Rafael Campos returns to Bermuda, site of 'life-changing moment' in 2024, searching for spark
Cameron Jourdan- Rafael Campos is the defending champion at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
- Campos is returning to Bermuda hoping to recapture the positive energy from his life-changing 2024 victory.
- Despite a difficult season with only nine cuts made in 29 events, Campos remains optimistic for the tournament.
- His 2024 win secured his PGA Tour job through the 2026 season, reducing some pressure this year.
SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda — The sights and sounds of Port Royal Golf Course are some of the most stunning on the PGA Tour, but that doesn't mean it's a comfortable track to play.
There's plenty of elevation change. Add in undulating greens and lurking trouble in numerous spots, it can challenge the best players in the world. When the wind kicks up, it can be a brute. Yet Rafael Campos feels comfortable regardless of the situation when he's back on the small island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Campos is the defending champion at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, returning to the island for the first time since one of the most important wins of the season in 2024. On the verge of losing his PGA Tour card, Campos picked up his first PGA Tour victory after showing up just 90 minutes before his tee time. He was at home welcoming his first child with his wife, Stephanie, before rushing to Bermuda, where he went on to win.
And those good feelings have come rushing back this week.
"It's funny because I feel more comfortable," Campos said. "That's something I always wanted to see how it feels to become — to be a defending champion. Honestly, I feel really good. Feels different. It's not been a good year so far, but I was really looking forward to, these last couple months, getting here and hopefully feeling some good energy coming my way."
As he alluded to, it's been a rough year for Campos, who has made only nine cuts in 29 starts and has failed to finish inside the top 25 at any event. But he knows more than anyone how much can change in one week.
"Right now I'm actually very positive for this week," Campos said. "I know it's going to be windy, which is something I want, and kind of gets my mind off of the golf swing and more of like shot shaping and all that."
Campos said coming into the season, he and his caddie wanted to make some changes to try to not have a repeat of his 2024 season before the win in Bermuda. The results have not been kind to the Puerto Rican. Every week, things seemed to get worse and worse. He said he feels equally as lost entering Bermuda this week as he did a year ago.
"Right now I'm working with Boyd Summerhays and a couple other guys mentally as well. We're trying to figure out a way to get back to just play golf and not really focus so much on our swing," he said. "I thought last year was bad, this year was even worse, but it is what it is. I made a call, it didn't work out. But fortunately we still have a job for next year and hopefully next year will be very, very different."
Before the 2024 Butterfield Bermuda Championship, Campos had missed 13 cuts in 15 starts. This year, he has missed 10 of 12 coming in. There's a bit less pressure this time around, with job security locked up through the 2026 season, but he's ready to start playing good golf again.
What better place than the one that changed his life?
"Obviously it was a life-changing moment for me and my family," Campos said. "I'm just hoping this week, doesn't matter what happens — obviously I want to win, I really want to defend the title, but I'm hoping I can get away from this week with some positives. You're just try to hopefully enjoy a little bit more no matter the result and just keep working on it."