Camilo Villegas wowed at Sedgefield on Sunday, firing a final round seven-under 63 to capture the Wyndham Championship, his first title in nearly 4 1/2 years (2010 Honda Classic). Villegas posted a total of 17-under for the tournament to edge out Bill Haas and Freddie Jacobson by a mere stroke.
The day started with a packed leaderboard, with 12 players entering the final round within three strokes of the leader. Villegas was not one of them, as he trailed by five shots.
However, he got off to a hot start, carding a six-under 29 on the front nine, which included four birdies and an eagle. He added another birdie on the par-5 15th to get to seven-under for the day.
When the Colombian golfer finished his round, he was simply hoping to get into a playoff.
“I thought I needed one more (stroke),” said Villegas of his 63, -16 total. However, his score held up, and he won almost comfortably while sitting in the clubhouse, while the contenders struggled coming down the stretch.
Turned out Haas — and Jacobson — was the one who needed one more shot after posting a six-under 64. Jacobson needed a par on the 18th hole to match Villegas, but he missed his 11-footer by inches.
“It really sucks when you play solid all day and, you know, I really thought it was my day coming in,” Jacobson said. “All I needed was a solid strike to get up there and good feed in and have a good chance of winning.”
Meanwhile, Heath Slocum finished two shots back, shooting a 67. 54-hole leader Nick Watney, Brandt Snedeker and Webb Simpson ended the tournament at 14-under, three strokes off the lead.
Villegas had to sit around for about 45 minutes before his victory was secured as he waited for the third-round leaders to finish up — which was a bit nerve-wracking, to say the least.
“When the boys got closer to the last hole, you can get a little anxious,” Villegas said via the AP. “You don’t have a golf club in your hand. You can’t really control it.”
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Winning the event wasn’t the only thing at stake on Sunday at Sedgefield. The Wyndham Championship was the last regular season tournament on the 2013-14 PGA Tour schedule, which meant it was the final chance for players to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs by placing in the top 125 in the season-long race for points. (God, I just sounded like one of those annoying ads.)
Villegas surged from no. 105 to no. 37 to position himself nicely entering the first of four legs in the Playoffs.
Slocum, who finished fourth, kicked off the week at no. 158 on the points list. He briefly reached 17-under, but slipped down the leaderboard by closing with two bogeys. Those late mishaps also prevented him from qualifying for next week’s Barclays, the first leg of four in the Playoffs. Slocum ended up finishing at no. 129.
Martin Laird was another bubble boy. He threatened the lead all weekend, but he ultimately placed T14, which only propelled him to no. 127 on the points list.
Paul Casey started the week at no. 125 and his tie for 18th at the Wyndham safely secured him a spot in The Barclays. Sang Moon Bae played his way into the playoffs by finishing in a tie for 14th that surged him to no. 120 in points. Jhonattan Vegas entered the week at no. 124, but his T8 safely moved him to no. 108th.
And the lucky no. 125 on the list?
Robert Allenby missed the cut at the Wyndham, but he only dropped three spots from no. 122 to make the Playoffs. He edged out no. 126 Nicholas Thompson by one point. Who said every putt didn’t count? Come to think of it, nobody.
Here’s a list of the bubble boys…
