Jhonattan Vegas started his golf journey with a broomstick and a rock but has now made it to the professional greens. He began playing golf at a young age and is currently a professional, living his dream on the PGA Tour. However, the 39-year-old is also skilled in other sports, like baseball.

Despite having interests in other sports, golf seems to be his priority, as he has memorable career highlights and multiple national team appearances. So what’s the life story of this PGA Tour pro that has shaped his career so far?

What does the personal life of Jhonattan Vegas look like?

Vegas was born on August 19, 1984, in Maturín, Venezuela, and spent his childhood there. Although he is a famous athlete with over 40k+ followers on Instagram, the pro is private about his parents. According to some reports, Jhonattan Vegas has three brothers and began playing golf with them and his parents.

He is a married man, and his wife’s name is Hildegard Struppek, and the couple is blessed with a boy and a girl. Just like her husband, his wife is also a social media person with an Instagram account @dragedlih7 with over 1300 followers.

Initially, he played golf using a broomstick and a rock, but he later progressed to a nine-hole course near his home, built for oil camp employees. It was there that he honed his skills before moving on to college.

Despite not being very fluent in English while in Venezuela, the pro left his hometown to attend the University of Texas. During his time in college, he studied kinesiology and also played college golf. Not long after earning his degree, Vegas decided to turn professional. He also has several career highlights of his own.

What are the career highlights of Vegas?

Starting in 2006, the golfer won the Venezuelan National Amateur Championship. In the following year, he was a semi-finalist at the US Amateur Championship. In 2008, he turned pro and got his PGA Tour card for the 2011 season, becoming the first Venezuelan to ever gain a card to the American Tour. His list of achievements didn’t end there. In 2009, Vegas and Alfredo Adrian represented Venezuela in the Omega Mission Hills World Cup, finishing tied for 12th place.

It wasn’t until 2010 that he claimed his first nationwide tour event at the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open. In the next year, Vegas won his first PGA Tour title at the 2011 Bob Hope Classic. The 39-year-old has also made multiple appearances for the national team. He represented his country in the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games and competed in the World Cup in 2009, 2016, and 2018.

He is also the only Venezuelan to have competed in the President’s Cup, participating in the 2017 edition of the tournament. After winning the 2017 RBC Canadian Open, the pro made headlines again in 2019. This time, he set a record by making the longest-ever putt on the 17th hole at the PLAYERS Championship, with a measured distance of 70 feet, as revealed on the Golf Monthly website.

Although his career highlights revolve around golf, it isn’t the only thing the pro focuses on. Interestingly, he has other interests as well.

What are the other interests that Jhonattan Vegas has?

Despite playing golf globally with multiple national team appearances, Vegas was also a standout third baseman as a junior baseball player in his early days. Aside from that, he also has an interest in basketball, dancing, and music, though he hasn’t discussed specifics about his preferences in dance and music. He often watches baseball games with his wife at the stadium and also admires tennis great Roger Federer.

He also seems to have a love for beaches and likes to post pictures with his family while enjoying his free time outside the greens, and his wife does the same. Like most pro athletes, the 39-year-old spends a lot of time in the gym to stay fit. Overall, Jhonattan Vegas appears to be a family-loving and outgoing person who balances his personal and professional lives well.