SAN DIEGO – Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas has made one of the most explosive starts ever on the PGA Tour and is on track to eclipse Tiger Woods as the fastest player to earn $2 million in prize money. The 26-year-old stunned the golfing world by winning this month’s Bob Hope Classic in only his fifth appearance on the US circuit and he followed that with an ice-cool display at last week’s Farmers Insurance Open, where he tied for third.
Many had expected the long-hitting Venezuelan rookie to fade at Torrey Pines, where he had to contend with big names such as Woods and Phil Mickelson as well as huge crowds, but he rose to the occasion with a mature and exciting display. Vegas doggedly remained in the title hunt during Sunday’s final round before his bold bid for a second consecutive PGA Tour title ended when he dumped his second shot into water at the par-five last.
He finished with a bogey for a four-under-par 68, his fourth successive sub-70 round in challenging conditions at Torrey Pines. “This has been so much fun,” Vegas told Reuters after ending a memorable week at the spectacular coastal venue where he played with Woods for the first time in the third round. His tie for third place at 13-under 275 earned Vegas a cheque for $336,400, lifting him to the top of the tour’s money list with season’s earnings of $1,248,280.
Overall, Vegas has accumulated $1,294,591 from just five tour starts, putting him well on course to break the record set by Woods, who raced past the $2 million barrier in 16 events. For the moment, though, the ever-smiling Vegas is more concerned about becoming a better player.
“I just try to develop my game as good as it can be,” said the beefy Venezuelan, who signalled his rich potential when he cruised to a six-shot victory over Andres Romero at last year’s Argentine Open. “Tiger has an incredible short game and he hits the ball great and he putts great. So just by seeing that, I keep telling myself that I have to develop my game completely and I put everything on a high level.”
