Brian Campbell came to the top at the Mexico Open on Sunday night. Viewers were treated to a sudden death playoff chaos between Campbell, the PGA Tour journeyman and one of the shortest hitters, and two opposing player profiles, one of Aldrick Podge. The 20-year-old South African genius currently leading the tour in terms of mileage.
Campbell defeated the Podgirator after two playoff holes, marking his first PGA Tour victory with just 28 starts. Mexico's open field included only two players ranked in the top 40 in the official world golf rankings, but Campbell, 31, is Augusta National for the first master to win. Earn trips to. He also won spots for the Player Championship, the PGA Championship, and the remaining five signing events on the tour.
Ten years of chugging and 159 will begin the 159 on the Corn Ferry Tour without defining Campbell's path to this victory on the Vidanta Vallarta course in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. The University of Illinois alum graduated from the Corn Ferry Tour in 2016, but was quickly demoted after losing 13 of the 20 cuts. He finally found a groove in the minor leagues last season, finishing seventh in the KFT points rankings and earning his tour card again. After his third start, he played towards the winner's circle. It wouldn't have happened without some hiccups along the way.
“I'm literally surprised inside. I don't know what's going on,” Campbell told Golf Channel following the end of the playoffs. “It's very unrealistic to be in this position.”
Potgieter launched Sunday's final round with Campbell's one-stroke cushion after firing a second 61 and a third round of 67 to score a 54-hole scoring record in the event. Potgieter has only started his PGA Tour career ten times, but he is not used to competing and winning at the biggest stages of the game. Potgieter's amateur resume includes the amateur championship, and at the age of 17 he became the youngest champion in the history of the event. So far, there have only been 12 drives measured on the PGA Tour. 328.7 yards from the tee.
This week's Vidanta Vallarta course fits perfectly with Podge's game and allows you to make the most of his length from the tee as offline drives are not particularly punished with Greg Norman's design. However, it becomes clear that the bomb-wake game plan wasn't the only way to attack the course, as Campbell was hanging from the top of the leaderboard. On Sunday, NBC commentators compared Campbell's ball speed with that of a senior tour player. He is ranked last according to the tour driving distance statistics – 182 out of 182.
“He plays a different course than we do,” Campbell said of the Podgiators game. “It was honestly fun to watch.”
Neither Campbell nor Podge did their best on Sunday, but both left. Podgiator struggled from the gate, and Campbell floated around Parr. The pair completed a tied regulation play at 20 under, surpassing Isaiah Salinda's clubhouse lead at 19 under.
The pressure of sudden death was fully visible as both players hit multiple whimsical shots towards the final outcome. In the second playoff hole, Campbell's drive bounced off the tree and headed far beyond the fence that was off as it was regenerated. Potgieter then stood with an approach that was nearly 100 yards shorter than Campbell.
Instead of taking advantage of this opportunity, Podgiator's attempt to reach the two par 5 18th hole left him with a lack of green in the bunker. He fails to go up and down, but Campbell lays down and then makes a birdie with a short wedge in his hand. After handing the tournament off the tee to his opponent, Campbell couldn't believe the outcome.
“Does it bouncing off? I mean, I'll take it,” Campbell said. “I put myself back in position, gave me the opportunity and was rewarded.”
Necessary reading
(Photo: HectorVivas / Getty Images)
