See how a putter recommendation from Adam Scott helped Camilo Villegas return to the winner’s circle
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Last year, Camilo Villegas was nurturing the next generation of international PGA TOUR pros. The Colombian took part in the 2022 Presidents Cup as a captain’s assistant to Trevor Immelman at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. Fast forward 14 months and the 41-year-old found himself rolling in putts on his way to a two-stroke victory at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
Turns out, a scouting trip to Quail Hollow helped Villegas end his nine-year winless drought with a fifth PGA TOUR title. During the team’s trip to the Charlotte venue, Villegas watched his good friend Adam Scott on the greens and took an interest in the unique putter that the Aussie was using. The L.A.B Mezz.1 Proto had been developed for Scott earlier in the year.
Camilo Villegas pours in birdie putt at Butterfield Bermuda
“I guess I've got to thank Adam in a way because you're right,” Villegas joked after the win at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. “We did a little trip to Quail Hollow before the Presidents Cup and I was watching Adam putt with a broom. He kept rolling it so good and he kept telling me how confident he was feeling.
“At one point I'm like, ‘OK, man, let me try it.’ I started trying the broom, which I didn't think I was going to go to the broom, but we started talking about the technology behind the (L.A.B) putter … It felt good right away. I tried different versions of it, different lengths, different grips, different shaft leans on it and then finally I came up with one that feels very comfortable. My hands tend to get pretty low. With this putter, I get them a little bit higher.”
L.A.B., which stands for “Lie Angle Balance,” crafts putters that are designed to reduce torque and twisting throughout the stroke. The winged shape of the L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Max putter which Villegas has in the bag helps to enhance forgiveness across the face, and the sole of the head has multiple weights to help with stability.
“I think my putting stroke is better. I think the technology behind it is great and I was telling Scottie earlier this week, this putter feels good, man, it feels unbelievable,” Villegas said. “It's been performing the last few weeks.”
Villegas ranked No. 4 at the World Wide Technology Championship in Putts per Green in Regulation, and he followed up the impressive performance with the flatstick a week later at Port Royal Golf Club, averaging 1.63 per green on his way to victory.
Camilo Villegas’ Round 4 winning highlights from Butterfield Bermuda
“He's been putting great with it. He's obviously very comfortable,” said Scott, who finished T5 in Bermuda. “In the last couple weeks has been incredible, so I'm stoked for Camilo. He's such a positive guy. To see him playing well again is nice for an old mate.”
Villegas isn’t the first International Team member that Scott helped pick up a win on the PGA TOUR. Si Woo Kim also took tips from the Australian at last year’s Presidents Cup. A switch to the long putter propelled Kim to a 3-1-0 record in Charlotte, and he followed up his impressive display with a win at the turn of the year at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
It will be interesting to see who’s next in line for Scott’s putting advice.
Alistair is a senior staff member at the PGA TOUR. Born and raised in England, he played golf professionally on the European Alps Tour before joining the PGA TOUR. Follow Alistair Cameron on Twitter.