New Nationwide Tour stop special for Villegas brothers

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For the Villegas family, especially brothers Camilo and Manny, this is a big week in their native Colombia.

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For the first time a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event will be held in South America with the playing of the Nationwide Tour's Pacific Rubiales Bogota Open at Bogota Country Club.

"I'm very excited," Camilo said. "It's the first time after about four or five years of knocking on the PGA TOUR's doors, and finally we get a Nationwide Tour event in Colombia."

Before Camilo gets back to the PGA TOUR later this week at The Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida he was one of the star attractions at the pro-am on Tuesday at Bogota Country Club.

Camilo took part in the Juan Pablo Montoya Celebrity Pro-Am. Montoya, a top NASCAR driver, is an avid golfer and serves on the board of The First Tee of South Florida.

"It's great for my country, great for golf in South America, and I'm very honored to be playing in the pro-am, and being part of that and supporting the event," Camilo said last week.

Having a Nationwide Tour tournament in Bogota will also help out the Camilo Villegas Fund, which will in turn give money back to Colombia. Camilo created "Give to Colombia," a U.S. based non-profit organization that focuses on education, health and nutrition and economic development.

Camilo was also going to conduct a youth clinic and attend a dinner before heading to Florida for his day job. It's a busy week for him, but he says it's well worth it.

As for Camilo's younger brother, Manny, his week is more about making some noise in the tournament. He is playing on a sponsor's exemption and hoping to duplicate -- or even better -- his finish earlier this year when he tied for sixth at the Moonah Classic.

It's never easy living in the shadow of a successful brother, but Manny is trying to carve out his career in just his second year of being a professional.

Camilo, 28, is an established pro who is ranked 22nd in the world and is off to a fast start this season. He made a run during the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship to finish third and last week tied for eighth at the Waste Management Phoenix Open after getting off to a great start with a first-round 62.

Stan Badz/PGA TOUR

Camilo Villegas played in the pro-am at the Pacific Rubiales Bogota Open.

The Villegas brothers both played for Buddy Alexander at Florida. When Manny was a freshman in 2004, Camilo was a senior. During Manny's career he was a four-time All-Academic SEC selection and in his senior year in 2008 he was All-Conference and All-America. Manny's lone win in college was in 2007 at the Suntrust Gator Invitational.

On the Nationwide Tour this season Manny missed the cut at the Michael Hill New Zealand Open and last week's Panama Claro Championship. He put it all together in the Moonah Classic, though -- shooting 71-72-70-67 to finish 8 under and a tie for sixth that was worth $25,200.

In earlier interviews after first turning pro, Manny said that he and his brother have some differences.

"I'm really relaxed, really laid back, he's more of a perfectionist," Manny said last year. "I do things a little slower than him and I'm maybe a little more disorganized."

Manny said that Camilo takes a little bit of a harder swing, but their games are very similar otherwise. He also said that seeing what his older brother has done on the course has helped tremendously.

"His preparation and planning around the golf course is something that I've taken notice," Manny said. "I've learned a lot from him, he's really good at that."

John Dell has covered golf for the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina for the last 15 years. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.