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FORD CHAMPIONSHIP AT DORAL

March 2, 2006

Camilo Villegas

DORAL, FLORIDA

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you for joining us, kind of a slow start this morning and 1 over after seven holes and you just took off after that eagle.

CAMILO VILLEGAS: Actually it was a pretty quick start at 4:50 when the fire alarm went off. It was a fun round out there. Obviously I didn't get off to a great start, I was 1 over par going into 8 but chipped in and made eagle and got it going from there.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: You have a lot of family here and an opportunity to show off a little bit.

CAMILO VILLEGAS: The support was awesome. The parents are here, they don't get to come too often, they are going to be here this week and next week and a lot of people from central and South America flew in. It was fun, a lot of fun and they have always supported me and it's good to give them a little smile back.

Q. About how many people, do you know?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: I don't know, it was fun out there. I got a bunch of family and I've got, I don't know it was fun.

Q. You had a fire alarm go off?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: Yeah, it was about 4:50, I'm like what's going on here, I looked at the thing, I ain't getting up, just throw two pillows on top of me and stay there.

Q. Was that here at the resort?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: Yeah.

Q. How long did it take for you to go back to sleep?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: It didn't. (Laughter).

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Let's go through your birdies and bogeys, you started on 1, that bogey on 4.

CAMILO VILLEGAS: The bogey on 4, the par 3, I pushed it a little bit and just to the right, next to the water and didn't make the putt coming back. First bogey of the day.

Then I just made a bunch of pars, hit good shots and didn't quite make putts. On 8, I just hit it just short of the green about three or four paces and chipped in, made eagle there.

Then I rolled it, birdie on No. 9, I don't know, about 15, 20 feet.

10, I had a gimmee there, I hit a good one from the right bunker.

11, rolled about a 12 footer uphill.

12, I missed that one, man. That one hurt.

Then bogeyed 13. I hit another par 3, just hit it left, didn't get it on.

Then I birdied 14, made a good putt there, about an 8 footer on 14.

15, I hit a great shot there about four feet and tapped that one in.

On 16, I hit driver in the green side right bunker. Hit it to about two 1/2 feet, great shot.

17, I hit another good one about three feet, three 1/2 feet but it was coming down the hill, a little slider and made that one.

Q. Are you still living in Gainesville with your little brother?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: Yeah, he's not here, though. Buddy has got him qualifying.

Q. Obviously you must like him, then, unlike my little brother who I wanted to kill half the time.

CAMILO VILLEGAS: You know what, we have a great relationship. It works out great. The University of Florida in Gainesville is a great spot. I spent four years there and still there. My brother has about a year and a half left in school, and it's a good feeling to go home and have somebody there.

Q. Was this your tour debut here, the sponsor exemption last year as a pro?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: No. I played actually the U.S. Open 2004 was the first one, a little too much for me then.

Q. What's been the reaction back in Colombia?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: It's been great. The reaction from the people and from the media has been awesome. Golf in Colombia is very, very small. It's all about soccer.

They are learning about the game. I just heard yesterday that the channel bought the rights to run the last round for 30 events on the PGA TOUR. That's great and is going to make the game grow. I'm really excited about that.

Q. One of the networks did that?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: Yeah.

Q. You said 2004 the U.S. Open was too much for you, we're not that far from then, what's the difference?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: I don't know, I feel a lot more comfortable now. It's a dream come true to get on the PGA TOUR. Then you start with the U.S. Open at Shinnecock which was pretty tough, I would say. You guys watched that one.

But people here have been great with me, the other players and the staff and everybody has just done a lot of stuff to make me feel comfortable. My game has improved. I feel more comfortable with myself and I'm just trying to keep learning and having fun.

Q. What's been the hardest thing to get comfortable with, on the course or off the course?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: Definitely traveling. Even though there's a lot of people, everybody has their own routine and it can get a little lonely out here, but that's part of the job.

Q. Is this a course where your length is a particular advantage here at Doral, as opposed to some other places?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: I don't know. Nowadays we are hearing a lot of questions about length and everything. I don't think I hit it that far. I swing hard at it, but I ain't Bubba Watson or J.B; those guys kill it.

I don't know what to say about that one. I don't think so.

Q. Is there not a lot of courses, expensive, access difficult?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: I think access. We've got about 40 golf courses, 40, 45 golf courses. I live in the third largest city and there's four golf courses, one of them is nine holes.

Q. Do your friends play? Or when you took up the play, did anybody think that was odd that you were playing golf?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: You know what, my dad joined a club when he was about, I'd say 35 and I had a chance to start playing golf. I had a bunch of friends, so it was there was no lack of friends or lack of people it play with. An individual sport but I also had some friends to go out there and just get it going.

Q. Back to the length, on 18, is the water even in play for you?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: Let me tell you, Tuesday it was playing so much different. You couldn't fly that water. I hit a 4 iron in and today you could have carried it. I think it was about 300 on the left side, wind helping a little bit. So it was definitely an easier hole today than Tuesday but you never know with that one. That's a tough one.

Q. When you chipped in on 8, you were going for the green in two and you missed, or what happened there?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: I had I think like 253 to the front or something like that. I just didn't want to hit that 2 iron so I sliced a fairway wood just short of the green about four paces. I looked at my caddie and I go, "Like the putter?"

He goes, "Not really, give me that wedge." I chip it in and I go, "Right, club there."

Q. Who is your caddie?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: Matt Bernaski (ph). I don't know how to spell that one.

Q. Do you feel comfortable being grouped in with the long hitters? Would you like to be known for more than just being able to hit it far?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: Not at all. Doesn't matter at all. Obviously it's good if you can hit it far. I'm just saying I don't hit it as far as Bubba Watson and J.B. Holmes.

Q. How did all of the Lindeberg stuff come around? Did you gravitate towards flashy in college and back home or is this part of the endorsement deal?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: College was whatever you got. When I came out, I was for fortunate to have a couple options. Golf has been so classic all the time, and why not to be a little different out there. So I just went with them, I have a great relationship and it makes packing fun (laughter).

Q. Where did you pick up the habit of almost going stomach down on reading putts?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: Oh, I get that one a lot. Last year I was hitting the ball really good and I started struggling a little with my putter and I was just working so hard on trying to do something. I remember middle of the round, I just laid down there and I go, "Hmm, maybe if I get down lower I'll see it better." Just kind of felt good and I kept doing did.

Q. You must have this little move where you go to your chest when you putt?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: Yeah, I've been working so hard on mechanics, it was kind of driving me crazy. Last week I said, I've had enough, I've had enough of mechanics, let's go back to when I was a kid, I would just start thinking, man, every time I was 10, 11, 12, look at the hole, hit it and if it goes in, great and if it doesn't, go ahead and chase it and hit it back.

I started working with Gio Valiente, who I worked with in college, and I know a bunch of guys out here work with him. We just went to feel and having fun every time I go out there and every time I step on the putting surface I'm just going to have fun and I'm just going to enjoy and I'm just going to look forward to every putt. If it goes in great, and if you 3 putt, great, just keep on going. So no more mechanics, just feel.

Q. So you stopped doing that last week?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: I guess, I don't even know if I did it out there, maybe I did, it just not thinking about mechanics, maybe I did, I don't know. Look at the hole, hit it.

Q. This is such an international city, do you feel very comfortable here or anything about the atmosphere?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: There's a lot, especially Spanish speaking people, here in Miami. One of the reasons why I went to Florida, I was living in Florida, I was going to be near home, stop in Miami a lot. This week I have a bunch of family and friends. So I do, I feel comfortable.

Q. When you chipped in on 8, obviously it did something to you, did it give you a little jolt or what?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: I don't know. Like I said, I'm just trying to hit one shot at a time, have fun and that one was a good one.

I think the people out there kind of went off on that one and it hit me a little bit and maybe motivated me a little bit to keep going.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Did you win the Orange Bowl Junior down here?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: Yeah, I did.

Q. Was it here?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: It was Coral Gables, the Biltmore, '99.

Q. Following you in the galleries, you get quite a few cat calls and whatnot from the ladies, does starting out like this cramp your South Beach style any?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: You guys like those questions. (Laughter).

Q. Absolutely.

CAMILO VILLEGAS: I don't.

Q. Do you mind the shouts?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: It's okay.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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