[PHOTO: Alex Slitz]
It would have been easy to dismiss Rafael Campos’ chances at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. After all, Campos had missed the cut in 13 of his previous 15 starts. Put Campos in a tropical setting, however, and things change. Armed with the history of two previous 54-hole leads (in Puerto Rico and Puntacana in 2021), Campos was at ease on the Port Royal Golf Course layout, taking his first PGA Tour title.
The win made Campos the second Puerto Rican to win on the PGA Tour, joining Chi Chi Rodriguez, who passed away in August. Although there was no sword dance, Campos did display some flair in victory.
Campos smoked his Titleist U505 utility iron from 234 metres at the par-5 seventh to three feet, leading to an eagle. Then, after a birdie on the 10th, his tee shot at the 405-metre 11th hit a cartpath and bounded down to within a short pitch of the green, leading to another birdie, giving him a three-shot lead. That allowed Campos the ability to survive a hiccup at the 14th. Despite having made 468 of 469 putts coming into the event from three feet and closer, Campos bungled an 18-inch par putt to make things more interesting.
Campos is the rare winner that did not dominate from tee to green (he ranked T-49 in greens in regulation) but rather relied heavily on his short game. He converted 20 of 24 scrambling opportunities with his Titleist Vokey SM10 wedges for the best mark in the field – and the top spot on the leaderboard.
The clubs Rafael Campos used to win the 2024 Butterfield Bermuda Championship:
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: Titleist GT2 (Mitsubishi Diamana BB 63X), 10 degrees
3-wood: Titleist GT2, 13.5 degrees
Irons (2): Titleist U505; (4-5): Titleist T150; (6-9): Titleist 620 MB
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM10 (46, 50, 54, 60 degrees)
Putter: Scotty Cameron by Titleist Timeless Buttonback prototype
