SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda — Rafael Campos celebrated the birth of his daughter on Monday and now he’s in for another big moment. He carded a best of 9-under 62 on Saturday to share the lead going into the final round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
Andrew Novak also shot 62 on a day when the wind picked up late in the round at Port Royal, with gusts reaching 40 mph. Novak caught a break on the 18th when his shot bounced back off the fairway and into the green.
Justin Lower, who started the day with a tough 62, bogeyed the par-5 18th and fought off a bogey for a 68 to finish one shot behind.
Campos and Novak were 16-under 197, both seeking their first victories. The timing couldn’t be better in more ways than one for Campos, a 36-year-old Puerto Rican with an abundance of gratitude that has made him a favorite among his peers.
He is number 147 in the FedEx Cup with one tournament remaining to try to break into the top 125 and maintain full status for next year. His wife then gave birth to their first child, Paola Isabel, on Monday.
There was no discussion about Campos’ performance. His job was in jeopardy, which led them to recruit workers. And he said it eased the pressure he felt after missing four straight sets as his form continued to decline.
“My wife understands exactly where I stand on FedEx, for one thing,” he said, trying to control his emotions. “The whole recruiting process on Monday was to try and get to the tournament, so we were always looking to try and see if I could make it here.”
They came home from the hospital around 5pm on Wednesday.
“I held my daughter. I thought that after 20 minutes I have to go to the airport,” he said. “I want to provide them as much as possible, so here we are and luckily everything went well. It’s a bonus that I’m doing well this week.”
It went very well on Saturday with a light breeze, which Campos enjoyed. He chipped in for birdie on the 15th, holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the daunting par-3 16th, followed up with another birdie putt on the 17th and held on for par on the closing hole.
The wind had moved elsewhere. The players who were hitting low until they got to the 18th at the beginning of the week were hitting hybrids.
Lower said of closing four holes: “I don’t think that’s golf if you ask me. The balls were going back in the air.”
He also said that the PGA Tour treats unknown players differently.
“I see that there are many people who should play in it, but I don’t think it’s right if that sounds like it,” said Lower. “I think if a top-10 or top-15 player in the world was there and they wanted to quit, I think the rules officials would say, ‘Yeah, we’re going to quit.’ If someone else was on the court, if we said, ‘I don’t feel comfortable playing this time,’ we would have been told ‘difficult’ and continued with the round.
Lower is coming off a second place finish last week in Mexico. He’ll also win his first PGA Tour, which sounds like a big deal since the PGA Tour may drop the playoffs to the top 100 players starting in 2026.
This is the first time Campos has shared the 54-hole lead. He is also tied for the Puerto Rico Open and Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic, both in 2021.
The circumstances are different this time.
“I’m in a really tough situation right now at FedEx, I didn’t want to be in this position. I want a job next year, I really do,” said Campos. “I put a lot of pressure on it and everything ended up being like six months. I think everything really changed this week, not because I’m playing well.
“I have a daughter on Monday, 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 have a beautiful daughter and a beautiful wife at home. I’m waiting to hug them, I hope I have a good day tomorrow and we’ll see how it ends.”
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