Camilo Villegas Facts: 15 Things You Didn't Know About The PGA Tour Player

Camilo Villegas first earned his PGA Tour card back in 2004 but reminded everyone of his enduring quality when he claimed victory at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in November 2023, ending his nine-year spell outside the winner's circle.

That win earned him an exemption into the 2024 Masters but here are some things you might not know about him...

Camilo Villegas Facts

1. Camilo Villegas was born on January 7, 1982 in Medellin, Colombia.

2. Villegas took up the game as a child and enjoyed a prestigious youth career, becoming the first player in Colombian golf history to win the Amateur's Grand Slam in the same year: The National Junior Championship (stroke play), the National Junior Championship (match play), the National Amateur Championship, and the Colombian Open in the amateur category.

3. In 2001, he became only the second player to win the Colombian Open as an amateur. 

4. Villegas attended the University of Florida where he studied Business. Whilst playing on the golf team he was a four-time All-American, including earning first-team honors in 2001, 2002 and 2004.

5. He has tattoos on his wrist with inspirational sayings. On the right he has written "attitude" and on the left, "positive energy."

6. Outside of golf, his great passion is cycling and, in the past, has described himself as having "obsessive cycling disorder."

7. His golf icon growing up was Gary Player.

8. Villegas turned professional in 2004 and earned his PGA Tour card just two years later in 2006.

9. The Colombian made a blistering start to his Tour career, recording two second-place finishes and a third place at The Players in his first nine starts. 

10. He won his first professional event on the Japan Golf Tour at the Coco-Cola TokaiClassic in 2007. The following year he claimed two victories on the PGA Tour in the space of a month, winning the BMW Championship followed by the Tour Championship after a playoff against Sergio Garcia. 

11. He reached a career-high ranking of World No. 8 following his win at the Tour Championship. 

12. Villegas is often compared with Spider-Man for his unique style of reading greens before he putts. He leans himself all the way to the putting surface, stretching out his left leg while balancing himself on his right leg, getting his chest and head almost to the ground, from which he reads his putts.

13. He won two further times - at the 2010 Honda Classic and 2014 Wyndham Championship - but the Colombian would then go nine years before his next win at the 2023 Bermuda Championship.

14. After a six-month battle with tumors on her brain and spine, Villegas' daughter, Mia, passed away in 2020. She was 22 months old. Along with wife Maria, Villegas launched Mia's Miracles, an initiative under the Camilo Villegas Foundation, with the mission to provide help to children and families facing challenging circumstances

15. His best Major championship finish is a tie for fourth at the 2008 PGA Championship. His start in the 2024 Masters marked his first Major championship appearance since missing the cut at the PGA Championship in 2015.