Just 16 years after his first start on the PGA Tour, Rafael Campos can finally call himself a PGA Tour winner. Campos, who emerged from a top-heavy ranking at the 2024 Bermuda Championship, reached 19 under for the tournament and passed Andrew Novak with a three-stroke victory on Sunday.
Entering the week, Campos was well outside the top-125 cutoff, which will gain full-time status on the PGA Tour after next week's RSM Classic. The 36-year-old endured a season with 16 missed cuts and just one top-10 finish in 23 starts. The 36-year-old finished 147th in the season-long race and was in danger of losing his conditional status.
To add to the stress of finding a job for next season, Campos and his wife welcomed their first daughter into the world on Monday. The new father never considered withdrawing from the tournament because his position in the FedEx Cup standings did not allow for the necessary flexibility.
It's a good thing he didn't, because with his finish in Bermuda, Campos became the PGA Tour's 14th first-time winner this season and third this fall alongside Matt McCarty and Kevin Yu. Not only has he secured his playing privileges on the PGA Tour through the 2026 season, but he has also secured invitations to The Sentry, the Players Championship, the Masters and the PGA Championship. When Campos tees off at Augusta National next spring, it will be the first major championship appearance of his career.
After a round of 62 on Moving Day, Campos was tied for the lead with Novak at 16 under and Justin Lower one behind. Players at the top of the course like Mark Hubbard made attacks, but they were all in vain as the championship focused on the final three.
Lower looked like it at first, but Campos stood his ground. Campos fell two shots behind Lower in the early stages and regained a share of the lead thanks to a sensational approach to the par-5 seventh with an easy eagle. Lower lost his lead one hole later, turning the three-man push game into a two-horse race.
Novak held on with a birdie on the difficult par-3 8th to get past Campos, then took the lead one hole later when the headman needed three putts on the par-4 9th. The misstep put Campos in the right direction as birdies flew onto the scorecard on the next two holes, the latter creating a two-shot swing with Novak.
Suddenly Campos had a three-shot lead with seven holes to play and appeared to be well on his way to the winner's circle, but the first win never seems that easy. Disaster struck on the par-4 14th when Campos rushed his tap-in par attempt, instead committing a bogey and shrinking his lead to two heading into the most dangerous section of the golf course.
He had solid pars on the long par-4 15th and the treacherous par-3 16th to maintain his lead. The last chance to score came on the par-5 17th and Campos tried to make birdie after Novak's attempt to briefly equalize the lead fell just short. The exchange gave 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-changing week. Grade: A+
Here are the scores of the remaining personalities on the 2024 Bermuda Championship leaderboard
T5. Justin Lower (-14): For the second year in a row, Lower found itself in the bottom group on Sunday. Unfortunately for Lower, he fell short of the winner's circle for the second week in a row. He got off to a nice start with two birdies in his first five holes to build a two-shot lead, but his final round was turned on its head a few holes later when he needed four putts on the par-3 8th and opted for a double bogey. Despite the disappointment, he played just outside the Aon Next 10. Grade: A-
8. Ben Griffin (-13): In his first run at the winner's circle, Griffin may have done just enough to secure his spot in the first two signature events of the 2025 season. The result was a continuation of a continuous decline that saw Griffin finish in the top 25 four times. He will try to do even better next week at Sea Island, where, like many others on the PGA Tour, he makes his home. Grade: B+
T17. Wesley Bryan (-10): With a course record of 61 on Saturday, Bryan's name jumped up the leaderboard and into contention. However, it only stayed that way for a moment when a triple bogey appeared in the early stages of his final round and pushed him out of the mix. Bryan struggled from there but was still able to maintain his position in the top 20, earning his fifth first-class finish in his six starts this fall. Bryan was well outside the top 125 at the start of the swing season and is now at the magic number with one tournament to go. Grade: B-
T42. Lucas Glover (-6): Glover gradually improved over the first three days with rounds of 68-67-66 and looked poised to continue his final-round fireworks display in the fall season. Unfortunately, the former US Open champion fell victim to the stormy conditions and finished with a 77. Regardless of his recent run, Glover still needs another top-notch appearance as he is currently the second man in the signature events. Grade: C-
T67. Mackenzie Hughes (+1): Rounds of 71-77 over the weekend saw the Canadian lose the pace and finish near the bottom of the leaderboard among those who made it. The result ends a short run of consecutive top-10 finishes and sets up a comfortable return to the RSM Classic, where Hughes has lifted the trophy and finished second twice for the last three years. He sits well within the Aon Next 10 but is aiming to move into the top 50 of the Official World golf Ranking before the year-end deadline for major championships. Grade: D-
Rick Gehman, Patrick McDonald, Greg DuCharme and Mark Immelman recap another Race to Dubai title for Rory McIlroy and the conclusion of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Follow and listen to The First Cut Apple Podcasts And Spotify.
