Camilo Villegas seeks to recapture magic at World Wide Technology Championship

Camilo Villegas came into last year’s World Wide Technology Championship having missed seven of his last nine cuts and was curious about his swing, his place on the PGA TOUR and what was to come next – the thought of PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry was firmly on his mind.

But golf has a funny way of working exactly how you want it sometimes.

Villegas finished tied for second a year ago in Mexico before parlaying that fine finish into a win at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship – his first on TOUR in nine years.

This year on the PGA TOUR has been a lot of the same for Villegas, results-wise, as he’s made just five cuts through 2024. Now he has been otherwise preoccupied a little bit this year, as he’s the chairman of the PGA TOUR Player Advisory Council as well as serving as one of Mike Weir’s captain's assistants at the Presidents Cup in Royal Montreal.

But a return to this particular event has him reenergized for hopefully the same kind of finish as last year on TOUR.

“That kind of gives expectations in terms of, kind of, what we have to do out there,” Villegas said. “Set a plan for each day and try to put ourselves in contention.”

Villegas has played four times in the FedExCup Fall after his helpful effort at Royal Montreal and sits 194th in the FedExCup Fall standings. His time as part of the International Team leadership was helpful, Villegas said, in terms of inspiration. And he felt it went both ways.

“I hope I inspire (the younger generation) in some way or another as an assistant captain. I think they've seen what I've done, and I think there's respect. But yes, I'm also inspired by them during the week,” Villegas said. “It's a very fun week, it's a special week. They got us working hard to see how we can keep getting a little bit better, a little bit better and lifting that trophy.

“It's a goal not only of the players, but the assistant captains and the future captains and the whole kind of team and staff around the International Team.”

Between all of Villegas’ off-course work through 2024 (he also plays a key role in his family’s foundation, Mia’s Miracles, and is of course a father) when has he been able to work on his own game?

Luckily for Villegas – who turns 43 in January – he still loves putting in the work.

“Being a dad, can't leave that one out. It is busy, but it's fun and it's challenging… In a crazy world, in a hectic world, where so many things are happening and so many challenges are coming up, I'm up for it,” Villegas said. “You know what, the game of golf, there's no time to stop. We've got long seasons. We've got a lot of goals. And we have some tough competition. I'm not getting any younger, either.

“I'm an active guy, I enjoy the process, I enjoy waking up early, I enjoy giving my best both in the gym and the golf course and the range.”

With a laugh, Villegas said he wasn’t 100 percent sure what clicked for him a year ago at El Cardonal at Diamante. He was working hard on his swing and admitted he “gambled big time,” starting work with a new coach, Jose Campra, who Villegas said he had known for a long time – starting when they played junior golf tournaments against each other. Campra told Villegas it was going to “take a lot of time” and things were going to be tough.

“I believed in him, I trusted him, and I was very patient throughout the year. We were doing a lot of things that kind of maybe didn't make too much sense to me and then eventually they started clicking and clicking and clicking,” Villegas said.

The tough part a year ago, Villegas said, was to stay mentally calm. He had come to Mexico having just played two practice rounds at the Tesoro Club, where he was set to tee it up at the Second Stage of Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.

“But I wasn't worried. I had my back against the wall, and I don't know why I wasn't worried. So, I guess it was a little bit of that understanding what he was trying to give me that gave me that clarity. And boom, it clicked,” Villegas said. “I played great here. I fricking threw away my Tesoro yardage book for Second Stage of Q-School. I thought I was going to go to Finals after that and then I go and win and no Q-School. So here we are.”

Here we are indeed – back to where a successful run got started. And Villegas is hoping for more of the same in 2024.