It’s been nearly 5 years, but Mia’s passing still makes the golf world emotional to this day. Back in 2020, Camilo Villegas and Maria Ochoa Mora lost their 22-month-old baby daughter in a fight against a brain and spine tumor. She battled the terminal disease for 4 months but succumbed to it on July 26 that year. Still heartbroken over her loss, Villegas mentioned, “She was a very little kid, full of energy, and everything seemed to be going in the perfect direction,” in an interview with CNN Sports a couple of years ago. But the 43-year-old’s journey didn’t end there.

In the memory of Mia, he continued to battle on the Tour and also found some success along the way. Most recently, the 5-time PGA Tour champion has found himself on the doorstep of another title run. And that raised the question, “Being top of the leaderboard, how much do you feel the presence of your daughter out there more?” Mia was a frequent visitor to the course when her father was playing. Although she had never seen him win, Villegas has credited her for his triumph in the 2023 Butterfield Bermuda Championship by saying, “Mia, thanks for inspiring me.” The reporter wanted to know if the PGA Tour pro felt the same atmosphere building up at TPC Deere Run as well.

Camilo replied, “Yeah, you know what, she’s always up there, man. Going back to Bermuda when I won, looking up in the sky and thinking about her was very special.” After his last win, there are pictures of him looking up in the sky in memory of his daughter. He dedicated his triumph in Bermuda to her, stating, “I got my little one up there watching.”

Continuing to speak about her influence, Villegas added, “Having Mia’s Miracles Foundation has been really healing, and it’s been really cool to see the support. This country is unbelievable when it comes to charity. We got a chance to do it in connection with the PGA TOUR and just raise a lot of dollars for people that need it. Now my wife and I and the whole Mia’s Miracle team gets a chance to do it more personally. Our donors have been unbelievable. The energy, my peers have been great when it comes to my event. Yeah, we’re trying to turn what was a tricky story into something very positive, bring smiles to those in need. Like I said, it kind of fills our hearts.”

After Mia passed away, the 5-time PGA Tour champion started a charity under the Camilo Villegas Foundation called Mia Miracles. In honor of his daughter, the non-profit helps families all across the United States and Colombia suffering through financial crises gain access to funds. They also have programs for frontline service providers and caregivers to deal with traumatic experiences. Camilo and Maria make a conscious effort to ensure that parents are never left stranded in providing for their children, as not everyone can afford the right care or services.

All things aside, it’s great to see Camilo Villegas competing for a title again. But where does he sit on the table after two rounds? Let’s take a look at his performance in the 2025 John Deere Classic so far.

Camilo Villegas on a Deere Run

After 36 holes of nail-biting action, the top of the leaderboard at the 2025 John Deere Classic is looking as exciting as ever. Doug Ghim leads the charge with a 12-under 130. 5 golfers are tied for second place, including 1-time PGA Tour champion Brian Campbell, and the golfer who has been winless for 2 years, Max Homa. Tied at 7th, two strokes behind Ghim, is Camilo Villegas, along with another prominent name in Si Woo Kim.

The Colombian pro has been incredibly consistent with his form in the first couple of rounds, managing 5-under 66 each on Thursday and Friday. He has only scored 3 bogeys and made 13 birdies, which helped him gain an advantage on the leaderboard. Villegas is also ranked quite high in strokes gained off putting and is the 5th best on the field in finding greens in regulation and feet of putts made. The only place Camilo Villegas is suffering is off the tee. If he can sort it out, then the 43-year-0ld will undoubtedly challenge for the 2025 John Deere Classic on Sunday.