Southampton (Bermuda): Colombian star Camilo Villegas ended a long and emotional drought, lasting over nine years, when he holed key birdies in the final round of 6-under 65 to win the Butterfield Bermuda Championship golf.
It was his first since 2014, but most importantly an emotional one since he lost his 22-month-old daughter to cancer in 2020.
Villegas stood erect, pumping his fist, and then looked skyward before players rushed onto the green to celebrate. Villegas went shot for shot with Alex Noren for five hours until all he had left was a tap-in for par for his first PGA TOUR title since 2014.
The Indian-American Akshay Bhatia finished T-20 after a final round of 3-under 68 at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. But the story
Earlier in the week, Arjun Atwal missed the cut in the event.
China’s Carl Yuan produced a career-best solo fourth finish to move right on the bubble to retain his PGA TOUR card for next season, with one tournament remaining in FedExCup Fall.
On a day Colombia’s Camilo Villegas ended a nine-year drought the 26-year-old Yuan closed his week with a gutsy 5-under 66 to earn 135 FedExCup points and rise from 134th to 125th position, which is the cut-off for players to keep their cards for 2024.
After opening with a lacklustre 70 on Thursday, Yuan said he was in a “dark place” but exchanging text messages with his wife Cathy brought some spark back into his game. Despite not swinging his best, he ensured he stayed committed to every shot.
With the 2022-23 Season winding up with the RSM Classic next, Yuan, who graduated from the Korn Ferry Tour last season, knows he must remain patient to stay inside the top 125 which will make him eligible for every Full Field event next year including the TOUR’s flagship tournament, THE PLAYERS Championship.
Compatriot Marty Zecheng Dou finished tied 65th on Sunday to drop from 127th to 132nd on the FedExCup Fall standings while Chinese Taipei’s C.T. Pan, who missed the halfway cut, dropped from 125th to 129th position.
Rookie Kevin Yu of Chinese Taipei, who started the week in 115th position, finished T30 and rose to 112th while Japan’s Satoshi Kodaira finished T13 to move up to 151st place.
–IANS
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