NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. — As Camilo Villegas completed his opening round early Thursday afternoon at the PGA Barbasol Championship, he was met with polite approval in his native language.
“Buena ronda, Camilo,” said a fan in Spanish as Villegas walked off the 18th green, having just made his eighth birdie of the day.
Translated, the phrase means “Good round, Camilo,” an appropriate statement given that Villegas shot a 7-under par 65 at Champions at Keene Trace golf course in Nicholasville.
That showcase performance by the 40-year old Villegas — a four-time PGA Tour winner who was once ranked as high as seventh in the world — was just one of several standout opening rounds shot by international players at this year’s Barbasol Championship.
Solo leader Adam Svensson of Canada carded two eagles, seven birdies and just one bogey on his way to a 10-under par 62.
Ricardo Gouveia of Portugal, in solo second place, fired an 8-under par 64, with nine birdies on his card.
Like Villegas, former Louisville golfer Matti Schmid of Germany shot a 65, with an unblemished scorecard that featured seven birdies and no bogeys or worse.
The top 10 of the leaderboard after one day at the PGA Tour’s pre-Open Championship event also featured a trio of Englishmen in David Skinns (7-under par 65), Tom Lewis (6-under par 66, despite having the earliest tee time in the field at 6:45 a.m.) and Andrew Wilson (6-under par 66 with six birdies and no bogeys or worse).
Cameron Percy, an Australian, also shot a 6-under par 66.
An increased international influence was promised at this year’s Barbasol.
The field size grew from 132 players last year to 156 players this year, which includes 50 players from the DP World Tour, (also known as the European Tour).
The scheduling change for the Barbasol — now played the week before The Open, with the winner earning the final qualifying spot for The Open — has increased what’s on the line for players in the field.
The composition of those players is different as well, with 67 international players in this year’s field representing 23 different non-U.S. countries, from Chile to Malaysia.
Tournament director Darren Nelson — who is overseeing his first Barbasol Championship in that role after being the assistant tournament director last year — previously told the Herald-Leader’s John Clay that the Barbasol’s new position on the PGA Tour schedule has helped entice more European players.
The Barracuda Championship in Truckee, California, will follow the Barbasol next weekend, and Nelson said he believes many of the European players coming to Lexington are also interested in competing in the Barracuda.
“So they get two different events, (it’s) kind of worth making the trip over from Europe,” Nelson said.
Some of the international players have also done their part to make lasting memories for those in the Barbasol crowd.
Gouveia directed his caddie to give children some of his golf balls following his round.
Villegas told children to meet him at the autograph zone near the 10th tee following his round, and promised to sign autographs for them after he finalized his scorecard.
On the ninth green, playing alongside fan favorite and Central Kentucky native Josh Teater, Germany’s Marcel Siem closed with a birdie from a made bunker shot, reacted with a fired-up fist pump and then tossed his ball into the crowd to two young boys.
Leaderboard update
The bulk of the best scores on Thursday were shot in the morning and early afternoon.
The list of past winners at the Barbasol Championship (which has been played at Champions at Keene Trace since 2018) features a litany of scores well under par, and scoring conditions were ideal on Thursday.
Moisture from rain on Wednesday allowed greens to play slow, and rewarded strong short-game play.
The leader by two shots, Canadian Adam Svensson, didn’t finish his round until around 5 p.m. though, an outlier among the low scores.
The top five of the leaderboard (with ties) was as follows (scores as of 5:40 p.m.).
— Adam Svensson (-10)
— Ricardo Gouveia (-8)
— Trey Mullinax (-7)
— Matti Schmid (-7)
— Camilo Villegas (-7)
— Max McGreevy (-7)
— Michael Kim (-7)
— David Skinns (-7)
The projected current cut line for the Barbasol Championship would be -3.
2017 Barbasol Championship winner Grayson Murray withdrew during the first round. Murray (who started on No. 10) was -5 after six holes, but made a double bogey at No. 1, a bogey at No. 5 and a double bogey at No. 6 before withdrawing.
Kentuckians in the Barbasol Championship
Six players with direct ties to Kentucky are taking part in this year’s edition of the Barbasol Championship.
Here’s how they fared during Thursday’s opening round.
Matti Schmid (University of Louisville) : -7 (65), Tied for second.
Schmid, who is from Germany, played a clean round of golf: Shooting a 65 with seven birdies and 11 pars.
Schmid played at U of L for four season from 2017-21 and has already made an impact in pro golf.
He was named the rookie of the year on the DP World Tour (also known as the European Tour) in December and was the low amateur at The Open last July, after which he turned professional.
Josh Teater (Henry Clay High School, Morehead State) : -4 (68), Tied for 23rd.
Always a crowd favorite at the Barbasol, Teater again put together a solid round of golf at Keene Trace.
Teater carded an opening round of 4-under par (68). Teater’s scorecard was also clean: Four birdies and 14 pars.
Teater finished tied for 15th at last year’s event.
Matt Harris (Henry Clay High School, Eastern Kentucky) : +2 (74), Tied for 144th.
The storybook tale of Matt Harris had a bit of reality added to it on Thursday.
Harris — who played baseball at Eastern Kentucky before embarking on a golf career — made a triple bogey on his second hole of the day, but steadied the ship to finish 2-over par with an opening-round 74 in front of about a dozen people who walked the course and cheered for him.
“I was able to compose myself and come back a little bit,” Harris said after his round. “I didn’t have my best. What can I say? I was a little nervous . . . it was still a lot of fun, the support was great.”
What was it like to live out his PGA Tour dreams?
“I didn’t get a ton of sleep last night, I woke up feeling a little antsy and now I see what they mean,” Harris said, adding that he was relaxed as he stepped up to the 10th tee box to begin his round at 8:57 a.m.
“It was an absolutely great experience and no matter what I shot I’m going to take it for the experience that it was.”
Andrew Stephens (Covington Latin High School, UK): +5 (77), Tied for 155th.
Former Kentucky golfer Andrew Stephens paired two birdies with five bogeys and a double bogey to finish near the rear of the field after one round.
