Raul Pereda's TOUR debut continues to be a fun one

The PGA TOUR debut for Mexico native Raul Pereda just gets better and better at the Mexico Open at Vidanta.

Pereda, who is from Mexico City, shot a 1-under 70 in the second round. He’s tied for 12th after 36 holes in his first-career PGA TOUR event.

On Friday, he holed out for eagle from 249 yards using a fairway wood on the par-4 16th – the toughest hole on the golf course. His hole-out is the longest by any player on TOUR this season.

Pereda said he hit a good drive, but it ended up in a sprinkler, so he got relief and dropped in the fairway. With 249 yards left, he grabbed his 3-iron, initially thinking his 3-wood would have been too much club. His caddie convinced him otherwise, however.

“I heard someone clapping so I thought it hit the pin because it was coming in hot, I thought maybe just close, and 10 paces later someone said, ‘Oh, it's in,’” said Pereda. “That was very nice to have in the round today.”

Starting on the back nine, Pereda made birdie on Nos. 11 and 12 before dropping in the eagle on No. 16. He had an up-and-down front side, however, making two birdies and three bogeys – including two in a row to close out his round. With a laugh, Pereda said he couldn’t find a bathroom late in the day so he was distracted as he played his final few holes.

Still, he was very pleased with how he handled the day overall.

“I missed a few shots, I was trying not to pee my pants the last few holes and that kept me out of focus,” Pereda said. “It feels great. I’m one-for-one on the PGA TOUR, in cuts. I can see rounds like this like boxing, I got hit but I hit a lot more, too. I did my best. I kept my same mentality and the same process that I did yesterday.”

Pereda shot a 6-under 65 in the first round and is tied with six others at 7 under, including world No.1 and defending Mexico Open champion Jon Rahm.

While Rahm was winning the Masters, Pereda said he worked with his coach in Atlanta that week. Although he lost in a playoff for a Korn Ferry Tour Monday qualifier, he knew his game was trending. He was ready to play PGA TOUR Latinoamerica this week when he got the call that he was in the Mexico Open field.

The 26-year-old turned pro in 2018 after a college stint at Jacksonville University and he’s got plenty of home-country support this week. Now that he’s found the weekend, he’s hoping he can give them even more to cheer about than his impressive hole-out eagle from Friday.

“I prepared myself to really feel that this is the environment where I want to be and the environment where I want to belong,” Pereda said, “and I just started believing it and never hesitated or doubted myself about why am I here.”