At long last, Rafael Campos is a winner on the PGA Tour.
Campos, a 36-year-old journeyman in his 14th year as a professional golfer, fired a final-round 68 at Port Royal Golf Course on Sunday to win the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. The win is just the second pro victory for the Puerto Rico native and his first on the PGA Tour.
“After such a bad year, to have things kind of go my way, everything together at once, I’m just so happy,” Campos said. “I just can’t believe this is actually happening to me after such a year. I’m just grateful to be able to call myself a PGA Tour champion. It’s something I’ve dreamed about all my life.”
Campos entered the day tied for the lead with Andrew Novak after each posted nine-under 62s in the third round, but on a blustery day in Bermuda, Campos got the better of his playing partner. After getting off to a slow start during the final round going one over through five holes, Campos went three under on Nos. 6 and 7 to change the momentum heading into the back nine.
With birdies on the 10th and 11th, Campos got to 19 under for the week and built a lead he would not relinquish. He played the final seven holes in even par to win by three over Novak.
As he brushed in his final putt on the par-4 finisher, Campos was overcome by emotion. He let out a small fist pump and embraced his caddie with tears in his eyes as his fellow pros stormed the greens and doused him in champagne.
To say this win was unlikely would be a bit of an understatement. Coming into the week, Campos had missed four cuts in a row, with just two made cuts in 15 starts since mid-May. But in spite of the doubts caused by his poor play creeping in, Campos never gave up hope.
“It’s been such a bad year ball-striking wise,” Campos said. “This game is so hard when things aren’t going well. It’s so hard to be confident. Things have just been so different this week. I’m just so grateful to finish on top of the leaderboard.”
With the win, Campos takes home a check worth $1.2 million, a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and an invitation to the 2025 Masters. Campos also joins fellow countryman Chi Chi Rodriguez as the only other player from Puerto Rico to win on the PGA Tour.
“It’s been an unbelievable week,” Campos said. “Best week of my life.”
