The runaway train that was Andrew Novak could not be stopped on Sunday at Vidanta Vallarta despite a mostly sluggish start to his final round.
While he posted eight pars on his front nine and a bogey at the par-4 10th hole, Novak was still able to walk out of Mexico with the first individual championship of his career and the tournament scoring record at 25 under thanks to three straight birdies on the back nine when his putter reignited.
He won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans last year with Ben Griffin, who cheered him on at the 18th hole and took pictures of Novak’s victory celebration.
“I played really well on the front but I didn’t get much out of it, the putter was a little off,” Novak told Golf Channel’s Damon Hack moments after sealing the five-shot win. “I didn’t separate much but I still had a lead — and 10 was a mistake, three terrible shots in a row. Recovered and made three birdies in a row and that settled everything. ...
“Obviously I love the Zurich and everything about that tournament but it’s nice to have one by myself,” he added. “I’ve been working toward this for a while. Not a great season for how I wanted it to go but this is a nice way to finish it.”
With the milestone victory, the 31-year-old Novak is projected to move up from No. 89 in the FedExCup fall standings into the top 60. If he maintains that spot, he will have eligibility to all eight signature events next season.
The birdie spree helped give Novak all the confidence he needed to close out the win on his back nine. With the circle at the par-5 12th, he regained a four-shot lead over Doug Ghim — one of his two playing partners Sunday.
Novak saw his margin shrink to three shots after the bogey to open his back nine. He extended the lead to five and then six strokes, respectively, with a pair of birdies at Nos. 13 and 14. The latter birdie putt came from 44 feet out.
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— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) November 1, 2026
Three straight birdies extend Andrew Novak's lead to six shots pic.twitter.com/KmvmHKVFgu
Novak carried a six-shot lead into the day after carding a 61 on Friday and a 62 a day later to reach 23 under through 54 holes.
In addition to Ghim, he held off Sunday charges from Steven Fisk (-8) and Kris Ventura (-8).
Fisk and Ventura, who both bogey-free on Sundya, tied for second at 20 under after Ghim double bogeyed the final hole to drop to 18 under on the tournament.
Trace Crowe, Cameron Davis and Neal Shipley all got in with Sunday 63s to give five players a tie for lowest final round score.
Like Novak, Fisk seems poised to leverage his start in Mexico into the top 60 of the fall standings. They sit No. 53 through Nos. 55, respectively, in the projections.
Ventura is projected to move up from No. 108 to No. 76, which will secure him a Tour card in 2027.
