SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda — Rafael Campos felt like he was living a fairy tale Sunday when he came from near the loss of his PGA Tour card to win the Bermuda Championship, just six days after his wife gave birth to their first child on time. to let him play.
Campos clawed his way to a 2-foot eagle on the par-5 seventh hole during a surge that took him to a 3-under 68 to win by three shots, joining the late Chi Chi Rodriguez as the only players from Puerto Rico to win. on the PGA Tour.
Campos, 36, has never played in the big game. Now he is going to the Kings. This was his second full year on the PGA Tour. The win keeps him free until 2026.
“I can’t believe this is happening to me,” Campos said in tears during an interview on the 18th green after taking office.
He won by three shots over Andrew Novak, who shot 71 for his best finish on the PGA Tour. Novak pulled within two shots when Campos missed an 18-inch par putt on the par 14th. Campos didn’t budge, hitting all the right shots in the strong wind on the closing holes.
Tears started to flow after she went inside to see what happened.
Campos was No. 147 in the FedEx Cup with just two tournaments left, and he wasn’t sure he could make it to Bermuda. He and his wife decided to give birth, and Paola Isabel was born on Monday.
Coming off of five straight misses — Campos missed eight in a row early in the season — he arrived in Bermuda early and didn’t feel the pressure of being outside the top 125. their first child brought vision and peace.
The result was the best performance in his 80th start on the PGA Tour.
“It’s been an unbelievable week — the best week of my life,” he said. “It’s been such a bad year, and to have things go my way — everything came together at the same time — I’m so happy. I’m grateful to call myself a PGA Tour champion. It’s something I’ve dreamed of my whole life.”
Campos, who finished 19-under 265, received $1.242 million and a two-year release, which could be significant. This was only his second year headlining a full card. Campos enters The Sentry to start the year in Kapalua, along with the Masters, PGA Championship and The Players Championship.
He was tied with Novak to start the final round, and both were quickly passed by Justin Lower, who finished second last week in Mexico.
That changed when Campos executed a flawless, 6-foot birdie putt on No. 6 and an eagle on the next hole. And it changed for Lower, who double-bogeyed the par-3 eighth and never recovered.
Campos used his imagination to hit a shot in the air, and it resulted in No. 10 when his shot reached 18 inches for birdie, and on the next hole he holed another birdie putt from 15 feet.
It was then a matter of finishing under conditions so windy and difficult that even short putts were being hit out of line. Campos didn’t make a wrong move except for the 18-inch putt he missed.
A few friends rushed to the 18th to spray him with foam, and he took a swig to celebrate the week he never imagined.
“It’s been a very bad year for hitting the ball,” said Campos. “This game is very difficult when things don’t go well, it’s very difficult to be confident. Things are very different this week. I just don’t know. I’m very grateful.”
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