Villegas wins Bermuda Championship – Colombian golfer Camilo Villegas emerged victorious in the Bermuda Championship on Sunday to end his nine-year US Professional Golfers Association title drought. The 41-year-old shot a 6-under-par 65 in the fourth round at Port Royal in the Bermudan capital Southampton for a 72-hole total of 24-under 260. He edged Alex Noren by two strokes and captured his first PGA Tour title – and fifth in the tour – since the 2014 Wyndham Championship. Villegas sealed the victory with a birdie from a greenside bunker in the 17th hole. He formally captured the victory with a par in the following hole and shut the door on the closing Noren, who finished the fourth round with a 3-under-par 68 for a 262. Villegas’ come-from-behind win and the top four finishers stunned sports betting sites that placed their money on the tournament favorites but in the end, crashed and burned.
Villegas wins Bermuda Championship – Secured US PGA Exemption Until 2025
Starting the fourth round, one stroke behind Noren, Villegas piled on the pressure with four birdies in the first nine holes. The Swede kept the fight close as he birdied the second, sixth and seventh to force a tie with the Colombian. However, the 10-time DP World Tour winner dropped consecutive bogeys in the ninth and 10th holes and that handed Villegas the lead. Noren reduced the lead to one following a birdie on the 12th.
Villegas’ one-shot advantage remained intact in the next five holes. He pulled two clear in the 17th when he stuck his shot from the greenside bunker within three feet and made the birdie as Noren settled for a par. With the win, Villegas secured exempt status on the US tour until 2025 and entry to next year’s Masters, PGA Championship and Players Championship. According to the Colombian, the support from fans, friends and colleagues from the sports and by the memory of his daughter, Mia, have motivated him to win the event.
Schmid Finishes 3rd, Yuan 4th
Matti Schmid finished third at 263. The German buried five birdies with one bogey for a 4-under-par round of 67. Schmid holed in a birdie at the 17th to move ahead of China’s Carl Yuan, who carded a 66 for 264. The Bermuda Championship was the sixth of seven in the FedEx Cup Fall series. The points from these events will help finalize eligibility for the 2024 PGA Tour season.
Homa Shines in South Africa
Max Homa romped home with a four-stroke win in the European Tour Nedbank Golf Challenge on Sunday at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa. The American closed with a 6-under-par 66 to finish with a 19-under total of 269. Homa, who has won six times on the US PGA Tour, won his first victory outside the US. The 32-year-old survived some anxious moments with Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark before taking the victory in the crucial moments of the tournament. Olesen twice tied with Homa but dropped three shots over the last seven holes to finish third with a 274 total.
Nicolai Hojgaard carded a 69 to finish second at 273. American Justin Thomas finished fourth on 276 after a 6-under 66 in the final round. Homa made four birdies in the first six holes but Olesen tied Homa in the first nine with a 5-under 31. The American sank an eagle in the par-five ninth after hitting the island green with a 241-yard iron shot from the right rough to pull ahead again. Homa made the round more tense when he bogeyed the 11th, allowing Olesen to force a tie after hitting a birdie in the par-five 10th. However, Homa pulled away after the Dane dropped two shots following two bogeys in the 12th and 13th holes. Dan Bradbury mixed six birdies with three bogeys and a double bogey for a 71 to finish in fifth place at 277.
Vu wins The Annika, Climbs Back to World No1
Lilia Vu captured her fourth Ladies Professional Golfers Association title of the year by winning The Annika by three strokes on Sunday. Vu fired a 4-under-par 66 to win the title and returned to the top of the women’s world rankings. Vu shot five birdies and one bogey at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, good enough to overtake overnight leader Emily Kristine Pedersen of Denmark. Pedersen fell from the top spot as she faltered with two bogeys and a closing double-bogey. The lackluster performance left her tied for fifth. The win allowed Vu to join France’s Celine Boutier as the only players with at least four wins this season.
The 26-year-old captured her first career win in Thailand before adding major titles at the Chevron Championship and the Women’s Open. Alison Lee and Azahara Munoz shared second on 264, both carding 3-under par 67s. South Korean Amy Yang was alone in fourth after a 70 that left her with a 265 finish. Pedersen was tied on 266 with Australian Stephanie Kyriacou (67). Vu’s victory at The Annika and her subsequent return to the top of the women’s world rankings propelled her again as one of the betting favorites among golf oddsmakers around the world.
