Globe-trotting Villegas has no regrets

William Johnson, Chief Sports Writer

• Last Updated: November 20. 2009 6:10PM UAE / November 20. 2009 2:10PM GMT

Camilo Villegas enjoys a stroll down the 18th fairway of the Earth Course during the first round yesterday. Andrew Redington / Getty Images

DUBAI // Camilo Villegas has become one of the high-flyers of the golfing world since his eye-catching rookie year on the US PGA Tour in 2006.

The charismatic Colombian knows that a jet-setting life is one he has to grin and bear as he seeks to forge a reputation worldwide.

Villegas, who briefly shared the clubhouse lead in the Dubai World Championship (DWC) after a tremendous bogey-free round of 66, is getting used to sleeping on aircraft as he tries to establish himself in Europe and the Far East as well as in the big league with the American professionals.

He gave a run down on his recent accumulation of air miles as he appraised his encouraging first competitive performance on the Earth Course.

“I was at home in Colombia and took a plane overnight to Spain to play there,” he said.

“I then flew overnight from Spain to China. After playing there I took another night flight from China to New Zealand and then overnight again from New Zealand to Dubai.

“I’m planning to take an overnight flight back home after this tournament so that will be five nights on a plane inside one month.”

Villegas, 27, was grateful that he has no domestic ties to stop him from leading such a frantic lifestyle.

“I don’t understand how people who have kids can travel around the world so much,” he said. “This is what we do for a living so we can’t complain but it’s definitely harder than people think.”

Villegas, who counts two PGA Tour victories and one Japanese Tour success among his seven career titles, managed to qualify for the DWC in 30th position in the Race to Dubai, despite playing only 12 tournaments that were affiliated to the European Tour – half of the events played by Race leader Rory McIlroy.

He is planning a similar itinerary next year which is likely to start for him in Abu Dhabi in January before he returns to his main business in the United States. He finished 46th on the US money list this season without winning a tournament.

“This year has not been as good as 2008,” he admitted.

“For a second or two towards the middle of the season I lost interest and attitude. But that’s the nature of sport – you have good times, bad times and average times. I’ll keep working hard, trying to put myself in positions to win golf tournaments. I’ll be fine.”

Villegas, who earned the nickname “Spiderman” through his strange style of reading putts where he hovers horizontally close to the surface of the green, will not consider reducing his workload to increase focus.

“I want to keep up my links with both tours,” he said.

“A lot depends on the scheduling. I am going to join the European Tour.

“Am I going to fit in the 12 events I need to play? I hope so.”

The Race to Dubai has made other players normally content to play for the bundles of dollars offered on the PGA Tour to consider trying to build up a stash of euros and secure one of the 60 places in the new DWC.

“Yeah, you get a couple of questions here and there about what it’s like over here and, trust me, the answers are always positive.

“Coming here to Dubai for instance – what an interesting place. And China? It’s the future of so many things. Golf is going to be huge there.”

Villegas shrugged off a missed 10-footer that at the long closing hole would have given him a share of the first-round lead.

“It was definitely makeable but I’m not too concerned at this stage.

“It’s so early in the tournament that so many things are going to happen before it’s over.

His first impressions of the new Earth Course were favourable.

“It’s big, I can tell you that,” he reflected. “Bunkers are big, greens are big and the slopes are big. It is also very long. But there’s not much rough and the fairways are a bit wide.

“By the end of the week we will have a better idea of how good this course is.”



wjohnson@thenational.ae