How Gordon Sargent bombs it

Another week, another emotional win. 

This time it was the 41-year-old Colombian Camilo Villegas who captured his first PGA Tour win in nearly a decade and his first since losing his 22-month-old daughter Mia to cancer in 2020. 

“I love this game. This game has given me so many great things, but in the process it kicks your butt,” Villegas said after his 6-under 65 on Sunday. “Life has given me so many great things and in the process it kicks my butt, too.” 

Villegas, now a 5-time winner, hadn’t hoisted a trophy since 2014 and was on the verge of heading to Q-School to qualify for the PGA Tour next season. But after a runner-up finish last week and a win in Bermuda this week, the golfer formerly known as Spiderman (for the way he read putts in his younger days) has secured his status for 2024 and beyond. 

“I just want to thank everybody who has supported me over this journey. I just want to let them know that I always give my best,” said Villegas, who looked up into the sky after his tournament winning tap-in. "I got my little one up there watching."

Quick Nine pick ‘em results

Congrats to “Seb” for winning this week’s Quick Nine pick ‘em contest as the only person to answer 5-out-of-6 correctly. Your $90 prize is on its way! 

Here’s how the questions played out: 

1. Will Adam Scott finish inside the top 10? ✅ 

Not a win, but it’s always impressive when the betting favorite heading into the week finishes towards the top. 

Scott’s T5 in Bermuda puts him at 72nd in FedEx Cup points. But since he’s not scheduled to play in the season ending RSM Classic next week, it appears he’ll be on the sidelines for two of the first Signature Events next year at Pebble Beach and Riviera. Unless, of course, he receives a sponsor’s exemption. 

2. Will Akshay Bhatia finish inside the top 20? ✅ 

After Bhatia’s T20 finish on Sunday, I phoned a few different friends and all three (independently) said I should count this one as a win.  

I knew a technicality like this was going to happen at some point – just not so soon. Nonetheless, another nice week for Bhatia. 

3. Will Lucas Glover beat Brendon Todd? ❌

Glover T45 vs. Todd T20. 

No real notes here besides the shine that’s starting to fade from Glover’s game after his red-hot, two-win summer. 

4. Will Matti Schmid beat Matthias Schwab? ✅ 

What a week for 25-year-old Matti Schmid! The young, broomstick-ing German played in the final group on Sunday and ended up in solo 3rd place — his best ever finish on Tour. 

Schwab, meanwhile, finished T53. 

5. Will 15-year-old Oliver Betschart beat 15 or more players this week? ❌

I was hoping for a different result here, but still, a cool experience for the Bermuda prodigy who ended up shooting 73-75 (+6) and beating four other golfers. 

6.Will at least one of the YouTube brothers (Wesley Bryan or George Bryan) make the cut?  ✅ 

A resounding yes! Both Bryan brothers made the cut right on the number this week (-5). 

Wesley (who has a PGA Tour victory under his belt) shot an impressive 7-under 64 on Friday to make it to the weekend, while George kept it steady (69-68) in the opening rounds of his Tour debut. 

In the end, Wesley edged out George (T37 vs T69). 

Still, it’s unclear if the Bryan brother’s combined winnings from this week ($40,950) is more or less money than they’ll make on their YouTube video leading up to the Bermuda Championship, which already has over 670,000 views. 

*Tie Breaker: How many fairways will Adam Long hit this week? 

We didn’t need the tie breaker this week, but for fun… Adam Long hit 42 fairways, including 11-in-a-row to start the week. Add those 11 to the 58 straight Long had hit heading into Bermuda and that gets you to 69 fairways in-a-row — a new PGA Tour record. 

The previous record was 59. 

More news

🇿🇦 Fresh off his safari, Max Homa captured his first DP World Tour victory on Sunday winning at the Gary Player Country Club in South Africa. 

• With the win, Homa has now finished among the top 12 in seven consecutive starts, CBS’ Kyle Porter noted. (CBS) 

👀 A part-one interview with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry dropped over the weekend, filling in details and adding color to the Saturday night Ryder Cup drama with Patrick Cantlay’s caddie, Joe LaCava. (Independent) 

• Apparently, McIlroy wanted to settle the issue that night, but Lowry stopped him from going into the Americans’ locker room. 

• Captain Luke Donald also seemed to love the feud and Tiger (who used to have LaCava on his bag) tried calling Rory that evening. 

• Golf Magazine broke-down the interview here.

And finally… 

Golf Digest released a very cool video on why Vanderbilt University junior (and PGA Tour-bound) Gordon Sargent hits the ball so damn far. 

Hint: It has to do with a transition move towards the top of his swing that is NSFW.

That’s all for today! Really appreciate you all for reading.

We have some fun stuff in the works for “the offseason,” but for now, I’ll see you back here on Wednesday for our RSM preview.

Until then, Nick B. ✌️