Camilo Villegas is a five-time PGA Tour winner. At 43, he understands the craft of professional golf — the highs and lows — better than most. Two years ago in Bermuda, Villegas, who is from Colombia, broke a nine-year winless drought at the Butterfield Championship and earned a two-year ban in the process.
But his two-year leave expired this year and he was demoted back to Q-School it takes a good four days to regain its fully released status.
“I’ve been able to win in my 40s, which is great,” Villegas said after the second round of Q-School. “But here we are. At the end of the day, whatever I’ve done in the past doesn’t matter. It’s where we are now.”
Villegas put himself in position to retain his card but needed a great Sunday finish within the top five and stay in the upper circuit. He bogeyed the first but doubled the 9th to make the turn in even for the day and on pace to earn his card back. But Villegas put the pedal down on the back nine, making four straight birdies from 14 through 17 to reach the 18th hole at Dye’s Valley needing a birdie to enter the playoff.
Villegas split and closed his approach but dropped the effort to finish at 10 under, a shot out of the playoff between Dylan Wu and Ben Silverman for the fifth and last card dealt at the Q school.
While Villegas’ charge at Sunday’s Q-School came up short, he didn’t hang his head and ride off into the Florida sunset.
Instead, he hung around to watch his friend and compatriot Macelo Rozo come home three under to finish in a tie for second and secure a PGA Tour card for the first time in the 36-year-old’s career. After Rozo hit his first shot on the 18th hole, his emotions poured out. Rozo celebrated not only with his family but also with Villegas.
Rozo was aware of Villegas’ frantic run at 9-9 and that his friend, with whom he stayed through the pressure-filled week, came up one shot short.
“I saw, I saw,” Rozo said Sunday. “I think I accidentally hit a board and saw his name. Yeah, 13. I saw ‘Villegas’. I was like, I know that guy. He’s not going down without a fight. He’s tough, he’s really good and I think a day like today would favor his game. He’s really good in the wind, as we all know. He made a run. Obviously, I’m sad he didn’t make it to the playoffs to win another card, but I’m sure he’s proud of the way he fought.”
With both their jobs hanging in the balance, Rozo said he and Villegas kept things “easy” Saturday night, and then the five-time PGA Tour winner offered some words of encouragement Sunday morning as Rozo prepared to follow his dream.
“He came down and just told me, ‘Hey, you’re going to feel it get away from you at some point. It probably will. Just know you’ve got to keep fighting until the end, hitting one at a time,'” Rozo said. “He told me, like, look at you yesterday, I thought I was four to nine. He turned it into a draw, but he just told me to keep my head in it. It’s going to be tough, but you’re up for the challenge.”
Rozo said that after Villegas and his body left the house Sunday morning, Rozo called his mental coach and then cried as the magnitude of the 18 holes before him sank in. But he said he embraced the emotions. He held on to them and prepared to finally achieve his dream.
“I told myself and even wrote some things like steam in the shower this morning,” Rozo said. “Like ’26 PGA Tour member,’ I wrote it down. Those little moments that I obviously haven’t shared with anyone.”
Eighteen holes later, Rozo’s lifelong quest to become a PGA Tour member was complete, and Villegas, though he didn’t come within a shot of her, was there to share in a moment that meant more than words could say.
