Dev Series Final: Five players to watch in Mazatlán

MAZATLÁN, Mexico – For the first time in its history, Estrella del Mar Resort is hosting the final event of the Dev Series, the developmental circuit sanctioned by PGA TOUR Latinoamérica. The course, though, is no stranger to PGA TOUR Latinoamérica golf, having hosted official events and Qualifying Tournaments on that Tour.

Now it’s the Dev Series’ turn.

After 16 events in six different countries, the Dev Series Final brings together a 62-player field, with the players not only competing for a U.S. $40,000 prize purse but also battling to grab one of the 10 playing cards available for the PGA TOUR Americas’ 2024 Latin America swing.

The top-three finishers at the tournament that begins Wednesday and concludes Saturday) will receive full exemptions for the first part of the first-year Tour, PGA TOUR Americas. In addition, those who finish between the fourth-and-10th-place positions (including ties) will go home with conditional membership status.

The Tour’s 2024 season begins in March, featuring tournaments in Latin America, Canada and the United States.

Here are five players to watch this week:

Samuel Anderson
United States

Anderson, 24, missed out on the top 60 of the 2022-23 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica’s Totalplay Cup, closing in the 62nd position. Anderson was only 22 points shy from retaining his membership for the PGA TOUR Americas’ 2024 Latin swing. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Anderson recently completed a challenging season on Tour, missing the cut in his last three tournaments, dropping him from the top 60 in the Totalplay Cup. His overall best result was a tie for 14th place at the Diners Club Peru Open.

Emilio Domínguez
Argentina

Domínguez is one of the most-experienced players in the field, underlined by the fact he is the only player in the field this week who has won on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica present in. The Argentine’s sole victory on the Tour came at the 2019 Neuquén Argentina Classic. That week, the 38-year-old Domínguez triumphed in a dramatic two-hole playoff over U.S. player Tom Whitney, now a PGA TOUR member. Although Domínguez began the 2022-23 season after capturing medalist honors at the Argentina Qualifying Tournament, he couldn’t maintain that level and only made the cut in five tournaments. His best result was a top-10 at Termas de Río Hondo.

Danny Ochoa
United States

Ochoa was unable to retain 2024 PGA TOUR Americas via his PGA TOUR Latinoamérica performance by just 18 points in the Totalplay Cup. In his debut on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Ochoa played in 11 events and made the cut in six. His best performance was an eighth-place tie at the VISA Argentina Open presented by Macro. Mazatlán holds good memories for Ochoa, a native Californian. In the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Qualifying Tournament at Estrella del Mar prior to the 2022-23 season, Ochoa tied for third to earn his card.

Alex Weiss
United States

The 27-year-old Weiss was a member of the 2023 Korn Ferry. He made the cut in nine out of 19 tournaments played after playing previously on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica. His best Korn Ferry Tour finish came when he tied for 19th at the Astara Golf Championship in Bogotá, Colombia. During the 2022-23 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica season, Weiss only played in three tournaments, making the cut in all three. Two rounds of 67 on the weekend allowed him to finish in the top 10 at the VISA Argentina Open presented by Macro.

Joel Thelen
United States

Thelen is another former Korn Ferry Tour member who will be competing this week. Thelen secured his 2023 status by finishing in the top 40 of the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament, which led him to play in 21 official tournaments. Among the nine cuts he made, his best result was a tie for 35th at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron. On PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, where he also spent time, Thelen turned in his best performance at the Neuquén Argentina Classic—a tie for sixth.