Camilo Villegas was shaky on the first tee Sunday at Country Club of Jackson.
That shakiness didn’t last long.
Following a third-round 74, Villegas made six birdies to card a 6-under 66 — his best round on Tour since 2017 — in the final round of the Sanderson Farms Championship. The four-time PGA Tour champion finished the event at 10 under, good for a top-25 finish after morning tee times.
Although proud of his 66, which rocketed him more than 20 spots up the leaderboard, Villegas said he thought he played better Thursday and Friday when he shot back-to-back 69s. To build off this week, he said he’ll focus on putting.
“The week was very weak with the putting, but the rest was great,” Villegas said. “A little work on the putting, keep the rest the same, and we’ll be there in Vegas next week.”
Sanderson Farms: Leaderboard | Photos
The only other Tour event in which the 38-year-old competed this season was the Safeway Open where he missed the cut.
In his final round in Jackson, Mississippi, Villegas made the turn at 2 under and accelerated on the back nine. He recorded a string of four birdies on Nos. 12-15 to finish the day bogey-free. Of the back nine, Villegas said he managed to play better the holes noticeably better Sunday than he did Saturday. On Saturday, he carded three bogeys on the back nine.
“The golf course is gettable if you drive it good because you can control the spin,” Villegas said. “Once you start getting a little bit crooked, you’re going to get — I love the rough here, don’t get me wrong, and the reason why I love it is because you can always advance it forward, but you’ve got to be very, very smart and a little bit lucky in terms of judging the lie, how the ball is going to react. I got a couple fliers yesterday that cost me.”
More than his bogey-free round on Sunday, Villegas was thankful to be free from shoulder irritation and back competing on Tour. Last season, Villegas competed in one PGA Tour event, the Honda Classic, where he missed the cut, and six Korn Ferry Tour events in which he made five cuts and his best finish was a T-4 in February at the Country Club de Bogota Championship.
Villegas hasn’t won on Tour since the 2014 Wyndham Championship.
“I’m just excited to swing a golf club, man,” Villegas said Sunday. “The last two years have been crazy to say the least, injury and then with our family situation, but like I told my wife, we can’t change the past, so we’re focusing on what’s going on right now, having a good attitude, and once again, I’m very, very happy to be swinging a golf club again.”
Villegas’ daughter, Mia, died in July at 22 months old after a six-month battle with tumors on her brain and spine.
The former University of Florida golfer is planning to compete at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (Oct. 8-11), Bermuda Championship (Oct. 29-Nov. 1) and the Houston Open (Nov. 5-8). Villegas also said he might compete at the RSM Classic (Nov. 19-22).
The Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin begins Thursday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
