going into the final round. The win took Villegas to a career-high 7th place in the Official World Golf Rankings and established him as the highest ranked golfer from South America. He finished the season 7th on the PGA Tour money list. In late 2008, Villegas joined the European Tour, making his first European Tour appearance at the 2008 HSBC Champions, the first tournament of the 2009 season. However he continued to play predominately in the United States. He had no victories in 2009, but had five top-10 finishes and ended the season ranked 45th on the PGA Tour money list and in the top 30 of the European Tour's Race to Dubai. He has spent over 30 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings since 2008, with a career high rank of seventh. At the 2009 Chevron World Challenge, Villegas made a very rare albatross (double eagle) on a 568-yard par 5, firing a 262-yard second shot into the hole. In March 2010, Villegas earned his third victory on the PGA Tour, winning The Honda Classic by five strokes over Anthony Kim. He chose not to maintain his status on the European Tour, and a slump in form in 2012 meant he had to enter the PGA Tour's Qualifying School at the end of the season; he finished 144th on the money list. Villegas did not regain a Tour Card, but had conditional status on the PGA Tour for 2013, playing in the 126-150 category. His status gave him entry based on sponsor exemptions, past championships, and priority ranking. He regained full privileges for 2014 with a 110th-place finish in the FedEx Cup. In 2014, Villegas won the Wyndham Championship, his first win on Tour in more than four years. The win moved him into the 37th position of the 2014 FedEX Cup prior to going into the FedEx Cup playoffs. With this victory, Villegas earned an invitation for the 2015 Masters Tournament, and a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour, lasting until the 2015-16 season. In July 2016, Villegas withdrew from the Olympics in Rio to concentrate in the PGA Tour and secure a card for the 2016-17 season. He also mentioned concerns over the Zika virus as another reason to pull out from the Olympics. Villegas did not regain his Tour card and played the 2016–17 season with only past champion status. He eventually