Camilo Villegas began his second visit to the British Open with a 4-under 66, resuming his challenge to become Colombia's first winner of golf's oldest major.
A year ago, the 27-year-old Villegas finished his second round with five birdies and was two shots off the halfway lead. But after a third-round collapse at Royal Birkdale, he isn't getting too excited this time. Villegas knows that Thursday's near windless conditions aren't likely to repeated at the Turnberry links on the west coast of Scotland.
"I'm excited. (But) I've learned you've got to be patient," Villegas said after making four birdies in the last five holes. "You've got to realize you don't have to play pretty golf, you've got to hang in there and, if you're able to do that and play smart, by the end of the Sunday you're probably going to have a good chance."
Villegas, known as Spider-Man for the way he spreads his body low on the green to read putts, is one of the latest youngsters to emerge from South America. Although the 27-year-old Colombian has yet to add to his two PGA Tour victories last year, Villegas has climbed steadily and rose to seventh in the world rankings before slipping outside the top 10.
But a triumph in a major is what he is really after.
"Majors are the ones where you make history," Villegas said. "Those are the ones where we really want to step up our games. Last year was a good one for me and having a great first and second round at my first Open."
That was when he shot a 65 to stand two off the lead but followed that up with a 79 to tumble down the leaderboard and finish tied for 39.
"You've got to play smart," Villegas said Thursday as he came off the 18th green. "The second you start getting greedy and prepared to take on those bunkers, the balls seem to fall into them. It's going to be a very long day.
"First things first, don't hit it into the bunkers off the tee and you have the chance to make a good score." (Canadian Press)
