‘That was just a dead smother’: Pro is flawless at Sentry, minus 1 funky hook

We’ll start with the good. There was so much of it, after all. 

Nine birdies on Thursday. An eight-under 65 on the Plantation Course at Kapalua. A share of the lead when he finished his opening round at the Sentry, the PGA Tour’s season-opening event. Camilo Villegas’ day was as flawless as the weather in Maui. 

Actually, most everything has been pretty wonderful of late for the 41-year-old Colombian. He’s playing in this week’s kickoff, reserved for various high finishers from a year ago, after a win in November at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, his first victory in nine years. And to the victor has gone the vibes.

“It’s a great feeling,” Villegas said. “It’s great to be here. It’s been a great offseason. It’s been time to reflect a little bit on everything that has happened in the career in a good way, in a positive way. The energy has been unbelievable. It’s nice to see the people care about you, people respect you, people are pulling for you, and nice to keep this thing going. 

“I really enjoy what I do. I said it in Bermuda: Sometimes you kind of fear kind of losing your job and not being able to do what we do, because I like to compete. It’s nice to be here, nice to be back with the big boys, and nice to get to a good start today.”

All good. 

Which makes what went down on the 14th tee all the more striking. 

That was bad, Villegas said. 

“Really bad,” he added.

Ahead of it, Villegas had birdied 8. And 10. And 11. And 12. And 13. He’d moved into a share of the lead. On the 290-yard, par-4 14th, Villegas talked with his caddie ahead of his tee shot on the risk-reward hole. He went with a 3-wood. He hit. 

His ball went left. 

It was low. 

It finished somewhere in the bushes. The PGA Tour Live broadcast initially flashed that his ball carried 141 yards, then later listed it at 228 yards. 

Back on the tee, Villegas raised both of his arms forward in frustration and quickly dropped them. He murmured.   

“Oh no,” an announcer said on the PGA Tour Live broadcast. 

“Oh my gosh,” another announcer said.  

“… That was just a dead smother.”

“That’s in that deep stuff,” another announcer said. 

From there, Villegas dropped. Up ahead were playing partners Brian Harman, whose 265-yard tee shot was short of the green, and Eric Cole, whose 276-yard tee shot was in the left greenside bunker. 

“The yardage books have a million sprinklers in it,” an announcer said on the PGA Tour Live broadcast of Villegas’ ball. “I don’t know if there’s one over there. He is way down to the left.”

He eventually bogeyed. Shot three was a pitch that hit the green’s false front and trickled back to the fairway. Shot four was a pitch to 4 feet. Shot five was a putt. 

Then Villegas was good again. 

He birdied 15. He birdied 16. He birdied 18.