Camilo Villegas turning Colombia into a golf nation

Many around the world think Americans adore women’s soccer. They remember the big hub-bub we had in the U.S. a few year’s back with the Women’s World Cup and think that’s how American’s react to women’s soccer all the time.

It’s kind of how you’d think Colombians were crazy for golf the way they’re getting all excited over Camilo Villegas.

Villegas

“He’s got a lot of charisma,” David Toms, who tied Villegas for second at Doral, told the Miami Herald. “A Latin American playing great on the tour can’t be bad for our following, that’s for sure.”

Villegas, who finished tied for second last week at the Ford Championship, went to school and played golf at the University of Florida, and is already drawing a fan base with his prodigious drives and playful persona that includes colorful attire.

In Colombia, however, they’re just losing it for the 24-year-old Villegas, whose more than $800,000 in PGA Tour earnings this year mean he’ll be back next year,

“A 24-year-old youth, a rookie in golf’s big leagues, originating from a country without international renown in the sport,” read the pages of El Tiempo, the Colombia’s leading daily. “It’s Camilo Villegas, who thanks to a brilliant performance already is among the 100 best golfers on the planet.”

Villegas mercurial rise doesn’t mean Colombians are giving up on soccer and heading en masse to the links. It does show how close the PGA is to having a following throughout South America, however.

They’re just like Americans down here – if they win at a sport, they’ll make the effort to enjoy that sport. And for Colombians, Villegas is making golf pretty enjoyable.

–WKW