SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda (AP) — Rafael Campos celebrated the birth of his daughter on Monday and is now set for another big moment. On Saturday, he set a personal best of 9-under 62 to share the lead heading into the final round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
Andrew Novak also shot a 62 on a day when winds picked up toward the end of the round at Port Royal, reaching gusts over 40 mph. Novak caught a break on the 18th when his tee shot rolled back over a cart path and bounced onto the grass.
Justin Lower, who began the stormy day with a 62, drove into the water on the par-5 18th and fought off a bogey for a 68 to finish one shot behind.
Campos and Novak were at 16-under 197 and were both looking for their first win. In many ways, the timing couldn't be better for Campos, the 36-year-old from Puerto Rico with an abundance of gratitude that has made him a favorite among his peers.
He's ranked No. 147 in the FedEx Cup and has one tournament left to try to get into the top 125 and retain full status for next year. And then on Monday his wife gave birth to their first child, Paola Isabel.
There was no discussion about Campos' game. His job was on the line, which caused them to go into labor. And he said it eased some of the stress he felt after missing four straight as his ranking continued to slip.
“My wife is very understanding of where I stand at FedEx,” he said, trying to keep his emotions in check. “The whole process of going into labor on Monday was to get me to the tournament, so we always wanted to see if I could make it here.”
They came home from the hospital around 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
“I held my daughter. I thought I had to go to the airport in about 20 minutes,” he said. “I want to look after them as best as I can, so here we are and we’re lucky that everything went well. It’s a bonus that I’m feeling good this week.”
Saturday went great with the strong wind that Campos enjoys. He chipped in for birdie on the 15th, holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the daunting par-3 16th hole, got up and down with another trial birdie putt on the 17th and held on at the final hole Par.
The wind came from a different direction. Players who had hit little wedges at the start of the week by the 18th hit just as much as they did with hybrids.
Lower said of the final four-hole stretch: “If you ask me, I don’t think that’s golf. The balls flew backwards into the air.”
He also said the PGA Tour treats the lesser-known players differently.
“I realize a lot of people had to play along, but I don't think it's fair if that makes sense,” Lower said. “I think if a top 10 or top 15 player in the world was here and wanted to quit, I think the rules officials would have said, 'Yeah, we're going to quit.' If anyone else in the field had said, 'I don't feel comfortable playing here,' we would have been told 'tough' and continued with the round.”
Lower placed second in Mexico last week. He's also aiming for his first PGA Tour win, which seems even more important since the PGA Tour is expected to reduce exempt status to the top 100 players starting in 2026.
This is the first time Campos has had a share of the 54-hole lead. He was also tied for points at the Puerto Rico Open and the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic, both in 2021.
The circumstances are different this time.
“I'm in a really tough spot at FedEx right now, I didn't want to be in this position. I want a job for next year, I really do,” Campos said. “I've been under a lot of pressure and stress and everything in the last six months. I think everything really changed this week, not because I’m playing well.”
“I had a daughter on Monday and it doesn’t matter if I play badly, they don’t care. If I end up losing my job, I lose my job and I just have a beautiful daughter and a beautiful wife at home.” I'm waiting to hug them. Hopefully I have a good day tomorrow and we'll see how it turns out.
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