the final stop before the Tour heads east, there’s more than just a trophy at stake. Players are battling for precious FedExCup points and a chance to secure a spot in the Arnold Palmer Invitational through the Aon Swing 5. For golf fans, that means we’re in for an action-packed week of must-watch golf.

Thursday’s featured groups: All eyes on the morning wave

Thursday’s opening round showcases several compelling groups. The marquee group of Emiliano Grillo, Davis Riley, and Matt McCarty headlines the morning wave, teeing off at 9:03 a.m. ET. Grillo enters the week looking to build on his consistent early-season form.

Just before them, Joel Dahmen, Taylor Montgomery, and Chan Kim start their tournament at 8:52 a.m. ET. The trio will be followed by an intriguing international grouping of Patton Kizzire, Kurt Kitayama, and Francesco Molinari at 9:25 a.m. ET.

Defending champion Jake Knapp tees it up alongside Aaron Rai and Stephan Jaeger at 1:43 p.m. ET. Rising star Akshay Bhatia, coming off a T9 at Genesis, headlines the marquee group with Patrick Rogers and Rasmus Højgaard at 1:54 a.m. ET. Beyond the featured groups, the field includes several emerging talents worth watching, including the Højgaard twins and 17-year-old Blades Brown, who’s making his second Tour start since turning professional.

The detailed tee times of the entire field are as follows:

Tee No. 1

8:30 a.m. – Ben Martin, Jonathan Byrd, Ben Kohles
8:41 a.m. – K.H. Lee, Alex Smalley, David Lipsky
8:52 a.m. – Ryan Palmer, Tyler McCumber, Jacob Bridgeman
9:03 a.m. – Chris Gotterup, Matt Wallace, Adam Svensson
9:14 a.m. – Ben Silverman, Chandler Phillips, Mac Meissner
9:25 a.m. – Isaiah Salinda, Paul Waring, Thomas Rosenmueller
9:36 a.m. – Alejandro Tosti, Tim Widing, Taylor Dickson
9:47 a.m. – Anders Albertson, Rikuya Hoshino, Leandro Mihaich (a)
9:58 a.m. – Niklas Nørgaard, Braden Thornberry, Riley Lewis
10:09 a.m. – Trevor Cone, Jeremy Paul, Justin Hastings (a)
10:20 a.m. – Antoine Rozner, Philip Knowles, Gerardo Gomez (a)
1:10 p.m. – Chad Ramey, Charley Hoffman, David Skinns
1:21 p.m. – Ben Griffin, Henrik Norlander, Vince Whaley
1:32 p.m. – Michael Kim, Padraig Harrington, Nicolai Højgaard
1:43 p.m. – Aaron Rai, Stephan Jaeger, Jake Knapp
1:54 p.m. – Akshay Bhatia, Patrick Rodgers, Rasmus Højgaard
2:05 p.m. – Rafael Campos, Erik van Rooyen, Luke List
2:16 p.m. – Andrew Putnam, Sam Stevens, Sami Valimaki
2:27 p.m. – Michael Thorbjornsen, Matteo Manassero, Karl Vilips
2:38 p.m. – Hayden Springer, Jackson Suber, Will Chandler
2:49 p.m. – Max McGreevy, Ryan Gerard, Matthew Watkins
3:00 p.m. – Jesper Svensson, Cristobal Del Solar, Santiago de la Fuente

Tee No. 10

8:30 a.m. – Sam Ryder, Greyson Sigg, Ryo Hisatsune
8:41 a.m. – Nate Lashley, C.T. Pan, Matti Schmid
8:52 a.m. – Joel Dahmen, Taylor Montgomery, Chan Kim
9:03 a.m. – Matt McCarty, Davis Riley, Emiliano Grillo
9:14 a.m. – Kevin Yu, Harry Hall, Taylor Moore
9:25 a.m. – Patton Kizzire, Kurt Kitayama, Francesco Molinari
9:36 a.m. – Scott Piercy, Harry Higgs, Ryan Fox
9:47 a.m. – Takumi Kanaya, Matthew Riedel, Steven Fisk
9:58 a.m. – Frankie Capan III, Danny Walker, Luke Gifford
10:09 a.m. – Brian Campbell, Vince Covello, Erich Fortlage (a)
10:20 a.m. – William Mouw, Kevin Velo, Jesse Droemer
1:10 p.m. – Trey Mullinax, Justin Lower, Rico Hoey
1:21 p.m. – Lanto Griffin, Aaron Baddeley, Carson Young
1:32 p.m. – Will Gordon, Victor Perez, Joe Highsmith
1:43 p.m. – Peter Malnati, Vincent Norrman, Nick Hardy
1:54 p.m. – Beau Hossler, Patrick Fishburn, Kris Ventura
2:05 p.m. – Ricky Castillo, Noah Goodwin, Fred Biondi
2:16 p.m. – Thriston Lawrence, Aldrich Potgieter, Blades Brown
2:27 p.m. – Paul Peterson, Quade Cummins, Jose Antonio Safa (a)
2:38 p.m. – John Pak, Kaito Onishi, Jose Luis Ballester Barrio (a)
2:49 p.m. – Kevin Roy, Mason Andersen, Alvaro Ortiz
3:00 p.m. – Hayden Buckley, Thorbjørn Olesen, José Cristóbal Islas

With these exciting pairings set to create drama on the course, here’s everything you need to know about catching every shot at the Mexico Open.

How to follow the action at the Mexico Open

For those looking to catch all the drama unfold, Golf Channel provides live coverage from 4-7 p.m. ET on Thursday and Friday. The weekend coverage expands with NBC joining in—tune to Golf Channel from 1-3 p.m. ET before switching to NBC from 3-6 p.m. ET for both Saturday and Sunday’s rounds.

Early birds can catch comprehensive coverage on PGA Tour Live through ESPN+, starting at 9:15 a.m. ET each day. The streaming service offers access to the main feed, marquee groups, featured groups, and a Spanish-language feed.

Radio listeners aren’t left out either; PGA Tour Radio provides coverage on SiriusXM from 1-7 p.m. ET Thursday and Friday and 1-6 p.m. ET on the weekend. The radio broadcast is also available for free at PGATOUR.com/liveaudio.

As the tournament kicks off Thursday morning, all eyes will be on these pairings as they navigate the challenging Vidanta Vallarta course. Who do you think will emerge victorious from this stellar field? Share your predictions in the comments below!