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)