Rafael Campos Earns His First PGA Tour Title with Bermuda Championship Victory

Posted on November 18, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a memorable PGA Tour first for Rafael Campos.

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican professional golfer notched a three-shot victory in the Bermuda Championship on Sunday, joining the late Chi Chi Rodriguez as the only Puerto Rican players to win on the PGA Tour.

Campos had always dreamed of being a PGA Tour winner. He never could have imagined when it would happen and just how much it would mean.

Campos had missed five straight cuts and was in danger of not having a card on any tour. Campos arrived in Bermuda about 90 minutes before his tee time to start the tournament, having been unsure he could even play until his pregnant wife had labor induced and gave birth their to first child on Monday.

No wonder he felt like he was living a fairy tale Sunday.

He hit all the right shots, none better than a 2-iron to 2 feet on the par-5 seventh during a surge that sent him to a 3-under 68 victory.

“I just can’t believe this is actually happening to me,” Campos said through sobs when he was interviewed on the 18th green.

Campos, in only his second full year on the PGA Tour, was No. 147 in the FedEx Cup with time running out — the season ends next week — to get into the top 125 and keep his card. That’s what was causing so much stress inside the ropes.

And then Paola Isabel was born on Monday, giving Campos peace and perspective.

“It has been a surreal week,” he said. “I’m just extremely happy to be a champion and not have to worry about where I’m going to be playing the next couple of years.”

He’s going places he has never been. Campos has never played in a major. Now he’s going to the Masters and the PGA Championship. The victory gives him full status on the PGA Tour through 2026.

Campos won by three shots over Andrew Novak, who shot 71 for his best PGA Tour finish. Novak pulled within two shots when Campos missed an 18-inch par putt on the 14th hole. Campos was not rattled until he lost control of his emotions after the final putt.

“It’s been an unbelievable week — best week of my life,” he said. “Such a bad year, and to have things go my way — everything together at once — I’m just so happy. I’m grateful to call myself a PGA Tour champion. It’s something I’ve dreamt about my entire life.”

Campos, who finished at 19-under 265, earned $1.242 million and a two-year exemption, which might be more valuable considering how hard it has been to just get on tour over the past decade. Campos gets into The Sentry to start the year at Kapalua, along with the Masters, the PGA Championship and the Players Championship.

He was tied with Novak to start the final round, and both were passed quickly by Justin Lower, a runner-up last week in Mexico.

That changed when Campos worked the wind flawlessly, setting up a 6-foot birdie putt on No. 6 and the eagle on the next hole. And it changed for Lower, who four-putted for double bogey on the par-3 eighth and never quite recovered.

Campos used his imagination in hitting shots through the wind, and it paid off on No. 10 when his shot rolled out to 18 inches for birdie, and on the next hole when he rammed in another birdie putt from 15 feet.

Then it was a matter of finishing in conditions so windy and tough that even short putts were being blown off line. Campos didn’t take a wrong step aside of the 18-inch putt he missed.

A few friends rushed onto the 18th green to spray him with bubbly, and he took a swig to celebrate a week he never imagined.

“It’s been such a bad year ballstriking wise,” Campos said. “This game is so hard when things aren’t going well, so hard to actually get yourself to be confident. Things have just been so different this week. I just don’t know. I’m just so grateful.”

Carlos Ortiz Wins LIV Golf Houston

Posted on June 9, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Ortiz is LIVing the dream…

The 33-year-old Mexican professional golfer won LIV Golf Houston on Sunday for his first victory on the Saudi-funded league and second big win in the Houston area.

Ortiz closed with a 5-under 67 to beat Adrian Meronk by a stroke at the Golf Club of Houston.

Ortiz previously won the 2020 Houston Open at Memorial Park for his lone PGA Tour title.

“I love playing here,” Ortiz said. “Obviously, Texas treats me well. It’s my adopted home state. I’m just happy to get it done again in Houston.”

Part of a four-way tie for the lead entering the day, the 33-year-old Ortiz finished at 15-under 201.

“It means a lot,” Ortiz said. “I’ve been working really hard, as how you’ve said, I’ve come close a couple times.”

Meronk shot a 68 to help Cleeks GC win the team title. The German joined LIV Golf this year.

Area resident Patrick Reed had a 68 to tie for third at 12 under with Spain’s David Puig (69). Sergio Garcia was fifth at 11 under after a 68.

On Saturday, Jon Rahm withdrew after playing just six holes because of an infected left foot, leaving his status in doubt for the U.S. Open next week at Pinehurst No. 2.

Carlos Sainz Teams Up with Justin Thomas to Claim First-Ever Netflix Cup Trophy

Posted on November 15, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Sainz is celebrating his Netflix and thrill moment…

The 29-year-old Spanish racing driver, who currently competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, and pro golfer Justin Thomas teamed up to win the first-ever Netflix Cup, a crossover event featuring PGA TOUR players and F1 drivers competing in an eight-hole scramble.

The first-of-a-kind event was held Tuesday at Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas.

The duo hoisted the Cup together in the post-match ceremony, with Thomas then drinking from the Cup. Then Sainz had his turn, and he dropped the trophy, which broke.

Thomas and Sainz defeated the tandem of Tony Finau and Pierre Gasly in the closest-to-pin contest on the final hole after the four-team field was cut in half following eight holes of match play.

The competition qualified as silly at times, but the spectators lining the course to watch seemed to find it entertaining.

A number of celebrities were on hand for the event, which also included controversial topics.

Protesters, apparently representing PETA, came onto the course to demand that F1, with parent company Liberty Media, cut ties with the Iditarod dogsled race in Alaska.

While golf was the designated sport, it was far from any typical round.

There were plenty of antics with the golf itself. For instance, on the first tee, four golfers teed off at the same time and then raced to their golf carts, following the designated “race course” onto the fairway to get to their balls. Golfers raced to get to the green and to see who could arrive fastest, locate their golf balls and then putt amid the mayhem on the greens.

As part of the race to get to the greens, golfer Rickie Fowler was driving the cart with F1 driver Lando Norris as the passenger.

The other team was Max Homa–Alex Albon. Finau was credited with the competition’s first birdie.

This competition was a prelude to the weekend’s Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix.

This was Netflix’s first live airing of a sports event.

Emiliano Grillo Wins Playoff to Capture Charles Schwab Challenge Title

Posted on May 28, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Emiliano Grillo is celebrating a first PGA Tour victory in nearly eight years…

The 30-year-old Argentine professional golfer overcame a double bogey at the 72nd hole to shoot 2-under 68 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday and defeat Adam Schenk in a two-hole playoff at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

Grillo curled in a 5-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole, the 186-yard 16th hole where he had taken the solo lead before needing a playoff Sunday.

Grillo and Schenk, who both finished at 8-under 272, had two-putt pars from 26 feet at No. 18 to start the playoff.

A 20-foot birdie at No. 16 in regulation had Grillo up by two strokes before his tee shot at No. 18.

“I’ve done it before. I’ve hit the exact same shot to the right of the tree,” he said. “When I saw one of the marshals walk right of the tree, I knew it was going to be a long wait until that ball stopped. … It stopped for like five, 10 seconds at one moment. I actually thought I got lucky. Then five seconds later, the ball kept moving.”

The ball finally came to rest against a rock in the middle of the flow about 150 yards downstream. Grillo took a penalty stroke with a drop where the ball had entered the canal, and had to set his ball on the concrete. His approach was short of the green, and he two-putted from about 20 feet for double bogey to drop to 8 under.

One bad swing all day,” he said.

It was the second PGA Tour win for Grillo, whose only other win was at the Frys.com Open in Napa in October 2015. He had four other top-10 finishes this season. He had a closing 2-under 68.

Along with a $1.566 million check, plaid jacket and fully restored 1973 Bronco vehicle, the win at Hogan’s Alley pretty much set Grillo up for all four majors. He now is set for the Masters and PGA Championship next year, and is in line for this year’s U.S. Open and British Open after moving from 80th to 42nd in World Golf Ranking.

Nico Echavarria Wins Puerto Rican Open for First PGA Tour Title

Posted on March 7, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a special first for Nico Echavarria.

The 28-year-old Colombian professional golfer, a rookie in the PGA, seized control with two straight birdies on the back nine and closed with a 4-under 68 for a 2-shot victory in the Puerto Rico Open for his first PGA Tour title.

Echavarria was soaked on a sunny day at Grand Reserve, with friends and family dousing him with champagne after he tapped in for par. He tied the tournament record at 21-under 267.

“I’m happy with life right now,” Echavarria said. “After missing four cuts in a row, only making two cuts, you just doubt yourself. I’m very grateful I kept pushing and got it done.”

Akshay Bhatia, who plays on the Korn Ferry Tour, closed with a 65 to finish alone in second. Carson Young, who led through 36 holes, had a 71 and finished third, tied with Nate Lashley (69).

Echavarria, who played at Arkansas, becomes the third Colombian to win on the PGA Tour, joining Sebastian Munoz and Camilo Villegas.

Villegas finished some two hours earlier and stuck around to celebrate with his fellow Colombian. Villegas had sent him a voice message on Saturday, when Echavarria built a 2-shot lead, telling him that there would be a moment Sunday when the rookie felt the tournament slipping away.

That came on the sixth hole, where Echavarria escaped with a bogey when it could have been worse. He birdied the seventh, bogeyed the next hole and didn’t make a mistake the rest of the way.

“I was able to keep it together in a stressful moment,” Echavarria said. “I’m grateful he mentored me in that way.”

The victory gets him into The Players Championship, with its $25 million purse next week at the TPC Sawgrass. He also earned a spot in the PGA Championship and has a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

Echavarria now lives near TPC Sawgrass, and he dreaded being home that week because all the best are playing down the street.

“I’m glad I got my spot there,” he said.

Jon Rahm Wins Genesis Invitational to Reclaim PGA Tour’s No. 1 Ranking

Posted on February 19, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Jon Rahm is back on top…

The 28-year-old Spanish professional golfer has returned to No. 1 in the world after winning the Genesis Invitational with a performance that left no doubt who’s playing the best golf.

Caught in a battle with hometown favorite Max Homa at Riviera, Rahm delivered two big moments with a 45-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the par-3 14th and then a tee shot to 2 feet for birdie on the par-3 16th.

He closed with a 2-under 69 for a two-shot win over Homa.

“Pretty incredible,” Rahm said. “[To win] at a golf course with this legacy, this history and hosted by Tiger Woods, is such an honor.”

This week will be the 44th that Rahm will sit at No. 1, which ties Nick Price for the 11th-most all-time, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Among active PGA Tour players, only Woods (683), Rory McIlroy (122) and Jason Day (51) have spent more weeks atop the rankings.

Patrick Cantlay got within one shot on the back nine until two bogeys. He had a 67 to finish alone in third, moving him to No. 4 in the world.

Woods had four bogeys in an eight-hole stretch and shot 73 to tie for 45th.

“Unfortunately, my streak continues,” Woods said with a smile, alluding to his 12 appearances at Riviera as a pro without ever winning.

His success was measured in progress. It was his first time playing 72 holes since the Masters last April — Woods only played twice more since then as he tries to cope with leg and back injuries that will make PGA Tour appearances rare. He did not know if he would play again before the Masters.

Woods still had the largest gallery all the way to the end, thousands of fans packed on the hill over the 18th green to watch him close out with a par in that familiar red shirt under a black vest.

And then the spectators turned their attention to a terrific duel between Rahm and Homa, each with two victories on the PGA Tour this season.

Rahm now has five wins in his last nine starts worldwide, dating to his win in the Spanish Open. He has not finished out of the top 10 in his last 10 tournaments.

It was his third win in five starts on the PGA Tour this year, and he already has earned more than $9 million the last two months.

This wasn’t as easy as it looked at the end.

“That was a tough week and a tough Sunday,” Rahm said.

Homa, who won at Riviera two years ago, began the final round three shots back. He quickly closed to within one shot, only for the Spaniard to come within inches of holing out from the fairway at No. 8 for a tap-in birdie, while Homa made bogey from behind the green to slip three shot behind again.

And then it changed quickly.

After Homa birdied the ninth from 15 feet, he drove to the far edge of the 10th green and got down in two for a birdie. Rahm went well left. His pitch was short and rolled down the back of the green, behind a bunker. He pitched onto — and then over — the green into another bunker, and he had to make a 6-footer for bogey.

Two holes later, Homa took the lead for the first time when Rahm three-putted for bogey, only for Homa to give it back with a bogey from a bad tee shot.

The par 3s won it for Rahm, with his putter and a full swing. He finished at 17-under 267 and earned $3.6 million from the $20 million purse, the second straight elevated event on the PGA Tour.

Rahm now has won just over $9.4 million in the last two months on the PGA Tour — wins at Kapalua and the California desert and on the classic course of Riviera off fabled Sunset Boulevard. He finished third in Phoenix and tied for seventh at Torrey Pines in his other two starts this year.

This is the fifth time Rahm has been No. 1 in the world, and the way he’s playing, it looks as if he might stay there for some time.

McIlroy, who began the year at No. 1 and won his first event of the year in Dubai on the European tour, was not a factor for the second straight week. McIlroy had a 73-71 weekend and tied for 29th.

Jon Rahm Erases Collin Morikawa’s 7-Shot Lead to Win Tournament of Champions

Posted on January 9, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Jon Rahm is leaving Hawaii as an unexpected champion…

The 28-year-old Spanish professional golfer left Maui with the Tournament of Champions trophy following the collapse in play of Collin Morikawa.

Rahm started the final round of the tournament seven shots behind. He bogeyed his first hole. He was six shots back at the turn to Morikawa, who had yet to make a bogey the entire week at Kapalua Plantation Course.

“Bit of a crazy day, I’m not going to lie,” Rahm said.

A wild hour featured a seven-shot swing in four holes when Rahm ran off three straight birdies and an eagle, and Morikawa, playing two groups behind him, made three straight bogeys on holes the rest of the field collectively played in 44-under par.

It ended with Rahm making one last birdie for a 10-under 63 and a two-shot win over Morikawa (72), who went from a sure victory to a footnote in PGA Tour history as the ninth player to lose a six-shot lead going into the final round.

“It’s going to hurt, but I’ve got to get over it because we’re still in the very early parts of the season,” Morikawa said.

So began the bold new year on the PGA Tour of elevated tournaments that average $20 million in prize money in a bid to bring the best together more often and reward them amid the challenge of Saudi-funded LIV Golf.

Rahm is riding a big wave, winning for the third time in his past five starts worldwide.

“In my mind, I feel like since August I’ve been the best player in the world,” he said.

Rahm finished at 27-under 265, and it was a small measure of redemption. Last year he finished at 33-under par at Kapalua, which was a PGA Tour record that lasted only a few seconds.

Rahm now is 60 under in his past two appearances at Kapalua. The victory was his ninth on the PGA Tour and 17th worldwide, and assures he will be back on Maui to start 2024.

He won $2.7 million from the $15 million purse at Kapalua, the first of the “elevated” events on the PGA Tour schedule. He also gets 25% of his Player Impact Program bonus money — he finished No. 5 in the PIP for $6 million.

The Spaniard now has won in each of his seven full years on the PGA.

Jon Rahm Outlasts Competition to Win Mexico Open

Posted on May 2, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Jon Rahm has returned to the winner circle…

After a stressful final two hours of competition, the 27-year-old Spanish professional golfer held on to win the Mexico Open and claim his first victory since the U.S. Open last summer.

Rahm rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-5 14th hole to pull out of a four-way tie for the lead, and he had to make two tough pars and a finish more nervy than he expected.

The relief and satisfaction was evident when he tapped in for par on the final hole at Vidanta Vallarta for a one-shot victory. He pumped his arm and then pounded his fist downward, and at one point he looked skyward and exhaled.

“Today was a battle,” Rahm said. “But I got it done.”

Tony Finau and Brandon Wu each closed with a 63, while Kurt Kitayama birdied the final hole from a back bunker for a 68. They tied for second.

Rahm had a couple of close calls in Mexico City when it was a World Golf Championship at Chapultepec. Now the Mexico Open, which has a history dating to 1944, is a regular PGA Tour event for the first time. And it got a popular winner.

Against one of the weaker fields of the year — Rahm at No. 2 was the only player from the top 15 in the world — the Spanish golfer was a heavy favorite and played that way from his opening 64.

“I like to think every time I tee it up I’m a favorite. I play to win,” Rahm said. “Fortunately, I got my seventh PGA Tour win. It was a pretty stressful weekend, all the way to the end.”

Staked to a two-shot lead going into the final round, he never trailed. But it was never easy.

Rahm had a one-shot lead after his lone bogey of the round on the tough par-4 10th.

Well ahead of him, Wu holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to join him at 16 under. Kitayama, playing in the final group with Rahm, got up and down from right of the green on the par-5 12th to tie. And then Finau went birdie-eagle-birdie to get in the mix and capped off his 63 with a birdie to make it a four-way tie.

“I really wanted to put together a nice week and I was able to do that this week and gave myself a chance to do something special right at the end,” Finau. “Making a 3 on 18 probably would have been a big deal, but making that putt for birdie, a lot of confidence builders on a day like today, and I’ll carry that with me the rest of the season.”

Rahm never lost his patience. His chip left of the green on the par-5 14th raced 12 feet by the hole, but he hit his best putt of the round and made it for birdie for a one-shot lead.

His wedge to the 15th came up short, and his chip ran 5 by the hole. He made that to stay in front and then had to two-putt from 50 feet on the 16th for his par. Rahm missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th that would have given him room for error.

Still, the closing par 5 at Vidanta Vallarta is easily reachable, and Rahm birdied it the three previous times. This time, his fade stayed straight and instead of dropping into the bunker, it nestled in deep rough on a steep slope just above the sand. He did well to punch that out just over a waste area and into the fairway.

His approach to a back pin just trickled off the green, and he navigated the slick putt perfectly to a few inches. Instead of waiting for Kitayama and Cameron Champ to finish, Rahm quickly stepped in and closed the deal.

“I didn’t think a par 5 that requires a fade that I’d be stressing this much,” Rahm said. “It wasn’t my best putting weekend, but I stayed aggressive. I was confident in what I was doing. I have faith in every part of my game, and it showed.”

Champ, who like Kitayama started the final round two shots behind, took himself out of the mix with a triple bogey on the par-4 eighth hole. He never recovered, shot 70 and finished three shots behind in a tie for sixth.

Rahm has 14 victories worldwide. He had gone 17 starts without winning, matching the longest such streak in his career. The victory moves him a little closer to Scottie Scheffler in his bid to reclaim the No. 1 ranking, and he’ll have another opportunity at the PGA Championship in three weeks.

Rahm has at least one victory in six full years as a pro.

Producers Guild to Honor Rita Moreno with Stanley Kramer Award

Posted on January 27, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Rita Moreno is earning yet another honor…

The Producers Guild will present the 90-year-old Puerto Rican actress, singer and dancer with the 2022 Stanley Kramer Award at the 33rd annual PGA Awards, set for March 19 at the Fairmont Century Plaza.

The honor goes to a production, producer or other individuals “whose achievement or contribution illuminates and raises public awareness of important social issues.”

Moreno, an EGOT winner, will join previous recipients including Jane Fonda as well as Get Out, Loving, Fruitvale Station, The Normal Heart, Bombshell, The Hunting Ground, An Inconvenient Truth and Hotel Rwanda.

Kramer’s work included such iconic films as Inherit the Wind, On the Beach, The Defiant Ones and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.

“With grace, intelligence, charisma, and kindness, Rita Moreno made her mark in history as a brilliant entertainer and leveraged that star power to shepherd stories that tap into the human experience and represent people and communities we rarely see celebrated in film and TV,” PGA presidents Gail Berman and Lucy Fisher said Wednesday. “Beyond her on-screen contributions, she has used her unmistakable voice to hold a mirror to the prejudices and inequities that she so often experienced throughout her career. Her activism, strength, and artistic contributions set the precedent for how to be a changemaker in Hollywood, and it is our great honor to present Rita with the Stanley Kramer Award this year.”

Moreno most recently appeared and executive produced Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story after winning an Oscar for the original film, the latest in a seven-decade career that began with her Broadway debut at 13. She has appeared in more than 40 feature films and countless TV series including most recently Norman Lear’s remake of One Day at a Time. Her documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It had its world debut at Sundance Film Festival last year.

Moreno previously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush, the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama, the SAG Life Achievement Award, the Peabody Career Achievement Award and a Kennedy Center Honor.

“The last thing I ever dreamed of in my young life was being honored in any circumstance,” Moreno said. “That the Producers Guild of America has chosen to honor me not only for my work but for the principles I have tried to uphold and live by throughout my life is so gratifying. I am thrilled.”

Jon Rahm Wins PGA of America’s Points-Based Player of the Year Award

Posted on September 8, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Jon Rahm is celebrating a points-tastic honor…

The 26-year-old Spanish professional golfer has won the points-based player of the year award from the PGA of America, and it was a birdie putt on the 18th hole at the Tour Championship in East Lake that made all the difference.

Rahm finished with 75 points, with Bryson DeChambeau coming in second at 70 points.

Rahm received 30 points for his U.S. Open title this summer, along with 20 points for leading the PGA Tour money list and 20 points for winning the Vardon Trophy for the lowest adjusted scoring average.

And although Rahm was runner-up to Patrick Cantlay in the Tour Championship, the PGA of America recognizes the actual score at East Lake. Cantlay started with a 2-shot lead at 10 under par because he was the No. 1 seed. Rahm started 4 shots behind as the No. 4 seed.

For the week, Rahm and Kevin Na finished at 14-under 266. That means they split the 10 points awarded for a regular PGA Tour win.

DeChambeau had 30 points for his U.S. Open win last September, 10 points for winning at Bay Hill, 14 points for being fourth in scoring average and 16 points for being third on the money list.

On the par-5 18th at the Tour Championship, Rahm hit a 5-iron that just ran through the back of the green. He needed to chip in to have any chance of forcing a playoff against Cantlay, who hit 6-iron to 12 feet. Rahm’s chip narrowly missed, leaving a short birdie putt.

That allowed him to tie Na at 14 under, giving him the five points that put him atop the points standing for the PGA of America award.

The PGA Tour award for player of the year is a vote of the membership. The ballot went out Tuesday and included Rahm, Cantlay, DeChambeau, Collin Morikawa and Harris English.

Justin Thomas won the PGA of America award last year, while Dustin Johnson was voted PGA Tour player of the year.

Rahm’s adjusted scoring average was 69.3. Johnson was second at 69.62.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: PGA