Returning star Jhonattan Vegas to draw inspiration from success of Camilo Villegas

Fit-again golfer Jhonattan Vegas is heading to Australia inspired by the efforts of his good friend Camilo Villegas.

Jhonattan Vegas will play in the Australian PGA and Australian Open. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Paul ELLIS

If Australia-bound Jhonattan Vegas needed any further inspiration and motivation in his quest to win again on the PGA Tour, it has been provided by close friend Camilo Villegas.

Colombian Villegas’ weekend victory at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship was his first Tour win in more than nine years.

In that time Villegas not only battled injuries but also tragedy with the death of his 22-month-old daughter Mia in July 2020 from tumours on her brain and spine.

“You have seen how much he’s struggled inside the golf course and outside the golf course,” Venezuelan Vegas said on Wednesday ahead of his trip Down Under for the Australian PGA and Australian Open.

“For him to put everything behind him and just play golf, and good golf … to put all of that aside and wait so long (for another win), almost 10 years, hats off to him.”

Vegas said Villegas’ win had motivated him to achieve similar success in his own comeback after eight months on the sidelines with arm and shoulder injuries that required surgery.

Camilo Villegas’ weekend win has inspired Jhonattan Vegas. Picture: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images/AFP

“He’s a perfect example of what happens when you put your head down, start working hard, believe in yourself … you do things the right way,” said the 39-year-old Texas resident, whose most recent win was in July 2017 when he secured back-to-back Canadian Open titles.

“It’s really easy to look at the guys playing great golf, your (Rory) McIlroys, your (Jon) Rahms, your Scottie Schefflers and … think how easy golf is and life is.

“But when you really look down and see how hard golf is, and how much sacrifice you have to put into this game to achieve great things, you start appreciating a lot more what a guy like Camilo has done just to get back to the winner’s circle.

“It definitely motivates me and gives me a lot more energy to keep going and hopefully be in that winner’s circle soon again.”

Desperate to return to competitive golf, Vegas said Australia was the perfect location to fine-tune his game ahead of his PGA Tour comeback next year.

“When I looked around, the best place in the world this time of the year for golf is in Australia,” he said.

“I love it down there.”

Vegas played at the 2016 Australian Open at Royal Sydney, but next week’s visit to Royal Queensland will be first Australian PGA tilt.

“I know golf is very complicated right now but it seems like it’s coming together in Australia,” he said in reflecting on a field that includes LIV stars Cameron Smith. Marc Leishman, Mito Pereira and Joaquín Niemann, PGA Tour stalwart Adam Scott, and DP World Tour trio Adrian Meronk, Robert MacIntyre and Min Woo Lee.

Following the PGA, Vegas will head to Sydney for the Australian Open at The Lakes and Australian layouts.

“Golf has become a little bit money driven, which is a shame. We’re losing a little bit of our history,” Vegas said.

“Saying you’ve won a national open is just massive.”