It seems a massive weight has been lifted off of Jhonattan Vegas after President Donald Trump and the U.S. military recently captured the Venezuelan leader, Nicolas Maduro. The two-time Olympian took to social media and shared his honest feelings after the massive strike.

Posting many Venezuelan flags, he wrote, “Viva Venezuela, CARAJOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO,” meaning, “Long live Venezuela, DAMN IT ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL.” But this is anything but an isolated tweet from the four-time PGA Tour winner.

Vegas, the first golfer from his country to reach the PGA Tour, has seen his homeland struggle financially under Maduro’s regime. And he has been a vocal critic. “Between Venezuela now and when I grew up? It’s heaven and hell. You would think we are at war the way people are fighting for their lives,” the four-time PGA Tour winner said in a 2019 interview.

A year before that, he had to move his brother out of Venezuela as his kids were struggling for food. Ironically, that mirrored his own fight for survival in the early years and his escape to the USA, which is no less thrilling than a Hollywood movie.

Vegas’s father, Carlos, signed the Tascón List, as one of 3 million people to sign a petition calling for then-president Hugo Chávez’s ouster in 2003. He was branded an enemy of the state. Chavez also detested golf as an elite pursuit and moved to shut down golf courses. Nine of them were closed between 2009 and 2011. For the Vegas family, who learned to play golf on a nine-hole course built by the oil company where Carlos worked, that meant trouble. Especially for young Jhonattan, who was already a budding golfer at that time.

Thanks to Franci Betancourt, Venezuela’s leading junior golf leader, and a little help from Don Evans, then the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Vegas flew out of his homeland. At 17. With only his clubs. And a vocabulary of 10 English words: Thank you, Yes, No, and rest a few common curse words.  Help came from Betancourt’s student, Kevin Kirk. But it was just the start of another grinding journey.

Learning English, completing his kinesiology degree from the University of Texas, and competing in amateur golf tournaments all went hand in hand. He lost the 2007 U.S. Amateur semi-finals to Colt Knost. But cut to 2011, Vegas surprised everyone by winning the American Express only in his second start as a PGA Tour cardholder. And that made him the center of political attention as well.

Chavez congratulated him: “He is the pride of Venezuela.” Vegas, upon his return home, also met the then-President. “The president congratulating me – that means a lot. Just to have the support of your country, it’s huge,” Vegas said. However, things turned sour again when Nicolas Maduro took over after Chavez’s demise in 2013.

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Jhonattan Vegas Wanted Maduro’s Removal

Back in 2018, protests erupted in Venezuela calling for Maduro’s removal. “The country has reached that point. This is a regime willing to do anything to keep power. There’s no law. The country is collapsing,” the PGA Tour pro was quoted by The Independent as saying. He called for his country’s people to rise up. A reiteration of what he said a year before.

It was 2017, and Vegas was playing his first Presidents Cup. At that time, a study revealed that 75% of Venezuelans had lost an average of 19 pounds. It further stated that over a third of the country’s populace was eating two or fewer meals per day. 93% were struggling to meet their basic food needs. Liberty National Golf Club. The Presidents Cup venue was thousands of miles away from Caracas. But Caracas was on Vegas’s mind.

Speaking about his country’s plight, he said, “The more we can … be outspoken and make people aware of it, that’s the only tool that we have that can hopefully have an impact on shaping our country the right way.” That sentiment didn’t change in recent years either.

He recently met with Maria Corina Machado, the leader of the opposition in his home country. He posted a photo with her and shared a message under the social post. “Thank you, @MariaCorinaYA, for your courage and sacrifice for our great country. It’s always an inspiration to see how you fight for our country, and I’m sure you’ll be the leader who will transform Venezuela into the country we all dream of. God bless you, @MariaCorinaYA #VivaVenezuela,” he wrote.

For years, Maduro has been accused of turning Venezuela into a dangerous criminal group. The U.S. government calls his regime the “Cartel of the Suns” because of their illegal drug trade. President Trump stated that the U.S. military ‘successfully’ took Maduro and his wife, Cilia, from a fortress in the capital of Caracas.

Maduro was “blindfolded and handcuffed” and will be taken to New York City to face drug and weapon charges at Manhattan Federal Court. Officials say he will likely stay at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. POTUS said the United States would run the country for a short period, as he wanted to make sure the transition to a new government was safe and proper.

Not everyone is happy with this plan, however.

Vice President Delcy Rodriguez appeared on TV to demand “proof of life” for the captured leader. She called the mission “barbaric” and claimed that she still holds the power in the capital city, just after Trump claimed she is actually willing to cooperate with the U.S.

Maria Corina Machado and her team want a different path that focuses on the votes of the people. She believes the rightful winner of the last election should take charge of the government right now. Machado released a bold statement saying, “Venezuelans, the time for freedom has come!” and called for a quick change.

Jhonattan Vegas has spent his career playing for the pride of a nation that was slowly fading. So the sudden capture of Maduro gave him hope, though the road to recovery will be long and full of many hard challenges for everyone involved today.