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THE HERITAGE

April 22, 2011

Camilo Villegas

HILTON HEAD, SOUTH CAROLINA

MARK STEVENS: We'd like to welcome Camilo Villegas. You got to 8-under today. Just beat the rain. If you want to talk about your round today and then we'll take some questions.
CAMILO VILLEGAS: It was good, obviously a good day. I enjoy playing this golf course. It's such a great place. I had a couple nice par saves, which is always important around this place. I made some nice putts. I'm hitting the ball a lot better than I have been the whole year, starting it more on line, and that's exciting. It hasn't been the best start of the season, but I'm looking forward to the weekend and just kind of get it going from here on.

Q. You made a putt out there that seemed to surprise you, you made a birdie putt out there that seemed to break differently than you thought.
CAMILO VILLEGAS: No, actually -- the one on 5?

Q. Yeah.
CAMILO VILLEGAS: Was it 5? Oh, I got so lucky on 5 it was a joke. I hit a driver so far left it hit a tree it was going out of bounds. It came back in play. Then I hit 5-wood all the way up there, pitching wedge on the green and ended up making birdie.

Q. That was the response to the whole hole?
CAMILO VILLEGAS: Yeah, I was just kind of laughing inside at the game. I mean, I can't believe I just made 4 on this hole. It wasn't that it broke the other way, I hit a great putt. I was probably going to make a six or seven on that hole and I went for 4, but that's hard.

Q. You talked a lot about liking this place a lot. I guess what has attracted you to it in just the few years that you've played here?
CAMILO VILLEGAS: The more I play the more I like it. It's always in good shape, it's a great place, the fans really support the tournament. But if you talk about the golf course, you've just got to have your game when you come here. If you start hitting greens, you're going to have a lot of birdie looks, but if it's not sharp, it can go really high. You've definitely got to shape the ball. You've got to be smart. You've just got to be smart. I enjoy that.

Q. Is it just the golf course or is it the area?
CAMILO VILLEGAS: Everything. I think they run a great event here. And the fans are always supportive. And it's a nice area. If you're going to talk about the golf course, the golf course is one of my favorite ones on Tour. I hope we can find a response for next year and continue to come here for many years.

Q. You said it hadn't been the best start to your season, what wasn't going right for you and what is improving now?
CAMILO VILLEGAS: What?

Q. What was not going right for you?
CAMILO VILLEGAS: If I knew that it would probably have been a better start of the year (laughter). It's the game of golf. It's no different than running a business, you have to make decisions out there. All the decisions you make is for the purpose of improving and getting better, and sometimes it doesn't go that way. I actually practiced in the off-season more than I probably have in my last five, six seasons on Tour, and just hoping to get to a great start of the year. And funny enough, the game of golf comes and bites you and it just wasn't that way.
But I've been working hard. I've been working hard. Like I said, I've been hitting the ball nice this week, I'm excited. And I'm looking forward to playing the weekend.

Q. I didn't see you play today so I don't know, do you still get down to line up your putts? And if not, why not?
CAMILO VILLEGAS: Sometimes.

Q. Just depends?
CAMILO VILLEGAS: Yeah.

Q. Was it better to not have to come out here earlier today, finish up a few holes and then get ready for a second round?
CAMILO VILLEGAS: It wasn't too bad. I think they started at 7:30, 7:40. It was nice to finish, especially with a birdie like I did yesterday. But it wasn't too bad for the guys out there, they had to play a couple of holes, grab a quick bite and go out again.

Q. Were you using the belly putter this week?
CAMILO VILLEGAS: No, no, short putter.

Q. There was a lot of talk leading up to this event how moving away from the week after The Masters might hurt it. It seems like through two days it hasn't been that way. Do you think there's any effect at all?
CAMILO VILLEGAS: Yeah, I came at the last minute. I was supposed to go to Colombia and do some things there. I talked with the Tour and they told us if they found a sponsor next year, the tournament will be after Augusta. I'd much rather have it that way, go play Augusta, drive down, nice easy drive and make a nice relaxed week. I just haven't paid much attention to how the field looks like or what effect it has. But like I said, it was a last-minute call for me. I enjoy that place. I've got to go play.

Q. With where you are now, where do you think you'll be at the end of the day and what will that mean for your play tomorrow?
CAMILO VILLEGAS: I don't know. I really didn't look much at the leaderboard. And I don't know what's going on out there. Hopefully the weather stays away, and the boys can finish the round. And we can start on time tomorrow.
I don't know, you know. We're halfway there, and there's a lot of golf to be played. You've just got to focus on what you're doing, not on what the other guys are doing.

Q. With all the younger guys winning, do you feel that you need to win to keep up with some of your contemporary players?
CAMILO VILLEGAS: I always try to win. We always try to win. We always step Thursday to that tee wanting to win the tournament. But there's a process to winning. I think it's nice to see the young guys winning, but does it really matter? Not really. I can't control what they do. They can't control what I do, they can't control my attitude and how I show up for work each day. You try to improve and get better and contend in golf tournaments.
MARK STEVENS: Thanks a lot. Good luck this weekend.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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