PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida—With a tie for third at the Diners Club Perú Open and a tie for second at the Quito Open in his last two starts, the highly consistent Mitchell Meissner has charged to second on the Totalplay Cup standings. The 25-year old from San Antonio, Texas, is within 117 points of overall leader Jorge Fernández Valdés, who tied for 43rd in Peru and missed the cut in Ecuador.

“Jorge played great early in the year. I thought he was going to be really tough to beat, and he has made it a little easier this week. I mean, he is a great player, a phenomenal golfer and I love playing with him,” said Meissner, who has finished inside the top 20 in all of his eight PGA TOUR Latinoamérica starts this season. “I’m looking forward to getting to Guadalajara and trying to close that gap even more or even take over the first place in the Totalplay Cup standings.”

The Tour resumes play May 26-29 at the Jalisco Open GDL in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Meissner’s season-long performance includes a Tour high six top-10 finishes—three of those top-threes. The Rice University alum has also recorded the most birdies this season (145).

A two-time winner as a professional, with wins at the 2020 Texas Open and a 2022 All Pro Tour event last month in Dallas, Meissner has found victories elusive on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.

“I’m a faithful guy, and I believe it’s going to happen when it’s going to happen,” Meissner said of winning. “It wasn’t meant to be this week. It’s comical that I’ve played well how many weeks in a row? And someone has been better than me in each of those weeks. But someday it’s going to be my time, whether it’s this year or next year on the Korn Ferry Tour, whenever it is. I’m looking forward to the future.”

The two weeks off before the Jalisco Open GDL will do well for Fernández Valdés. The 29-year old from Cordoba, Argentina, had a rough time in Peru, where he caught a stomach virus. “He was in very bad shape, throwing up through the first round in Lima. I suggested a couple times that he should withdraw, but he wasn’t willing to give up. I couldn’t believe he was able to play and even make the cut under those circumstances,” said his caddie, Esteban “Luli” Castillo.

Fernández Valdés first missed cut of the season didn’t come as a surprise, as he has struggled in Quito’s altitude in the past. Following rounds of 76-69, he had to return home with a record of five missed cuts in seven career starts at the Quito Tennis and Golf Club. “It’s a week I really like, but it’s also one I struggle with. It was tough to miss the weekend play,” he posted on an Instagram photo of his week in Quito.

As the Quito Open champion, this past week Manav Shah gained 45 spots in the standings, moving into the eighth spot. Finishing two strokes behind him to share runner-up honors with Meissner, Joel Thelen jumped 20 spots into 15th. Colombia’s Pipo Celia charged from 90th to 51st with a tie for sixth, while Will Cannon made the best move, advancing 55 positions, from 149th to 94th.

The following are the Totalplay Cup top-10 players heading into the Jalisco Open GDL. The ninth of 12 events on the schedule is set for Atlas Country Club.