Tag: Rafael Campos

Winner’s Bag: Rafael Campos, 2024 Butterfield Bermuda Championship

A complete list of the golf equipment Rafael Campos used to win the PGA Tour’s Butterfield Bermuda.

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A complete list of the golf equipment Rafael Campos used to win the PGA Tour’s 2024 Butterfield Bermuda Championship:

DRIVER: Titleist GT2 (10 degrees), with Mitsubishi Diamana BB 63 X shaft

FAIRWAY WOOD: Titleist GT2 (13.5 degrees), with Mitsubishi Kurokage Silver TiNi 80 X shaft

IRONS: Titleist U•505 (2), with Project X HZRDUS Black 90 HY 6.5 shaft, T150 (4-5), 620 MB (6-9), with True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 X100 shafts

WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (46, 50, 54, 60 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 X100 shafts

PUTTER: Scotty Cameron TourType Timeless Buttonback prototype

BALL: Titleist Pro V1

On verge of losing PGA Tour card, Rafael Campos gets first win at 2024 Butterfield Bermuda Championship

A life-changing victory for Rafael Campos.

It’s a good thing Rafael Campos’ flight wasn’t delayed.

He didn’t get to Port Royal Golf Course until 11:30 a.m. local time Thursday, about an hour an a half before his tee time at the PGA Tour’s 2024 Butterfield Bermuda Championship. He was at home with his wife, Stephanie, who gave birth to the couple’s first child on Monday.

Campos stayed at home as long as he could, then took an early flight Thursday and got to the course. Now, he’s a PGA Tour winner.

Campos earned his first PGA Tour victory Sunday, winning the Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Course during a breezy final round. He started the week at 147th in the FedEx Cup standings but will move to 80th after the win, on top of numerous other accolades that come with winning a PGA Tour event.

Butterfield: Leaderboard | Photos

A $1,242,000 winner’s check. A 2025 Masters invitation. Job security for 2025 and beyond. All thanks to a brilliant performance in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean over 72 holes.

“I just can’t believe this is actually happening to me after such a year,” Campos said while struggling to talk through tears in his post-round TV interview. “I’m just grateful to be able to call myself a PGA Tour champion. It’s something I’ve dreamt about all my life.

“It’s been an unbelievable week, best week of my life.”

It’s somewhat of a surprising win, as Campos had missed 13 cuts in his past 15 starts, including all five of the events he had played previously in the FedEx Cup Fall.

It’s also a lesson in patience that he learned in the past and was reminded of his week.

During the round, Campos said his mind wandered back to a time about 12 years ago when he would write down his goals and aspirations. He recently found one of those notes, and he had achieved everything on the list.

“I’ve been praying every day the last year, you know, hoping to get a good week, hoping to just give myself some security and today or this week, I just knew he was with me, I knew my family was with me,” Campos said.

Campos shot 3-under 68 in the final round, including an eagle on the par-5 seventh that gave him the lead for good. He topped Andrew Novak by three shots for his maiden victory, with Campos finishing at 19-under 265.

Campos is the 14th first-time winner on the PGA Tour this season and the third during the FedEx Cup Fall. He’s also the second Puerto Rican to win on Tour, joining Chi Chi Rodriguez.

“I’m just extremely happy to be a champion and not have to worry about where I’m going to be playing the next couple of years,” Campos said. “That was something that was bothering me for the last like six months and ironic how everything just flipped and fortunately I can just go out and enjoy and play golf.”

There’s a world where Campos wasn’t even in the Bermuda, regardless of the birth of his first child.

Last year, he finished 30th in the Korn Ferry Tour points standings to earn his PGA Tour card, and that came only after a penalty dropped Shad Tuten from the 30th spot, allowing Campos to slide up and earn the final PGA Tour card available.

Fast forward 13 months, Campos was on the outside looking in of the FedEx Cup top 125, needing to do something special to keep his PGA Tour card for the 2025 season in one of the season’s last events.

He’s now 80th in the standings and has a job through the 2026 season.

“For me, honestly, like I said before, the most important thing for me was job security,” he said. “That’s something we struggle here on the PGA Tour with because it’s so hard to get up here and it’s so easy to lose everything.”

As has been the case with numerous PGA Tour stars in recent months, Campos joins the latest group of recent dads finding the winner’s circle.

This week in Bermuda, his perspective was off the charts.

“It’s funny, my game got really bad as soon as I found out I was going to be a father, like extremely bad,” Campos said. “Thinking I remember that’s something I spoke to my psychologist about and we were trying to figure out why everything has gone so bad the last like six months.

“I remember she asked me like, ‘hey, when did it start?’ I’m like, ‘ironically it started as soon as my wife told me we’re pregnant after the Puerto Rico Open.’ She said, ‘what do you think changed?’ I said I just know that — I remember since that day, I’m like now I really want to play well, I want to make money so I can save so I can give her the life — my mind just completely shifted. I just started focusing on like, man, I want to do as well as I can just to provide for her, which is a great way to think about it, but it completely took me off target. I missed, what, 14 out of the last 15 cuts or something like that.

“Stories like that do come true apparently. I just can’t believe I’m here sitting with you guys and being able to say I’m a PGA Tour champion.”

Even on the PGA Tour’s slowest greens, pros are missing plenty of short putts at the windy Butterfield Bermuda Championship

The Port Royal Golf Course can be a dicey proposition.

The Port Royal Golf Course can be a dicey proposition.

It’s the shortest golf course used on PGA Tour in 2024 and when the wind picks up, hoo-boy it can be fun to watch, if not exactly fun to play.

After Saturday’s round, Justin Lower had opinions on the conditions everyone had to deal with.

“I don’t think that’s golf if you ask me,” he said about the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th holes. “Balls were going backwards in the air and I just, I realize that a lot of people had to play in it, but I don’t think it’s fair if that makes sense. I think if a top-10 or top-15 player in the world was here and they wanted to stop, I think the rules officials would have said ‘Yeah, we’ll stop.’ When anyone else in the field, if we would have said ‘I don’t feel comfortable playing in this’ we would have been told ‘tough’ and to proceed with the round. So that’s how I feel about it.”

On Sunday, Golf Channel announcers pointed out the greens were the slowest on Tour and that’s largely due to how much wind can affect golfers, and putting was indeed an adventure.

Justin Lower had this look but missed:

Then there was Rafael Campos:

Andrew Novak unwittingly got in on it:

And then Campos got bit by the bug again, this time lipping out a shortie from about 18 inches.

 

Leaders shoot 62, Wesley Bryan ties course record and more from third round of 2024 Butterfield Bermuda Championship

Catch up on the action here.

There are two new names atop the leaderboard after the third round of the 2024 Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton. American Andrew Novak and Puerto Rican Rafael Campos shot a pair of 9-under 62s to earn themselves a share of the 54-hole lead and a final-group tee time.

Justin Lower, who posted back-to-back rounds of 65 to earn the 36-hole lead, stumbled on his way to the clubhouse on Saturday, playing the back nine in 1-over 36. Still, he’ll enter the final round one back of the lead at 15 under, alone in third.

Wesley Bryan made the biggest move of the day, tying the course record at Port Royal, a 10-under 61. He had a chance to break the existing record on No. 9 — his 18th hole of the day — but couldn’t convert the putt.

If you missed any of the action on Saturday, no worries, we have you covered.

Here are a few notes from the third round in Bermuda.

Bermuda: Notables to miss cut | Leaderboard | Photos

Butterfield Bermuda Championship third-round takeaways

Novak, Campos overtake lead with 9-under 62s

Andrew Novak of the United States walks from the 11th hole during the third round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship 2024 at Port Royal Golf Course on November 16, 2024, in Southampton, Bermuda. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Sure, they weren’t as good as Bryan’s 61 — we’ll get to that in a minute — but Andrew Novak and Rafael Campos crawled their way to the top of the leaderboard with matching 9-under 62s.

Novak did most of his damage early in the round, making seven birdies on the front nine to make the turn with a 7-under 29. On the second half, he added two more on Nos. 12 and 15 to finish his day.

“I missed a lot of putts the first two rounds and hit a good shot into 1,” he said, “made probably a 12-footer or so, that just kind of got it going, seeing ’em go in, kind of kept it rolling and just got hot.”

Campos, on the other hand, did most of his work around the turn and at the end of his round. He birdied five straight from Nos. 6-10 and three straight from Nos. 15-17.

“I really am happy about the last couple days, especially today,” he said. “Yesterday was no wind but today was a real test on some of the holes into the wind.

“I was really fortunate the short game was really on point today. It’s been quite some time I haven’t felt as comfortable chipping, but I had a couple chip-ins today and the putter rolled really well.”

Wesley Bryan storms up the leaderboard

2024 Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Wesley Bryan of the United States checks his yardage book on the tenth green during the third round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship 2024 at Port Royal Golf Course on November 16, 2024, in Southhampton, Bermuda. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

The vibes have been high all week for Wesley Bryan. He played the first two rounds of the tournament alongside his brother, George, and although he missed the cut, the younger Bryan is now in position to win on Tour for the second time (2017 RBC Heritage).

Bryan opened with a 67 on Thursday but made too many late-round mistakes Friday, shooting a 1-over 72. Saturday, however, was a different story.

Starting on the back nine, Bryan birdied 10, 11, 14 and 16 before making a big bird at the par-5 17th to make the turn with a 6-under 29. On the way home, the 34-year-old added two more birdies to his card on Nos. 2 and 6, plus another eagle at the par-5 seventh.

Needing a birdie-birdie finish to card a 59, Bryan settled for two pars to finish his 10-under effort that tied the Port Royal course record.

“I’ve been hitting the ball really nice and been hitting it solid and been putting pretty well,” he said. “I felt like these type of conditions really for my entire golfing career, I’ve really enjoyed wind. It just brings out a little bit more creativity, so I do enjoy the wind.

“Then today, I mean, nobody knows a 61 or what, when a 61’s going to come. That’s just kind of a career day. Hopefully, we can shoot — I mean, get in the mix tomorrow on the back nine. That would be the ultimate goal.”

He’ll tee off Sunday three shots back.

More: How did Wesley Bryan prepare to shoot a course record at the 2024 Butterfield Bermuda Championship? Watching Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson

Top 10 and odds to win

Position Player Score Odds to win
T-1 Andrew Novak 16 under (+160)
T-1 Rafael Campos 16 under (+330)
3rd Justin Lower 15 under (+320)
4th Wesley Bryan 13 under (+1200)
T-5 Lucas Glover 12 under (+2200)
T-5 Troy Merritt 12 under (+6000)
T-5 Sam Ryder 12 under (+4000)
T-8 Patrick Rodgers 11 under (+5000)
T-8 Alex Smalley 11 under (+6000)
T-8 Chad Ramey 11 under (+8000)
T-8 Vince Whaley 11 under (+7000)
T-8 Hayden Springer 11 under (+7500)
T-8 David Lipsky 11 under (+8000)
T-8 Ryan Moore 11 under (+8000)

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Lefty Joe Highsmith pulls in front on bunched-up Puerto Rico Open leaderboard

The Pepperdine grad is angling to be the 16th left-handed golfer to win on the circuit.

There were eight golfers tied atop the 2024 Puerto Rico Open leaderboard after the first round, which finished Friday because of a weather delay Thursday.

The bunched-up leaderboard continued through the second round, as four golfers – Matti Schmid, Kevin Streelman, Rafael Campos and Ryo Hisatune – shared the 36-hole lead at the Grand Reserve Golf Club until late in the day when Joe Highsmith got to 13 under before play was suspended for darkness for a second night in a row.

The Pepperdine grad making his eighth PGA Tour start is angling to be the 16th left-handed golfer to win on the circuit.

He went out in 32 after a birdie on No. 8 and an eagle on No. 9. After a bogey on 10, he birdied Nos. 11, 13 and 14 before his day was over.

This is the first opposite-field event of the season, and in addition to the $720,000 first-place prize, the winner will earn a spot in the 2024 Players Championship, if not already eligible, as well as a two-year PGA Tour exemption.

Rico Hoey birdies 18, wins 2023 Visit Knoxville Open by a stroke for first Korn Ferry Tour victory

It’s the first Korn Ferry Tour win for Hoey in 82 starts.

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Rico Hoey has played in just one PGA Tour event and that was more than three years ago.

After earning his first Korn Ferry Tour win on Sunday in the 2023 Visit Knoxville Open, Hoey took a huge step toward perhaps being a regular on the big tour.

Hoey birdied the par-5 18th hole Sunday at Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, Tennessee, to win by a shot over Chase Seiffert and Norman Xiong. Hoey’s final-round 65 got him to 14 under for the week. It’s his sixth top-10 finish of the 2023 season.

“I’m just ecstatic. There was a lot of hard work. Everyone works hard. And I have battled through things for myself, and I’m just really happy to get it done,” he said. “And I never thought the day would come, but a lot of people told me it would.”

He punctuated his birdie on 18 with an animated fist pump.

“It was just like your heart’s racing, you can’t think straight, your head’s all over the place. I couldn’t control my hands,” he said of his putt on 18. “I just told myself: ‘Just hit it down the line and see what happens.'”

It’s his first win in 82 Korn Ferry starts and his second professional win since he claimed the 2017 Freedom 55 Financial Championship on the PGA Tour Canada.

The last 10 events of 2023 have been feast or famine for Hoey.

2023 Visit Knoxville Open
Rico Hoey poses with the trophy after winning the 2023 Visit Knoxville Open at Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo: Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

Prior to winning this week, he tied for second. In the two events before that, he missed the cut. The three events before those missed cuts were three consecutive ties for third. In his last 10 starts, he either has finished in the top 10 or he has missed the cut.

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This PGA Tour journeyman says he’s down 40-plus pounds and ready to roll at the Corales Puntacana Championship

“All the hard work I’ve put in the last five months will give me results. I don’t know when, but I know they will.”

Rafael Campos hasn’t played much on the PGA Tour over the past two seasons. However, with many of the game’s best players in Austin, Texas, for the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, Campos got a spot in the opposite-field event, the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic.

On Tuesday, Campos opened up about recent changes he has made to his team and how he prepares himself now compared to just a few months ago.

“Yeah, I’ve lost approximately 40, 45 pounds in the last five months or so,” he said when meeting with the media at the Puntacana Resort and Club. “Came about just because last year was a really bad year, inconsistent year, injuries were really bad the middle of the year. I’ve battled with this and through this for the last four years and I just had enough, to tell you the truth, I really did.”

Rafael Campos of Puerto Rico plays his shot from the 14th tee during the first round of the Puerto Rico Open at Grand Reserve Country Club on February 25, 2021 in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

“I’m just really upset sometimes when I think about it that I waited so long to make this type of change. Five months ago I set up a great team — everything, nutritionist, chiropractor, trainer, manager. Just put a brand new team together, start from zero and we’re doing a great job.”

Although he’s frustrated he waited so long to make the changes, Campos understands the results will come with perseverance.

“I can’t say how grateful I am for the team that I’ve put together,” he said. “And we’re nonstop working, to tell you the truth, and it feels great. I did it just to avoid injuries. The positive is we’re losing weight, we’re learning how to eat. It’s a lot easier than what people think, to tell the truth. I basically eat everything I want right now, I just have to make sure that I snack a lot throughout the day.

Rafael Campos of Puerto Rico hits his first shot on the 1st hole during the second round of the Puerto Rico Open at Grand Reserve Golf Club on March 03, 2023 in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

“I just feel great, I really do. I think all these — all the hard work I’ve put in the last five months will give me results. I don’t know when, but I know they will. I’m just doing things right and I’m just pretty upset that I waited too long to make this type of change. But the way I feel right now is great and I can — my mental state is a lot better, healthier right now.”

Campos tied for 48th at the Puerto Rico Open earlier this month. At last season’s Puntacana Championship, he finished T-28.

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Joel Dahmen, co-leader at Corales Puntacana, says wife ‘gives me a hug and a kiss and tells me to go kick butt’

Joel Dahmen, who hasn’t won a professional event in nearly seven years, is tied with Rafael Campos at 10 under in the Dominican Republic.

Joel Dahmen hasn’t won a professional event since claiming two titles on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada nearly seven years ago. Positive vibes from his wife might help him breakthrough on the PGA Tour this week.

After 54 holes in the Dominican Republic, Dahmen is in position to win for the first time on golf’s big stage. His third-round 68 included four birdies on his back nine, getting him to 10 under. Rafael Campos would later birdie the 18th hole to tie him for the lead and those two will take a one-shot advantage into Sunday’s final round.

Dahmen credits his wife, Lona, describing how she’s long been a big part of his team.

“We’ve been together for nine years now, married for two, so she’s seen it all,” he said on Saturday. “She worked two jobs to pay rent when I was on the mini-tours, had no money. So she’s been through it all. She’s been really positive through all this.”

This being the six missed cuts in seven outings in 2021.

“Sounds like I’m just like on golf suicide watch, right? I just had a rough seven, eight weeks. It’s not that bad, but the way I play, super consistent, make a lot of cuts, you know, it seemed like it was pretty bad. So it’s never as bad as you think it is, it’s never as good as you think it is, but Lona’s been great for me. She still gives me a hug and a kiss and tells me to go kick butt, so it’s been good.”

Dahmen has only posted three bogeys and one double through three rounds at the windy Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. He also credited his Saturday playing partner, Graeme McDowell, for providing some inspiration.

“Playing with Graeme today, he got off to kind of a good start and I was kind of behind the 8-ball. He kind of kicked my butt after the three-putt on 8,” he said. “I started being a little more aggressive with my putts just got to get them to the hole and they might actually go in, and they did thankfully on the back.”

Corales: Leaderboard | Photos | TV info

Typically, Dahmen hasn’t played this event, but he felt like missing out on this week’s World Golf Championships event stirred something.

“Normally I take this week off, but I was kind of inspired — I felt like I kind of should have been in that Match Play this year and not being there inspired me to come here and play well,” he said.

As for Campos, he’s only had two bogeys all week and has shot three rounds in the 60s so far, including a second straight 69 on Saturday.

Campos is also seeking his first Tour win. He has one win on the Korn Ferry Tour, the 2019 Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club.

Danny Willett and Michael Gligic are tied for second, one shot back. Emiliano Grillo and  Thomas Pieters are tied for fifth, two back. Defending champion Hudson Swafford is in a six-way tie for seventh at 7 under.

The Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, also held last September, is the first PGA Tour event to be staged twice in the same season in 70 years.

A win does not mean a trip to Augusta National for the Masters but a victory would gain the winner this week entry into the 2021 PGA Championship, the 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions and the 2022 Players Championship.

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Three-way tie for lead after 36 holes at PGA Tour’s Puntacana Resort & Club Championship

Justin Suh, Fabrizio Zanotti and Rafael Campos all share the 36-hole lead in the Dominican Republic.

Justin Suh, Fabrizio Zanotti and Rafael Campos all share the 36-hole lead at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in the Dominican Republic.

Zanotti shot a 68 while Suh and Campos each fired 69s. All three are 7 under, one shot ahead of the field.

Suh, seeking his first PGA Tour win, knows there’s plenty of work still to do.

“We still have two more rounds, we still have the weekend and it’s not going to be easy just because the wind I think is going to keep coming in,” he said.

Suh finished tied for 14th last September in this event, his second-best finish on Tour.

“I’m excited for the opportunities ahead. We’ve got a good game plan going on, I’m hitting it great, I’ve just got to keep it going.”

Corales: Leaderboard | Photos | TV info

For Campos, this event is like a home game.

“I really do feel like I’m at home. This is my second home actually,” he said. “My family has had a house here for 20 years and anytime I come out here, play, whenever I’m in vacation mode, I actually come here to the Dominican Republic and stay here.”

Tyler Duncan and Joel Dahmen are tied for fourth, a shot back.

First-round leader Stephan Jaeger shot a 73, one day after he opened with a 66. He is among six golfers tied for sixth. Michael Gligic is in that group as well after he shot a 66, the low round of the day. Graeme McDowell is also in that group at 5 under.

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Puerto Rico Open: Rafael Campos tries to be this week’s hometown hero

Puerto Rico native Rafael Campos is attempting to break out of his slump with some home cooking and 7 birdies Thursday.

One week after Max Homa won the PGA Tour’s Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles, not far from where he grew up, another hometown hero is in the thick of it at the Puerto Rico Open.

Rafael Campos, 32, must be enjoying some home cooking as he carded seven birdies and just one bogey en route to an opening-round 6-under 66 at Grand Reserve Country Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.

“I really do feel more comfortable being out here,” said Campos, who was part of a five-way tie for second, one stroke behind leader Tommy Gainey. “I understand where I can miss the balls and fully have good looks to make up-and-down. I’m actually very relaxed.”

Campos’s stellar start was shades of 2016 when he opened with a 64 and became the first Puerto Rican golfer to lead a Tour event since World Golf Hall of Famer Chi Chi Rodriguez won the Tallahassee Open in 1979. Campos stayed in the trophy hunt that year until Sunday, notching a T-8 and finished T-10 a year later. He’s only made the cut in six of his 11 starts at the Puerto Rico Open, but said he’s finally figured the course out.

Puerto Rico Open: Leaderboard

“I normally play a little left-to-right shot, but this course actually has a lot of left-to-right wind, so it’s actually tougher for me,” he explained during his pre-tournament interview. “But I actually realized I found different ways to play this course and I really feel comfortable now. I know where to attack, where not to attack.”

It also had to be good for Campos to simply be back in a place with positive memories. He missed playing in the tournament for the first time in the tournament’s history last year due to a torn muscle in his back.

“It was really hard for me,” he said.

But he really had no choice. The injury prevented him from swinging a club until August, six months later. Since his return, Campos has been mired in a slump. He’s missed his last four cuts and seven of his eight starts this season on the PGA Tour. But he showed signs of breaking out of his rut, tying for seventh at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Lecom Suncoast Classic on Sunday.

“I knew I was really close,” he said, “so, seeing last week things kind of click into place a little bit more and finish in the top-10 over there at the Korn Ferry, giving me a chance to actually win a tournament, really nice to feel the nerves again.”

Campos has made a steady climb as a pro, spending 56 starts on PGA Tour Latinoamerica and 84 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour before earning his PGA Tour card for the first time in the 2019-20 season. A strong result this week would go a long way to maintaining his current membership status. Sidney Wolf, president of the Puerto Rico Golf Association, has even grander ambitions.

“My dream,” he told Golfweek in 2017, “is to see a Latino win this event.”

On a windy Thursday, Gainey birdied five of his last seven holes to take his fourth 18-hole lead/co-lead on the PGA Tour.

“The whole game’s in good shape right now,” said Gainey, who has been playing primarily on the Korn Ferry Tour of late. “I’m hitting it good enough to win, and it’s just time for me to get back out on the PGA Tour, where I belong.

Campos was tied with veterans Robert Garrigus, who birdied four of his first six holes, Greg Chalmers, who made a hole-in-one at the par-3 eighth, and a pair of Korn Ferry Tour stars, Taylor Pendrith and Lee Hodges, who are out to prove they’ve got game too.

“I would say top to bottom – obviously we’re not as strong as out here, but we can compete. Any week, anybody from the Korn Ferry could win out here,” Hodges said.

Rafael Campos walks up to the 18th green during the final round of the 2017 Puerto Rico Open. (Photo by Michael Cohen/Getty Images)

Campos, who grew up in San Juan, hit 16 of 18 greens in the opening round. He’s the biggest name in the Puerto Rican golf community and he’s trying to give back through the formation of a First Tee chapter, the youth development program based in the U.S.

“I think it’s something that’s mandatory and necessary here on the island,” Campos said. “I believe this is a great opportunity to kind of showcase and implement golf into schools, into areas that don’t know anything about golf basically. You never know if the next Tiger Woods is actually coming from these areas.”

There would be no greater spark for golf in Puerto Rico than a hometown victory. Campos has threatened before and a promising start lends hope that this could be the year for his big breakthrough.

“I hit the ball very well, gave myself a lot of great looks. Wasn’t really aggressive today, which I think that was a key, just kind of tried to play my way around the course,” he said. “Hopefully tomorrow we’ll try to do the same thing, hit the ball the same way.”

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