While Rory McIlroy clinched the DP World Tour Championship for the 4th time and became the Race to Dubai champion for the sixth, tying the legendary record, miles away from the Earth Course at the Jumeirah Golf Estates, a pro tasted his first-ever PGA Tour career victory. Rafael Campos co-led after the third round at the Port Royal Golf Course and despite the windy conditions hoped to win the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

The entire year has been anything but difficult for Campos as he missed 16 cuts out of the 24 events he played. He said, “The harder it gets, the better it is for me.” Coming to Bermuda, he had a job to do and finally got it done after shooting 19 under 265. He was drenched in champagne by Nico Echavarria and the other pros as they celebrated his maiden victory. As Campos’s success became the talk of the town, there was a curiosity about whether the pro was American or not.

And if it was not given from the name, the 36-year-old golfer is not American but he comes from Puerto Rico where he was born in San Juan on April 15th, 1988. He currently resides in Guaynabo. After his victory on the PGA Tour, 10 months after becoming Tour-bound, Campos became the only golfer since Chi Chi Rodriguez (1979) to win on the PGA Tour. He paid tribute to his heritage through this victory and surely became one of the best golfers from Puerto Rico.

After shifting from the Korn Ferry Tour to the PGA Tour, the season has not been forgiving for Campos before the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. But there was just one thing that kept him going and it was his family back in Puerto Rico.

Rafael Campos did it all for his family

As the 18th putt drained in and the reality sunk, Rafael Campos was overcome by emotions. This was all he ever wanted and when it was finally there, he shed many tears and was grateful to his team for always having his back. The only thing he wanted to do was call his family and enjoy the moment with them. Before the Butterfield Bermuda Championship started, Campos became a father as he and his wife, Stephanie Casanova, welcomed his daughter on Monday.

He held her for 20 minutes in the hospital and quickly turned to get on a flight for the tournament. It wasn’t easy. But Campos was 147th on the FedEx Fall standings and playing badly at the Port Royal would’ve cost his PGA Tour card. Before the victory, he said, “The only thing that’s keeping me balanced right now is my family.” Further, the 36-year-old pro added that he had put a lot of pressure as he risked losing his job.

But before the final day of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, Campos felt, “At the end of the day if I end up losing my job, I lost my job, and I’ve got a beautiful daughter and beautiful wife back home just waiting for me to hopefully give them a hug.” They will indeed hug him, for keeping the job and the family together and making the country proud with his maiden victory. With this momentum, Campos may get propelled to win more as he prepares for the ultimate event and the 2025 season.