Villegas keeps daughter's memory alive as he battles to return to the fairways
ST SIMONS ISLAND, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 19: Camilo Villegas of Colombia hits his shot from the eighth tee during the first round of The RSM Classic at the Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club on November 19, 2020 in St Simons Island, Georgia. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
Camilo Villegas opened with a six-under 64 to share the lead with Matt Wallace in the RSM Classic and set up a chance to claim what could be the most heart-rending performance of the year.
The Colombian (38), who was ranked as high as seventh in the world in 2009 but is now 866th, and his wife Maria lost their daughter Mia (2) to cancer in July, just four months after she was diagnosed with high-grade glioneuronal tumours on her brain and spine.
“It was kind of nice this morning. I got on the range and see a little rainbow out there,” Villegas said. “I start thinking about Mia and said hey, let's have a good one.”
He admitted that just mentioning his daughter’s name made him emotional though he believes he can focus when in the heat of battle on the golf course.
“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,” he said. “She loved colours and rainbows and my wife was all about it. And it was cool. It was a nice way to start the day.”
He added: “I can’t change the past and since I can’t change the past, I’ve got to focus on the present. It’s not about forgetting because you never forget your daughter. It’s about being in the moment, being in the now and this is my now. It’s not with her, but it is with her at the same time.
“I love playing golf, I love doing what I do. The game of golf has been great to me. I happened to have a shoulder injury there for the last couple years that kind of set me back a bit, but I’m excited. I think things are rolling the right way and obviously if I keep doing what I did today, it should be fine.”
Villegas made six birdies in a bogey-free 64 on the Seaside Course to tie for the lead with Wallace, who was using local caddie Jeffrey Cammon after regular bagman Dave McNeilly tested positive for COVID-19.
“He’s really chill,” said Wallace, who got up and down from 172 yards for par a the last, knocking in a 30 footer with a new putter, after driving into water.
“He said, ‘What do you want me to say?’ That was the first question. I was like, ‘Listen, mate, I don’t need anything. I’ll ask you a question and you answer it just with pure facts of what you think.’ It worked well today.”
Shane Lowry birdied three of his last four holes to open with a three-under 67 on the Seaside Course that left him tied for 21st, three shots behind Wallace and Villegas, who had a one-shot lead over Rory Sabbatini, Peter Malnati, Patton Kizzire and Robert Streb, who shot five-under 65s on the Seaside Course, and Cameron Tringale, Adam Long., Doug Ghim and Keegan Bradley, who shot five-under 67s on the Plantation Course.
Graeme McDowell was tied for 31st after a two-under 70 on the Plantation Course.
