Golf Update: Jhonattan Vegas’s lucky gamble
What Happens in Vegas apparently doesn’t stay in Vegas, it goes to Venezuela instead. That’s Right. The Venezuelan player, Jhonattan Vegas struck the lottery after winning the Bob Hope Classic this weekend. The 26 year player was the first Venezuelan to
win a major tournament. This being Vegas’s maiden win, it has made the player an overnight celebrity worldwide.
Jhonattan is especially being acknowledged in Venezuela, where the major sports are baseball and soccer. With not much importance given to golf, this win will surely change a lot of things for golf in Venezuela. Even the president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez,
called golf a ‘bourgeois’ pastime, and thinks it’s a very s****. sport.
Due to the president’s opinion about the sport, about six courses have been closed in recent years. He has also urged golf clubs to give up the land and hence give land to build shelter homes for the flood affected people of the nation. With Jhonattan making
the country proud in this game, Chavez would surely be thinking of retracting his statements now.
Not only has Vegas made Venezuela proud, but also made a statement about the stereotypes of the game. Many people assume that golf is for rich white people, and Jhonattan surely goes against the stereotype. Being dark skinned, and also not belonging to very
rich family, Vegas has managed to win in the world’s most popular and expensive circuit, the PGA.
Jhonattan was born in the eastern city of Maturin and has been playing the sport since he was two. Practicing on a course run by an oil company, Vegas was greatly inspired and taught by his father, who worked as a caddy. Jhonattan moved to the United States
in 2002 and then studied at the University of Texas. The player graduated in 2008 and has only played in four PGA events before his win in the Bob Hope Classic. Competing with the Americans Gary Woodland and Bill Haas, Vegas managed to conquer a three-way
playoff for the win.
Carlos Whaite, who is the executive director of Venezuela’s Golf federation, said that Vegas’s triumph was the greatest thing that has to Venezuelan golf beyond the borders.
Attaining the $900,000 winner’s cheque, Vegas became the first rookie in 52 years to win the event. Making such a breakthrough, Jhonattan was surely very happy."I really hope it means change, people changing (their view) about the sport," said Vegas.
Tags: