Emotional Rafael Campos Secures Life Changing Victory in Bermuda

Rafael Campos changed his life for ever by winning the Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Course. He started the week on the cusp of losing his PGA Tour card. He ended it with a full two-year exemption, an invitation to The Masters and the Tournament of Champions and the small matter of a cheque for $1.2m.

Campos was 147th in the FedEx Cup standings when he teed off on Thursday but moves up to 80th after the win.

Struggling to hold back the tears, he said: "Best week of my life. I can’t wait to call my family."

The win came after a dreadful season that included 16 missed cuts, including 13 of his past 15 starts and a solitary top-10 finish.

Campos shot a three-under 68 in the final round, including an eagle on the par-five seventh that gave him the lead. He beat Andrew Novak by three shots, finishing the week on 19-under 265.

He 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.

Who is Rafael Campos?

Rafael Campos was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico on April 15, 1987.

He turned professional in 2011 and the following year finished third on the Tour de las Americas Order of Merit. In 2015 he finished third on the Latinoamerica Order of Merit, allowing him to become a Web.com Tour member in 2016. He finished 111th on the Web.com Tour money list in 2016 and did not retain membership.

In March 2017, playing on a sponsor exemption, he tied for 10th at the Puerto Rico Open which got him into the next week’s Houston Open, where he finished seventh.

In May he played the Web.com Tour's Corales Puntacana Championship and tied for third. A tie for 11th at the next event gave him Special Temporary Membership on the Web.com Tour, and he finished the season 57th on the money list, giving him full membership for 2018.

In 2018, Campos finished runner-up at the Panama Championship and in January 2019, Campos claimed his first professional victory at the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic on the Web.com Tour. He was the first Puerto Rican to win on the Web.com Tour. He finished 18th on the regular-season points list and earned a PGA Tour card for the 2019-20.

Campos played in nine events on the PGA Tour in 2019-20 before a back injury caused him to miss the rest of the season (including missing the Puerto Rico Open for the first time since its inception in 2008). Due to the adjustments to PGA Tour eligibility as a result of the pandemic, he was able to retain membership in 2020-21 without having to rely on a medical extension.

In February 2021, Campos recorded his best finish with a tie for third at the Puerto Rico Open. He had held a share of the lead after 54 holes. A few weeks later, Campos was in contention to win again at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship. He eventually finished tied for second, one shot behind Joel Dahmen.

He started the week in 147th place in the FedEx standings and was heading back to the Korn Ferry Tour and an uncertain future. This was his 80th start and his 33rd start. He had previously made just one top-10 finish all year.

He averages 295.9 yards from the tee, finds 59.08% of fairways and hits 68.58% of greens in regulation. He gets up and down from the sand 55.22% of the time, averages 29.43 putts per round, averages 3.95 birdies per round and has a stroke average of 70.41.