A mere 16 years after making his first start on the PGA Tour, Rafael Campos can finally call himself a PGA Tour winner. Emerging from a top-heavy leaderboard at the 2024 Bermuda Championship, Campos reached 19 under for the tournament to clip Andrew Novak for a three-stroke victory Sunday.
Coming into the week, Campos was well outside the top-125 cutoff that receives full-time status on the PGA Tour following next week's RSM Classic. Enduring a season that produced 16 missed cuts and just one top-10 finish in 23 starts, the 36-year-old ranked No. 147 in the season-long race and was in jeopardy of forfeiting his conditional status.
Adding to the stress of needing to secure a job for next season, Campos and his wife welcomed their first daughter into the world Monday. The new father never thought to withdraw from the tournament as his place in the FedEx Cup standings did not allow for the flexibility.
It's a good thing he didn't as, with his finish in Bermuda, Campos became the 14th first-time winner on the PGA Tour this season and the third this fall joining Matt McCarty and Kevin Yu. Not only has he locked up his playing privileges on the PGA Tour through the 2026 season, but he has secured invitations into The Sentry, the Players Championship, the Masters and the PGA Championship. When Campos tees it up at Augusta National next spring, it will represent the first major championship appearance of his career.
Following a round of 62 on Moving Day, Campos found himself in a share of the lead with Novak at 16 under with Justin Lower one behind. Charges were made by players up ahead on the golf course such as Mark Hubbard, but they would all be for naught as the championship centered on the final threesome.
Lower looked the part initially, but Campos held steady. Falling two strokes behind Lower in the early stages, Campos clawed his way back into the share of the lead thanks to a sensational approach into the par-5 7th to set up an easy eagle. Lower lost his edge one hole later and turned the three-man jostling match into a two-horse race.
Novak persisted with a birdie on the tricky par-3 8th to get within one of Campos and fully caught the lead one hole later when the headman needed three putts on the par-4 9th. The misstep kicked Campos in the right direction as birdies flew onto the scorecard the next two holes with the latter generating a two-shot swing with Novak.
All of a sudden, Campos possessed a three-stroke lead with seven holes to play and appeared well on his way to the winner's circle, but the first win never seems to come that easy. Disaster struck on the par-4 14th when Campos rushed his tap-in par attempt and instead signed for a bogey and shrunk his lead to two ahead of the most dangerous stretch on the golf course.
Solid pars were had on the long par-4 15th and treacherous par-3 16th to maintain his advantage. The final scoring opportunity arrived on the par-5 17th and saw Campos get up-and-down for birdie right after Novak's eagle bid to momentarily tie the lead fell just short. The exchange allowed Campos enough breathing room to secure his first PGA Tour title and his first sigh of relief amid what can only be described as a life-altering week. Grade: A+
Here are the grades for the rest of the notables on the leaderboard at the 2024 Bermuda Championship
T5. Justin Lower (-14): For the second straight week, Lower found himself in the final group Sunday. Unfortunately for Lower, he fell short of the winner's circle for the second straight week. He got off to a beautiful start with two birdies in his first five holes to build a two-stroke lead, but his final round was upended a few holes later when he needed four putts on the par-3 8th and signed for a double bogey. Despite the disappointment, he has played himself just outside the Aon Next 10. Grade: A-
8. Ben Griffin (-13): At the site of his first run at the winner's circle, Griffin may have done just enough to secure his place in the first two signature events of the 2025 season. The result was a continuation of a consistent fall that has seen Griffin finish inside the top 25 four times. He'll look to do even better next week in Sea Island where he — like many others on the PGA Tour — calls home. Grade: B+
T17. Wesley Bryan (-10): A course-record tying 61 on Saturday saw Bryan's name leap up the leaderboard and into contention. It only stayed there momentarily, however, as a triple bogey came calling in the early stages of his final round and dropped him from the mix. Bryan struggled from there, but he was still able to maintain his position inside the top 20 for his fifth quality result in his six starts this fall. Well outside the top 125 at the onset of the swing season, Bryan is now on the magic number with one tournament remaining. Grade: B-
T42. Lucas Glover (-6): Glover improved gradually the first three days with rounds of 68-67-66 and looked primed to continue his final-round fireworks in the fall season. Unfortunately, the former U.S. Open champion fell victim to the blustery conditions and closed with a 77. Regardless of his recent run, Glover still requires another quality outing as he is the second man out of the signature events as it stands. Grade: C-
T67. Mackenzie Hughes (+1): Weekend rounds of 71-77 caused the Canadian to fall off the pace and finish near the bottom of the leaderboard among those who made the cut. The result puts an end to a short run of back-to-back top-10 finishes ahead of a comfortable return to the RSM Classic where Hughes has raised the trophy and finished runner-up twice in the last three years. He's well inside the Aon Next 10 but seeks a climb inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings ahead of the year-end deadline for major championships. Grade: D-
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