Brian Campbell rode his luck on his way to winning his first-ever PGA Tour event on Sunday. The 31-year-old was the least-bet on golfer at the start of the week with BetMGM and some operators putting his odds as long as +25000 to win the Mexican Open. He was winless through 186 professional starts after a glittering college career.
extremely fortuitous bounce that helped get him there
Campbell captured the Mexico Open title by birdieing the second playoff hole after an extremely fortuitous bounce helped get him there. The Orange County native’s tee shot sliced hard to the right and sailed into the trees, which were out of bounds.
With his opponent Aldrich Potgieter safely on the fairway, it looked like the end of the road for Campbell as he nervously watched his ball slicing through the air. A massively lucky bounce off a tree catapulted his ball back into play:
A wedge to six feet and holing out for birdie captured the win, as Campbell took home a $1.26m check and a two-year PGA Tour exemption, as well as a spot in the Masters and Players Championship for the first time. He and his caddy revisited the scene of the lucky break, toasting the woods with a drink: