There is a lot of talk about the designated events on this year's PGA Tour schedule. 

They can't all be elevated, though, and that presents a good opportunity for mid-tier and journeymen to rise to the occasion. They will have a chance to do just that at this week's Mexico Open at Vidanta. 

Jon Rahm is headlining the field as the defending champ and Tony Finau is also making the trip for a second straight year. The field thins out rather quickly after that, leaving it wide open if both of the superstars arrive with anything less than their best. 

There are 144 players lining up with the low 65 and ties playing the weekend. It's back to normal cutline rules after a switch-up with last week's team event in NOLA. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tony Finau

His breakout win back in the day came at the 2016 Puerto Rico Open, another event played on paspalum. He won in the fall at Memorial Park, another lengthy layout. Finau shared runner-up honors at this event last year and has a strong chance of finding himself right back in the hunt this week. 

Jon Rahm

Rahm is the clear-cut favorite at the top of the betting board. He opened at +280 in the outright market and deservingly so. He's won four of his last nine stroke-play events and is also the defending champ at Vidanta Vallarta. 

Brandon Wu

He has three podium finishes on the PGA Tour and all three have come on coastal courses. That includes a runner-up finish at this event last year. This course may not feature holes right on the coastline but the proximity to the coast seems to suit him well as it means slower, receptive greens and a breeze to deal with. 

Patrick Rodgers

He was T-4 through 54 holes of this event last year, saying, "I feel like the golf course suits me pretty well, but it's long and you really have to pick your spots." He's posted back-to-back top-20s and now heads to a course he likes. Sounds like a good recipe for success. 

Alex Smalley

Similar to Wu, a lot of Smalley's top finishes have come on courses near the coast. Six of his top seven finishes on the PGA Tour have come on coastal venues with the other coming at Memorial Park, another course with a lot of length to it. 

RANKING THE FIELD

1. Jon Rahm
2. Tony Finau
3. Wyndham Clark
4. Patrick Rodgers
5. Alex Noren
6. Maverick McNealy
7. Gary Woodland
8. Andrew Putnam
9. Stephan Jaeger
10. Alex Smalley
11. Aaron Rai
12. Emiliano Grillo
13. Robby Shelton
14. Ben Martin
15. Beau Hossler
16. Nicolai Hojgaard
17. Lee Hodges
18. Brandon Wu
19. Byeong Hun An
20. Taylor Pendrith

Editor's Note: Now, all our premium tools for Fantasy, DFS and Betting are included in one subscription at one low price. Customers can subscribe to NBC Sports EDGE+ monthly for $9.99. Click here to learn more.