updated 12:45 p.m. ET July 18, 2008

SOUTHPORT, England - Camilo Villegas practiced for his British Open debut alongside Greg Norman, a two-time champion who plays part-time golf.

The young Colombian seemed to pick up some tips from the veteran. They finished next to each other on the leaderboard Friday, with Norman shooting his second straight par 70 for the clubhouse lead and Villegas a shot back after a round of 65 that included eight birdies.

“I obviously played unbelievable,” said the 26-year-old Villegas.

Villegas started off a bit shaky, with bogeys on the first two holes.

“I kept my composure after that,” said the Florida-based golfer. “My caddie just told me to keep battling, keep grinding, and came back with two birdies on No. 4 and 5. The back nine was obviously very special finishing with five birdies in a row.”

Villegas pitched out of a bunker to within 3 feet at the par-5 17th, and his approach at the 18th hit the pin before he made a 25-foot putt.

He said those were the sort of breaks players needed on the treacherous, wind-swept, rain-soaked course.

Villegas got a big break before the tournament started when Kenny Perry dropped out and he got in as the first alternate. Practicing alongside Norman on Tuesday was another stroke of luck.

“Obviously, No. 1 in the world for a while, a great player,” he said Norman, who last won the British Open in 1993. “Great guy, a guy who has played many Opens, so a very experienced individual.

“We talked about many things, and obviously links golf and these type of golf courses. He had some good advice. And obviously when somebody like that tells you something, you’d better listen.”

In his third year on the PGA Tour, Villegas said he enjoyed the different challenges of “funky” links golf where the wind plays tricks on the players.

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“When I say funky, I obviously don’t mean anything bad,” he said. “I’m just saying it’s so different than what we’re used to. I mean, downwind you can hit a driver that goes 370 yards, and then you get into the wind and you’re hitting a driver 230.”

Although he missed the cut at the Masters, Villegas has played consistently on the PGA Tour this season. He tied for ninth at the U.S. Open, and his best finish was third at the AT&T Classic where he almost made a playoff.

With the rare sight of the Colombian flag flapping alongside the Royal Birkdale links, Villegas said he was proud to represent his country at the sport’s oldest major.

“The game of golf has been growing in a very significant and nice way in my country,” he said. “That’s one of my goals, just to represent my country in the best way I can and to hopefully just take it while it’s there.”

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