Rafael Campos (golfer)

Rafael Campos
Personal information
Born (1988-04-15) April 15, 1988 (age 36)
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight210 lb (95 kg; 15 st)
Sporting nationality Puerto Rico
ResidenceGuaynabo, Puerto Rico
Career
CollegeVirginia Commonwealth University
Turned professional2011
Current tour(s)PGA Tour
Former tour(s)Korn Ferry Tour
PGA Tour Latinoamérica
Tour de las Américas
Professional wins1
Number of wins by tour
Korn Ferry Tour1

Rafael Campos (born April 15, 1988) is a Puerto Rican professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour.

Early life

Campos was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and started playing golf at age 9.[1]

Professional career

Campos turned professional in 2011 and the following year finished third on the Tour de las Américas Order of Merit. In 2015 he finished third on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica 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 on the PGA Tour.[2] This allowed him to compete in the following week's Shell Houston Open, where he finished 7th.[3] In May he played the Web.com Tour's Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship on a sponsor exemption and tied for third; a tie for 11th at the following event gave him Special Temporary Membership on the Web.com Tour,[4] 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, 2 shots behind Scott Langley.[5]

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.[6] He finished 18th on the regular-season points list and earned a PGA Tour card for the 2019–20 season.

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).[7][8] Due to the adjustments to PGA Tour eligibility as a result of the COVID-19 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 on the PGA Tour with a tie for 3rd at the Puerto Rico Open. He had held a share of the lead after 54 holes.[9] A few weeks later, Campos was in contention to win again at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship. He eventually finished tied for 2nd, one shot behind Joel Dahmen.[10]

Professional wins (1)

Korn Ferry Tour wins (1)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner-up
1 Jan 23, 2019 The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic −7 (70-69-72-70=281) 1 stroke United States Vince Whaley

See also

References

  1. ^ "Rafael Campos player profile". PGA Tour. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  2. ^ "Puerto Rico Open". Golf Channel. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  3. ^ Prise, Kevin (April 3, 2017). "Rafa's ride far from over". PGA Tour. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  4. ^ Stanley, Adam (May 24, 2017). "Movie quote powers Campos on unexpected run". PGA Tour. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  5. ^ "2018 Panama Championship winner, final leaderboard, results, prize money payouts". Golfnewsnet. February 2, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  6. ^ "Rafael Campos earns first professional victory at Great Abaco". PGA Tour. January 23, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  7. ^ Schupak, Adam (February 25, 2021). "Puerto Rico Open: Rafael Campos tries to be this week's hometown hero". Golfweek. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  8. ^ Babineau, Jeff (February 27, 2021). "Rafael Campos closing in on 'dream' win at Puerto Rico Open". PGA Tour. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  9. ^ "No trophy, but Rafael Campos pleased with a great effort". PGA Tour. February 28, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  10. ^ "Graeme McDowell misses out as Joel Dahmen wins Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship". Sky Sports. March 28, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.