The post The important lesson you should learn from Camilo Villegas’ unusual bag setup appeared first on Golf.

The post The important lesson you should learn from Camilo Villegas’ unusual bag setup appeared first on Golf.

Let’s face it: Tour players have bag setups we can learn a great deal from in terms of strategy, set up and optimization.

But you have to have a trained eye. After all, they’re Tour players, which means their weaknesses are … less obvious than yours or mine. You often can’t look at a bag at first glance and identify exactly what that player struggles with or is trying to mitigate. Deeper dives are usually needed to get the full picture.

But there is a bag that tells a pretty obvious story from the moment you see it. It’s not often that you see the set-up of a Tour winner know immediately it’s built around one main thing: getting the ball in the air and keeping it there.

Sound familiar? You and Camilo Villegas have more in common than you think.

Villegas has always been a player who does whatever it takes to perform, whether it’s in the gym, on the mental side, or, in this case, with his equipment. But the 5-time PGA Tour winner does live on an island when it comes to his bag set-up. Bags like his you would see more on the Champions Tour or your local country club than on the PGA Tour.

Here’s his bag set-up:

Titleist GT3 Custom Driver

GT3 – Speed-Tuned Distance & Control GT3 offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization. With a speed-tuned design that allows you to precisely match performance to your most frequent contact location, you can make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping. For players with a relatively consistent impact location, GT3 offers a precisely adjustable CG Track to max out distance and directional control. Seamless Thermoform Crown A reimagined ultra-lightweight design, born from a new Proprietary Matrix Polymer. The tunable acoustic properties of this unique composite allow Titleist engineers to realize new material gains while maintaining our signature sound and feel. All wrapped in a clean look that inspires total confidence. Split Mass Construction A breakthrough in internal weighting unlocks longer drives and enhanced directional control in GT3. The Adjustable CG Track now sits closer to the face for more dynamic CG control, while additional discretionary mass is pushed to the back of the club to maintain optimal stability through impact. Advanced Aerodynamics GT3 features a new raised tail contour that represents a dramatic shift in driver aerodynamics. Previously impossible to execute due to design constraints, this advanced shaping results in a driver that swings faster while still providing optimal CG control.

$649.00 $449.99 from Fairway Jockey

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TaylorMade Qi35 Custom Fairway Wood

$349.99 $299.99 from Fairway Jockey

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Titleist GT2 Custom Hybrid

$329.00 from Fairway Jockey

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Srixon ZXi5 Custom Irons

$199.99 from Fairway Jockey

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Titleist Vokey SM10 Raw Custom Wedge

For every shot, every lie, every course, there’s a grind fit for your swing. Finding the right grind to match your swing and playing conditions will give you the best turf interaction, contact and shot performance. Master Craftsman Bob Vokey has spent decades crafting, developing and improving his tour proven grinds to fit players of all levels.Anyone can manufacture a wedge, but it takes a master to turn a piece of high-performance technology into an instrument of creative control. Bob’s six tour-proven grinds are designed to offer maximum creativity, versatility and consistency, all meticulously developed through years of working with the best players in the world. PROGRESSIVE CENTER OF GRAVITY SM9 features a progressive center of gravity (CG) throughout the lofts, which optimizes ball flight, accuracy and forgiveness. Using tapered top lines and varied hosel lengths, the Vokey R&D team has raised the height of the CG in the higher lofts, which promotes a lower, more controlled flight.The CG is also forward of the face, resulting in increased MOI, exceptional feel and a club face that simply wants to square up at impact. SPIN MILLED GROOVES SM9’s patented Spin Milled grooves are meticulously engineered through a new cutting process to maximize spin and durability. The process starts by cutting the face perfectly flat with a high-speed saw. Then every groove is individually cut based on loft and finish; low lofts (46°-54°) are designed with narrower, deeper grooves, while higher lofts (56°-62°) have wider, shallower grooves.Micro-grooves are individually cut in between grooves, which maximize spin on partial shots. A proprietary heat treatment is applied to the impact area which doubles the durability of the groove without impacting feel, making it the most durable groove in golf. The process is only complete when every Vokey wedge is 100% inspected for utmost quality and performance.

$225.00 from Fairway Jockey

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What’s going on

Villegas really leans the shaft at impact and has always launched the ball low. Couple that with the fact that he doesn’t have crazy speed (170.6 mph average), and suddenly you see why Villegas needs to focus his attention on getting the ball in the air.

One of Camilo’s fitters told me the challenge of Villegas’ bag is keeping his driver launch at least 9 degrees. For context, typical launch on Tour is 11-13 degrees. Rory McIlroy lives around 12-14 degrees. Villegas also needs spin, which explains his ProV1X ball choice and very lofted wood and iron set-up.

Villegas’ shaft selection is where things get really interesting. His HZURDUS Black and PX are both lower launch/lower spin profiles, but Villegas opts for a softer flex (6.0 flex instead of 6.5 in his woods, and 6.5 at 115G in the irons) to keep spin and launch from overcooking the other way. This is the hinge point of his gear setup: While he needs as much launch and spin as possible, he also needs a lever somewhere to bring it all together. In this case, his shaft profiles play a critical role.

Loft Everywhere

Loft is where Villegas’ gear setup gets interesting. Let’s break down his set by loft:

Driver: 11 degrees set at 10.25 with weight back
3-wood: 16.5 degrees with weight back
7-wood: 21 degrees with weight back
5-hybrid: 23.25 degrees
4-iron: 25 degrees
5-iron: 28 degrees
6-iron: 32 degrees
7-iron: 36 degrees
8-iron: 40 degrees
9-iron: 44 degrees
PW: 48 degrees

For the Gen X players among us, those lofts look like something we would have played when balata balls were a thing. As the ball changed to lower spin and higher launch, lofts went down to something about 2-3 degrees stronger than that.

What you can learn

There are ways to optimize your setup if you learn your swing’s non-negotiables. In Villegas’ case, he makes sure his set has a ton of loft and plenty of spin to navigate his swing’s more de-lofted tendencies. It’s called hedging your bets. You never want to play with clubs that live on the razor’s edge of perfect and disaster. Villegas opts for a surplus of loft and spin to give himself a margin for error.

Is your bag set up to weather any storm? If the answer is yes, great! If the answer is no and you’re a player who hits it low, check out Villegas’ setup for some cues on how to fix it.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2025? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

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The post GOLF’s Subpar: Camilo Villegas shares the downside of his ‘Spiderman’ putt reading appeared first on Golf.

The post GOLF’s Subpar: Camilo Villegas shares the downside of his ‘Spiderman’ putt reading appeared first on Golf.

Subpar’s Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz are joined by 4-time PGA Tour winner Camilo Villegas who shares the downside of his ‘Spiderman’ putt reading.

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Our friends at Linksoul apparel have some exciting things planned for the Holiday season, so go to Linksoul.com and sign up to get their emails and texts for early access to everything going on.

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The post GOLF’s Subpar: Camilo Villegas talks why he knows how much it costs to clean Tiger’s jet appeared first on Golf.

The post GOLF’s Subpar: Camilo Villegas talks why he knows how much it costs to clean Tiger’s jet appeared first on Golf.

Subpar’s Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz are joined by 4-time PGA Tour winner Camilo Villegas who shares why he knows how much it costs to clean Tiger Woods’ private jet.

—

Thanks to our official sponsor Dewar’s. Make sure to check out their Reserve Bar listings today: https://www.reservebar.com/collections/house-of-dewars 

Our friends at Linksoul apparel have some exciting things planned for the Holiday season, so go to Linksoul.com and sign up to get their emails and texts for early access to everything going on.

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The post For Camilo Villegas, a big Sunday awaits — relatively speaking appeared first on Golf.

The post For Camilo Villegas, a big Sunday awaits — relatively speaking appeared first on Golf.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Camilo Villegas won this tournament, the Honda Classic, on this golf course, PGA National, a short bike ride (for him) from his home in Jupiter. But that was 11 years ago. A long time ago.

“Man, I don’t know who that is, but that was some shot,” a fan said after Villegas smashed a 3-wood, line-drive second shot on the par-5 18th on Saturday. He was hitting it straight into the fan.

Villegas proceeded to glide down the fairway, looking like he didn’t have a care in the world. White shoes, white pants, white belt, white shirt, white hat—and the welterweight physique to pull it off. But looks, of course, can fool us all.

He was playing, here on Saturday, with his Tour status on the line. His round on Sunday will be more of the same, as he plays under a PGA Tour status called Major Medical Extension, owing to an injury to his right shoulder. Villegas needs to finish third or better here to maintain full playing privileges on Tour. If he doesn’t, he’s exempt on the Korn Ferry Tour.

That’s big. It’s also nothing.

Villegas has won four times on Tour. He’s the greatest golfer, by far, to come from Colombia. The 39-year-old golfer has made over $20 million just on the PGA Tour. He’s likely doubled those earnings, at least, with other income. That’s his work life.

And then there’s his life life. He’s playing with a pain that might diminish over time but will never disappear. Villegas and his wife, Maria Ochoa, lost their 22-month-old daughter, Mia, to cancer last July.

News

During the third-round telecast on NBC, there was a segment about Villegas and his wife donating a room at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Mia’s memory, a room where hospital staffers working in hematology and oncology can try to unwind from the unimaginable pressures of their jobs. The hospital, in Miami, is one of the charities associated with the Honda Classic. Supporting the hospital has been a driving force in the life of Barbara Nicklaus, Jack’s wife of more than 60 years.

Villegas shot 69 and 65 in the first two rounds, which earned him a late (1:15 p.m.) tee time with Stewart Cink in the third round. The PA announcer, identifying the players on the 18th green, had no problem at all with Cink’s name. His playing partner’s name came out something like this and right out of Greensboro: Cuh-MILL-oh Var-LAY-gus. Camillo has heard ‘em all. Ca-Me-oh Beh-jay-gus is close to correct, at least in American English.

Villegas got up and down from in front of the green for a closing birdie and a round of 72, two over par. He’ll start the last round in a tie for 13th, six shots out of first but only three shots out of second. Sunday will be big for him, in terms of his PGA Tour career. But it’s not life-or-death.

Cink missed a two-footer on the last for par. When he got over his ensuing tap-in, the wind moved it. He called in an official, to make sure he was playing it the right way. (He was; you don’t move it back if you never marked it, which he hadn’t.) A long ending to a long day, in the wind, on a hard course. But he and Villegas had a notably warm exchange when it was over.

“One of my favorite guys to play with,” Cink said later. Cink had one of his own children caddying for him, and through the round he wondered what Villegas must be going through. Villegas’ caddie was his brother, Manuel, also a professional golfer. “The golf course as a sanctuary,” Cink said. “As it is for many of us.”

News

As Villegas came off the 18th green and entered a makeshift tunnel underneath the bleachers, two old friends were waiting for him. Villegas burst into a big smile.

“Guy Kinnings and Clarkey Jones!” Villegas said. The two men were once prominent agents at IMG and represented Villegas for years. After the 2008 British Open, Jones was following Villegas through the clubhouse at Royal Birkdale following the golfer’s disappointing fourth-round 76. Jones was a notably dapper agent of the old school and Villegas was famously stylish. Villegas was practically speed-walking when he said to Jones, “And another thing — these pants are s—.” The things we think are important.

That was then. And now is now. His birdie on the last was brave, in golf terms. “I needed a 4 to go home,” Villegas said.

Regarding his unexpected reunion with his two former agents, Villegas said, “A lot of good memories.”

Good memories are a blessing.

“Just like old times,” Jones said to Villegas, behind 18.

Yes and no.

Michael Bamberger welcomes your comments at Michael.Bamberger@Golf.com.

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The post 3 things to know after Round 3 of the RSM Classic appeared first on Golf.

The post 3 things to know after Round 3 of the RSM Classic appeared first on Golf.

They’re through three rounds at the RSM Classic, and the competition is heating up. Robert Streb holds the lead after a third-round 67, but with optimal scoring conditions projected for the final round, he’ll have to keep pouring in the birdies if he wants to walk away victorious.

Here are three things to know heading into the final round.

Zach Johnson in contention

With a third-round 65 in Sea Island, Zach Johnson has given himself a chance heading into Sunday — and that’s a rare thing these days for the 44-year-old. Since his victory at the 2015 Open Championship, Johnson has yet to find the winner’s circle again as his prime years look well behind him. But with a six-birdie performance on Saturday, he has a chance to hoist a trophy yet again.

“The bottom line is you still have to go out and execute shots,” he said after his round. “I’m giving myself opportunities and good looks … I think patience is going to be key and obviously just sticking to my keys.”

After birdieing three out of his last five holes, he’ll be in the final group tomorrow as he chases his 13th career Tour victory, and his first in the state of Georgia since his improbable win at the 2007 Masters.

Camilo Villegas still in the mix

When he was warming up on the range Thursday, Camilo Villegas saw a rainbow. It reminded him of his late daughter Mia who tragically passed earlier this year after a bout with cancer.

“I got on the range and see a little rainbow out there. I start thinking about Mia and said, ‘Hey, let’s have a good one,'” he said Thursday. ” She loved colors and rainbows … It was a nice way to start the day.”

He’s carried those good vibes with him throughout the week as he fired rounds of 66 and 64 — his lowest 36-hole total in his Tour career — to get himself into contention. Saturday was more of a struggle for the 38-year-old as he shot even-par 70, but sitting just five shots back, he’ll have an outside chance at claiming the title on Sunday.

Robert Streb leads the way

Six years ago, Robert Streb claimed his first Tour victory at the RSM Classic. On Sunday, he’ll look to claim his second Tour victory at the same event.

On the strength of a 43-hole bogey-free streak, Streb owns a three-stroke advantage heading into the final round. Steady golf in blustery conditions buoyed his round Saturday as he kept the ball in front of him and built his lead.

If he hopes to close out the victory, he’ll has to stave off a host of challengers. Six players are within five shots of the lead including Tour winners such as Kevin Kisner and Kyle Stanley.

The post 3 things to know after Round 3 of the RSM Classic appeared first on Golf.

The post RSM Classic: An emotional Camilo Villegas contends and 3 things to know after the second round appeared first on Golf.

The post RSM Classic: An emotional Camilo Villegas contends and 3 things to know after the second round appeared first on Golf.

The 22-month-old daughter of one of the contenders died in July of cancer. The contender returned a month later, and he is playing this PGA Tour season on a medical extension due to a shoulder injury. He’s seeking his first victory in six years. It’d be a helluva story if he got it. Here are three things you need to know after the second round of the RSM Classic at Sea Island Resort in Sea Island, Ga.   

Camilo Villegas is in second  

Camilo Villegas, while warming up before his first round on Thursday, said he saw a rainbow. Which his daughter, Mia, loved. Which is the color ribbon he wears on his hat in her memory. 

“I started thinking about Mia and said, ‘Hey, let’s have a good one.’” Villegas said Thursday. 

He did Thursday. A six-under 64 on the Seaside Course at Sea Island Resort. And he did Friday, too. A six-under 66 on the Plantation Course. It’s his personal best for 36 holes and puts him two strokes off the lead as he looks for his first win since the Tour Championship in 2008. 

Villegas was asked Thursday if it’s difficult not to get emotional during a round when he’s thinking about his daughter. 

“You know what, I just did a little bit when I mentioned her name,” he said. “When I’m out there, I’m so focused, there’s so much going on, especially under these conditions. I’m there with my brother (his caddie), and you just follow a process. So to answer your question, you’re so focused on what you’re doing that it doesn’t really – I’m not going to say it doesn’t distract me, but like I said, when I got on the range and I saw a rainbow – hey, listen, here it is. She loved colors and rainbows, and my wife was all about it. And it was cool. It was a nice way to start the day.”

Robert Streb leads 

Robert Streb, whose lone Tour victory came in 2014 in Sea Island, shot a nine-under 63 on Friday on the Plantation Course for a 14-under total and the two-stroke lead over Villegas. 

Three shots behind Streb are Bronson Burgoon and Patton Kizzire, and four shots back are Harris English and Kyle Stanley. 

Justin Rose misses the cut 

Among the players to miss the cut were Justin Rose, who finished at two under, and Lee Westwood, who finished at seven over.   

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The post Why PGA Tour pros are wearing rainbow ribbons at the FedEx St. Jude Invitational appeared first on Golf.

The post Why PGA Tour pros are wearing rainbow ribbons at the FedEx St. Jude Invitational appeared first on Golf.

At its very best the PGA Tour community is a tight-knit group that can rally around a common cause for the greater good. This week, that means coming together to support one of its own and showing solidarity in wake of a heartbreaking loss.

Nearly every Tour player — plus caddies and tournament staff members — has been wearing a rainbow ribbon on his hat at this week’s WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational to honor the daughter of longtime Tour pro Camilo Villegas. His daughter passed away last weekend at 22 months old after fighting tumors on her brain and spine.

The ribbons were available on the first tee for players to pin on, according to a photo tweeted out by the PGA Tour.

“Camillo Villegas’ daughter Mia tragically passed from cancer on Sunday. These ribbons are available to all players, caddies and staff to honor Mia, who loved rainbows,” read the note posted by the Tour.

Ben An was among those wearing a ribbon and spoke to it after his round.

“I’ve got a boy in my house that’s six months old and it’s heartbreaking. It’s so hard to imagine what they’re going through, myself as a father of my son. Hope they stay strong and then hopefully we’ll see him back soon. But I feel so sorry for them.”

When they noticed Mia wasn’t playing as she normally did, the Villegas’ took Mía to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami for scans, which is when doctors discovered the tumors. The next months were a combination of surgeries and chemotherapy.

Villegas opened up about his daughter’s battle when he returned to competition at the Korn Ferry Tour Challenge at TPC Sawgrass in June. He had mixed feelings about competing, he said, but was inspired by his daughter.

“I remember the first thing the doctor said was, ‘Hey, listen man, if we give you the chemo we’re going to give her, you don’t make it.’ So they can take a lot,” Villegas said at the time. “And I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it over the last 2 1/2 months. Is she feeling pain? Yeah, she is. She keeps waking up the next day and looking at the TV, and she wants me to put some cartoons or something there. She’s feeling pain; she’s playing with her toys. I remember at the beginning she kept crying and playing. I didn’t really get that. I was like, How can you cry and play? But she wanted to play. So they are strong. They are strong. And it’s inspiring to watch. Tough, but inspiring.”

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan released a statement on Monday grieving the loss.

“The PGA Tour is deeply saddened having lost a member of our family, Mia Villegas,” he said. “We grieve with Camilo and Maria and our thoughts and prayers are with the Villegas family.”

The post Why PGA Tour pros are wearing rainbow ribbons at the FedEx St. Jude Invitational appeared first on Golf.

The post Camilo Villegas plays with a heavy heart and 3 other stories you might’ve missed appeared first on Golf.

The post Camilo Villegas plays with a heavy heart and 3 other stories you might’ve missed appeared first on Golf.

While a star-packed field battled at Colonial as the PGA Tour returned, there were other intriguing storylines playing out elsewhere in the golf world. Here are four stories you might’ve missed.

Shad Tuten delivers a career-best finish at Sawgrass

Shad Tuten birdied four out of his final five holes at Dye’s Valley course at TPC Sawgrass as he recorded his career-best T2 finish at the Korn Ferry Challenge. If you don’t know who Tuten is, you’re forgiven, but the Korn Ferry Tour rookie has an interesting career arc thus far culminating in last week’s finish.

As golfers navigate the intricacies of this coronavirus pandemic, it’s interesting to note that Tuten, arguably, is only a professional golfer because of a different pandemic. Tuten was a star high school basketball player a decade ago when he became infected with the H1N1 virus — swine flu — during his senior year. He lost 25 pounds battling the disease and missed out on a majority of his senior season. So he shifted his focus to golf. Collegiate golf at Darton College and Armstrong State followed before Tuten turned pro and worked his way up to the Korn Ferry Tour this year.

Then, another pandemic hit and paused the 27-year-old’s rookie season. In his long-awaited return to play, Tuten capitalized.

Joseph Bramlett speaks on social injustice, finishes runner up

Golf can be a homogenous sport — especially on the PGA Tour — but there is still some minority representation in the game’s upper ranks. Harold Varner III got most of the spotlight this week in that regard as he contended at Colonial as the country experiences civil unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s death. But Joseph Bramlett is another Black PGA Tour member who used his platform this week to speak on the country’s current events.

“Honestly, it was a ticking time bomb,” Bramlett said after his first round at the Korn Ferry Challenge. “And I think that brought what people would chalk up to being black urban legends, it brought it right into their living rooms, and people were forced to see it, to face it and to think about it … And it pissed a lot of us off.”

Bramlett, who is biracial, went on to explain that he’s been reflecting on his heritage in the past few weeks.

“I’m in a unique place where I’m mixed — I’m white and I’m black,” he said. “It’s something that I’ve been raised with. I’ve grown up to and was taught a lot about some of the challenges the black community faces in this country. For me, I thought unfortunately the murder wasn’t really that surprising. I really just kind of sat and thought about how grateful I was to be in the position I’m in, in this world.”

The thoughtful commentary on the current state of affairs were a huge plus on the week for Bramlett as he took his strength to the course and posted a T2 finish at Dye’s Valley course.

Camillo Villegas plays with a heavy heart

Even as the return to golf was marked by celebration and jubilee, there was some somber news from the Korn Ferry Tour. Camilo Villegas announced early in the week that his 20-month-old daughter Mia has been battling brain and spine tumors over the past several months. The battle has been difficult for the Villegas family, but he decided to play the Korn Ferry Challenge anyway in a effort to find peace during this difficult time.

“We’ve got no other option than to be strong and to support (Mia) and to send her good energy,” Villegas said. “This is not about feeling sorry for the Villegas family, this is about sending the Villegas family good energy, support and inspiration. That’s what Mia has been doing for me the last couple months.”

Villegas shaved his head in solidarity with his daughter during the week. The 38-year-old started strong on Dye’s Valley course with an opening-round 67, but he faded into the weekend and settled for a T33 finish.

Canadian Tour cancels season amid coronavirus pandemic

This news came several weeks ago, but it deserves a note in this column nonetheless. The Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada, one of the PGA Tour’s development tours, announced they have canceled their season as a result of travel restrictions from the coronavirus pandemic.

“With growing uncertainty surrounding the border and the 14-day quarantine regulations, among other factors, we’ve weighed all of our options and concluded that it is not feasible to play this summer,” Mackenzie Tour executive director Scott Pritchard said in a release.

However, another PGA Tour development circuit, PGA Tour Latinoamérica, informed their players in an email that the decision to cancel play north of the border will not affect its season, and they plan to release their schedule in June.

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