PGA Tour pro Jhonattan Vegas has lived in Texas for years, playing his college golf at the University of Texas under legendary coach John Fields.
But the 37-year-old’s Venezuelan roots run deep. Vegas was born and raised in the inland city of Maturín. He learned the game on a makeshift nine-hole course built for employees of the oil company for whom his father worked. He won the country’s Junior and Amateur titles and showed enough promise to compete in the World Junior Golf Championships in San Diego, tying for sixth at Torrey Pines.
Vegas also became the first player from his country to compete in the Presidents Cup, and in 2021 he was the country’s golf representative in the 2020 Summer Olympics, where he finished 16th.
