Player profile

Humble — Jhonattan Vegas could barely speak English when he made his first appearance in a PGA Tour event, as an amateur at the 2003 Houston Open.

He was 18 then, and qualified less than a year after moving from
his native Venezuela to Houston to fine-tune his game with Franci
Betancourt, an instructor who had taught him as a boy.

Vegas missed the cut, but felt secure enough to make the city
his adopted hometown. He's back at Redstone for the Houston Open
this week, now a fast-rising tour rookie with a victory already
under his belt.

The big-hitting Vegas is one of 33 players in the field who have
already qualified for next week's Masters. But a win this week
would have additional meaning to Vegas, a former University of
Texas star who now lives only 20 minutes from the course.