Villegas Wins for the first time in nearly a decade
The 2023 Butterfield Bermuda Champion has been through a lot, more than most
I have caught myself crying in back to back weeks now. Look, I am an emotional guy at heart, but this is justifiable! First it was Erik Van Rooyen winning a tournament for his best friend who has terminal cancer, and now this week it was Camilo Villegas’ turn to capture the hearts of golf fans around the world.
It’s been nearly 10 years since Camilo Villegas has won a professional event. A streak that would find a lot of pro golfers on the outside looking in at a PGA Tour card. In fact, Villegas was signed up for this 2nd round of Q-School next week. If there is anything that Villegas has learned over the last few years, it’s not giving up. Look, professional athletes are humans, they go through the same things us mere mortals do as well, but in the public eye.
Winless streak aside, in 2020 he lost his 22 month old daughter to brain cancer. A moment that for many people would impact their career in a negative way. Who would blame him if he disappeared off the face of the Earth never to be seen again? Going through such tragedy tends to do one of two things: Weaken us, or strengthen us. Camilo chose the latter. He returned to play not long after Mia’s death at the urging of his wife, believing the best way forward was to reconnect with a game he had begun to separate from.
After a 2nd place finish last week at the World Wide Technology Championship, Camilo knew his game was there. He held off Alex Noren who went 48 consecutive holes without a bogey until he made back-to-back bogeys at the turn of the final round. It opened up the door for Villegas who never looked back and closed it out with a 2 shot victory winning the Butterfield Bermuda Championship and his 11th professionally. After the round he said, “It's tough to put into words right now. Wow, what a ride, man, I love this game. This game has given me so many great things, and in the process, it kicks your butt. Life has given me so many great things and in the process it kicks your butt, too."
"Tough to put in words, what a ride man, I love this game, it’s given me so many great things. But in the process it kicks your butt.”
I can’t help but feel for a guy who has been through so much. I can’t imagine the low of losing one of my kids. It’s a situation that no one is prepared to go through. The strength needed to get up in the morning and attack the day is just something that many of us would struggle with let alone winning a PGA Tour event. Not Camilo though, he had plenty of help as he looked up into the sky after his victory and said "I've got my little one up there watching."