Well, I think it is time that I write a piece on my favorite golfer, Camilo Villegas. 2011 was a year full of expectation for Camilo. He was coming off another top 30 year on the money list and a win in 2010. His work ethic finally seemed to be paying off. However, Camilo switched club companies in 2011, going from Cobra, with whom he won 3 events in 3 years, to TaylorMade. Villegas became the face of the Burner line of clubs.
Starting 2011, Camilo got off to a rough start with a disqualification at the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. His struggles continued with numerous missed cuts and withdrawals through his first 10 or so events. His highest finish throughout that stretch was a 30th place at the Memorial hosted by Jack Nicklaus. He missed the cut in 3 of 4 majors, with The Masters being his only play on the weekend. He only finished 49th there so it wasn't much of a success.
Finally, Camilo had a top 10 finish at the St. Jude Classic, where he came home 3rd. However, that good play was followed up with 5 missed cuts out of 6 tournaments and a 71st place finish. Camilo took a few weeks off and came back to play at the Wyndham Championship, taking 9th place and squeaking in to the FedEx cup playoffs. The first playoff event, The Barclays, Camilo finished 6th and moved on to the Deutsche Bank. He came home with a 25th place finish to make the BMW, where he earned another 6th place finish. This was not enough to make the Tour Championship or the President's Cup team, but Villegas was able to take 4th place at the CIMB Malaysia event, which is Co-sanctioned by the PGA and Asian tours. The strong play at the end of the year propelled Camilo to 1.2 Million in earnings, and had him finish with 5 top tens for the season.
With strong play down the stretch, look for Camilo to come out in 2012 swinging. I fully expect him to contend for wins early in the season and regain the form that saw him climb into the top 20 in the world rankings. There is no one who outworks "El Hombre Arana" off the course, so he will be in top shape starting right away this season.
My Predictions
Wins: 1-3
Top 10: 8-10
Money List: Top 20
FedEx Cup: Top 15
World Ranking: Top 20
Major Championships: 1-2 Top 10s
Starting 2011, Camilo got off to a rough start with a disqualification at the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. His struggles continued with numerous missed cuts and withdrawals through his first 10 or so events. His highest finish throughout that stretch was a 30th place at the Memorial hosted by Jack Nicklaus. He missed the cut in 3 of 4 majors, with The Masters being his only play on the weekend. He only finished 49th there so it wasn't much of a success.
Finally, Camilo had a top 10 finish at the St. Jude Classic, where he came home 3rd. However, that good play was followed up with 5 missed cuts out of 6 tournaments and a 71st place finish. Camilo took a few weeks off and came back to play at the Wyndham Championship, taking 9th place and squeaking in to the FedEx cup playoffs. The first playoff event, The Barclays, Camilo finished 6th and moved on to the Deutsche Bank. He came home with a 25th place finish to make the BMW, where he earned another 6th place finish. This was not enough to make the Tour Championship or the President's Cup team, but Villegas was able to take 4th place at the CIMB Malaysia event, which is Co-sanctioned by the PGA and Asian tours. The strong play at the end of the year propelled Camilo to 1.2 Million in earnings, and had him finish with 5 top tens for the season.
With strong play down the stretch, look for Camilo to come out in 2012 swinging. I fully expect him to contend for wins early in the season and regain the form that saw him climb into the top 20 in the world rankings. There is no one who outworks "El Hombre Arana" off the course, so he will be in top shape starting right away this season.
My Predictions
Wins: 1-3
Top 10: 8-10
Money List: Top 20
FedEx Cup: Top 15
World Ranking: Top 20
Major Championships: 1-2 Top 10s
No comments:
Post a Comment