In another low-scoring day, Camilo Villegas birdied his final three holes on Friday to finish at 8 under 64, which gave him a two-shot lead into the weekend at the World Wide Technology Championship.
At the wind-free, exposed El Cardonal at Diamante, the first Tiger Woods course design that has been devoid of the usual windy conditions in the southernmost point of Baja California, Villegas was one of six players vying for the lead.
In an effort to secure a spot on the PGA TOUR, the 41-year-old Colombian tied Matt Kuchar with a birdie on the 16th hole and went on to close at 16-under 128 with two more birdies.
Up until a misplaced tee shot into the native area on the par-5 final hole, Erik van Rooyen, who started the week ranked No. 125 in the FedEx Cup, was tied for the lead with Kuchar and in position to pass him. After accepting a penalty drop, he returned to the fairway, struck into a bunker, and made double bogey to finish with a 64. He fell into a tie for the fifth place.
Justin Suh (65) and Stephan Jaeger (65) both had 13-under 131.
Villegas beat his previous career best of two strokes for 36 holes on the PGA TOUR, which he had established at The RSM Classic three years prior. The 64-64 start, meanwhile, wasn’t his finest to date.
He reflected on the year 2004, when he had just graduated from Florida and attended Q-School, skipping the second round. Villegas reported that he shot 61-62 at a Hooters Tour event the following week.
“The week after missing the second round of Q-School, I won the tournament by ten strokes. As Villegas put it, “It was like a bittersweet win.”
This week is also very important.
With three tournaments remaining, Villegas is at No. 223 in the FedExCup, having split his time between the PGA TOUR and the Korn Ferry Tour. For 2024, the top 125 receive full cards, and the top 150 have conditional status at the very least.
“I’ve had a busy schedule. Of course, it feels fantastic to perform well this week. One thing that we always say, and any player who plays well says, is that you just have to be in the present. It may seem cliche, but that’s true. Avoid getting ahead of yourself or falling behind, and avoid letting what you just did or what’s to come affect how you feel or perceive the current shot.” Villegas said.
Naturally, a victory would grant a two-year exemption as well as a berth to the PGA Championship and the Masters. That’s still a long way off, especially on a course that is giving up a lot of birdies, with 14 men within five of the lead.
5-under 139 was the cut. The top-ranked player in Mexico, Cameron Young, who is ranked No. 17 in the world, overcome a run of bad luck on the front nine and needed to birdie the 18th par-5 to get on the scoreboard.
Kramer Hickok, who arrived over the weekend and spent more than 6 hours alone learning the ins and outs of a course created for resort play and strategy with angles and harsh curves on some of the greens, was among those 3 strokes behind. Hickok is one of the players who knows El Cardonal better than most in the field.
Hickok has completed 36 holes without making a bogey.
“I just really wanted to get a jump start on that because everyone’s starting at the same spot,” Hickok remarked.
“I just really wanted to get a jump start on that, because everyone’s starting at the same spot,” Hickok stated.
After starting the round with a 62, Australian 49-year-old Cameron Percy, who has his sights set on qualifying for the PGA TOUR Champions next year, was 10 shots worse on Friday. He was still within striking distance into the weekend thanks to his strong start.
There were many high placings as well as some disappointing results.
Prior to making a bogey on his final hole, the par-3 ninth, Will Gordon was 10 under for the round. Even so, his 63 left him 12 under par in the group that included Hickok. On the eighteenth hole, Chesson Hadley and Van Rooyen missed a chance to shoot 61 with a birdie and made double bogey.
Jeffrey Kang was the most intriguing competitor; he had to go through qualifying because it was in the proximity of his home in Los Angeles.
With his departure from USC almost ten years ago, Kang has seen the globe. The nine tours Kang has participated in, primarily in circuits in Asia and Canada, include the PGA TOUR. The Chengdu Championship, held in 2018 on the former PGA Tour China series, is his only victory to date.
For that win, he remembers receiving the largest cheque of his career , roughly $40,000.
Kang stated , “Hopefully, this is bigger” following his PGA Tour debut.
