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Jhonattan Vegas' path to the PGA Tour started in the remote reaches of Venezuela, where the toddler imitated his father's golf swing with sticks and stones while growing up in an oil-drilling camp.
Maybe that's why Vegas never gave up hope when he missed a 9-foot putt that could have won the Bob Hope Classic on the final regulation hole Sunday -- or even when he put his playoff tee shot into the water moments later.
The 26-year-old rookie needed a wealth of patience and perseverance just to make it to Palm Springs from that camp in the Orinoco River valley.
And when Gary Woodland made a few mistakes of his own, the man they're already calling Jhonny Vegas hit the biggest jackpot of his pioneering career.
Vegas made a 13-foot par putt on the second playoff hole to win the Hope Classic, holding off Woodland for his first PGA Tour victory in just his fifth start.
Vegas is the first Venezuelan to win a PGA Tour event, but his remarkably steady performance over 92 holes in the five-day event suggests he's capable of winning again -- and maybe even energizing an unpopular sport in his homeland.
Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=6052036
