In 27 starts over a decade, Brian Campbell never had a top 10 on the PGA Tour. 

But that changed at the Mexico Open—and it came with the trophy. 

The 31-year-old American got the kick of a lifetime en route to a birdie on the second playoff hole against Aldrich Potgieter at VidantaWorld to notch his maiden Tour title. 

“I’m literally freaking out on the inside,” the world's 222nd-ranked player said moments after the win. “I have no idea what’s going on, but just grit. I mean, my team, my whole family, everybody around me, I’m just so appreciative of everything. To be in this position is just so unreal. I just can’t believe it really, it’s awesome.”

Campbell, who is last in driving distance average on Tour (262 yards), entered the final round one stroke back of Potgieter, a 20-year-old who is the Tour’s longest hitter (328 yards). 

The leaderboard was crowded all afternoon but on the 72nd hole, the two were tied at 19 under with rookie Isaiah Salinda. 

Campbell reached the closing par-5’s green in two and made birdie, while Potgieter did the same, but made it a little more difficult for himself. He missed the fairway and hit his second shot into the right greenside bunker before getting up and down to force a playoff. 

They both made par on the first bonus hole, sending them back to the 18th tee box for another go-around. 

Potgieter’s drive landed safely in the fairway, but that wasn’t the case for Campbell. The Californian sliced his tee shot into the trees, however, it kicked out into the rough, leaving him 311 yards from the hole. He would knock his third shot to 3 feet. 

Potgieter’s approach landed in the greenside bunker and his missed a 6-footer for birdie, giving Campbell the victory. 

“You’ve got to get those breaks sometimes,” Campbell said. “Unfortunately, I hit a really bad tee shot there, caught the tree, was able to keep it in play and get ourselves in a good position to get a wedge and keep the pressure on. I was just so happy that I was able to kind of stay in it to the end.”

The South African rookie showed the golf world his tantalizing raw talent all week, shooting a second-round 61 to help him claim the 54-hole lead. Looking to become the Tour’s sixth-youngest winner since 1983, his anticipated first win will now have to wait. 

But there are still lessons to take from this week. 

“Pressure’s a big thing,” he said after a final-round 67. “You can't really beat it, you just have to learn and adjust to it next time you’re in this position again. I’m really happy with how I played this week and trying to do that the following week I guess. If you told me I would get second place before the week started, I would definitely have taken it.”

Campbell, meanwhile, had 187 combined Tour and Korn Ferry Tour starts to his name with no wins. The former Univesity of Illinois product turned pro 2015, got his Tour card in 2017 and then lost it again. He wouldn’t regain it until this season—and now has a two-year exemption. 

That’s not all, though. He’s now in every signature event for the rest of the season, including the Masters and PGA Championship. He has never played a signature event before, and his lone major start came at the 2015 U.S. Open.

“Trust yourself,” Campbell said. “This is a crazy game that we choose to play out here, but keep believing in yourself and have a lot of grit out there. It's cool to see what can happen.”


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Journeyman Brian Campbell Gets First PGA Tour Win in Playoff After Incredible Bounce.