Golfbet recap: Emotional longshot Rafael Campos claims maiden TOUR win at Butterfield Bermuda Championship

On a final-round Sunday that saw steady winds up to 35 MPH, Rafael Campos broke free from a two-way tie for the lead to win the Butterfield Bermuda Championship and earn his first-ever PGA TOUR victory.

Campos and Andrew Novak both shot rounds of 62 in the third round to grab a share of the lead, but it was Campos who distanced himself from the pack to win the tournament at 19-under. After holing a 4-foot putt for par on the 72nd hole to secure the win, Campos immediately broke down into tears. The emotion of the moment continued to grab Campos throughout the post-game interview and beyond.

The 36-year-old from Puerto Rico played his first TOUR event, the Puerto Rico Open, in 2008. He turned professional in 2011. He was in danger of missing out on the 2025 season, coming into this tournament ranked 147th in the FedExCup Fall standings. It’s no wonder that Campos was overcome with emotion as he is now exempt on TOUR through the 2026 season, earns a trip to the Masters next spring for his first major start, and will tee it up at The Sentry in January, kicking off the 2025 season in Maui.

Campos was an underdog the entire time. He entered the week as a +25000 longshot at BetMGM Sportsbooks to pull off the win. Tied for the lead heading into Sunday, Campos was +333 to get the job done – while Novak was +150 and Justin Lower, one shot back, was +300.

Round-by-round odds for Rafael Campos to win Butterfield Bermuda Championship (via BetMGM)

• Pre-tournament:+25000
• After Round 1 (T40, trailed by 5): +20000
• After Round 2 (T10, trailed by 5): +8000
• After Round 3 (co-leader): +333

Campos was in the lead alone through eight holes at 18-under. He was one better than Novak but was still the underdog between the two at +140, while Novak was at +125 to get his first PGA TOUR victory. Campos took control of the tournament, however, with consecutive birdies at Nos. 10 and 11 to get to 19-under. Novak was now two shots back and Campos had become the odds-on favorite at -110.

Through 13 holes, Campos had built up a three-shot lead and was now -450 to get the win. But as it often does, drama reared its head as the final grouping was making the run for home with five holes left to play. It was at the short par-4 14th hole that Campos missed an 18-inch tap-in for par and dropped a shot. Novak had a chance to cut the gap to just one shot with a birdie, but missed his 10-foot putt and settled for par. The lead was down to two shots for Campos and he had dipped to a -250 favorite. Novak was now +400 to pull off the comeback.

The drama never really surfaced again, as Campos matched Novak shot-for-shot and the two-shot cushion remained intact as the two reached the final hole. Novak bogeyed the final hole, removing any doubt about who the champion would be.

Results for outright picks from Golfbet Experts

• Will Gray: Sam Stevens (+2500) T67
• Ben Everill: Ben Griffin (+1800) Eighth
• Chris Breece: Carson Young (+4000) T62
• Mike Glasscott: Justin Lower (+2500) T5

I knew coming into this tournament that ball-striking and scrambling would be key areas in determining a winner in Bermuda. The wind was fierce in looking at the forecast. One was going to have to be hitting the ball solidly, and when the wind pushed shots away from the greens, getting up and down was going to be crucial. Sure enough, Campos ranked 21st in this field for the week in Driving Accuracy and was No. 1 in Scrambling.

With the win, Campos moves to 80th in the FedExCup Fall standings. Henrik Norlander, Daniel Berger, and Hayden Springer were three players who were in the top 125 entering the week but slipped out of the top 125 at the conclusion of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. They will have one more week to get back inside the number to secure fully exempt status for 2025. Wesley Bryan and Sam Ryder made big jumps to get into the top 125, as Bryan finished T17 to move to No. 125 and Ryder jumped to No. 122 after a T5 finish.

Results from Rob Bolton Sleeper Picks and Golfbet Insider

• Patrick Rodgers to win (+2500) T9
• Andrew Putnam Top 5 finish (+600) MC
• Jacob Bridgeman Top 10 finish (+300) T12
• Ryan McCormick Top 20 finish (+450) MC
• Rafael Campos Top 40 finish (+250) WIN
• Andrew Novak Top 20 finish (+130) Second
• Kevin Streelman Top 20 finish (+280) MC
• Greyson Sigg Top 20 finish (+160) T9
• Brandon Wu Top 40 finish (+125) T23
• Greyson Sigg, Jhonattan Vegas, Carson Young all Make Cut (+115) T9/T57/T62
• Kelly Kraft Top 40 finish (+150) MC
• K.H. Lee Top Korean (+125) MC
• Ryan Moore Top 40 finish (+110) T23
• Henrik Norlander Top 20 finish (+200) T57
• Sean O’Hair Top 40 finish (+300) MC

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