© Getty Images Sport – Warren Little / Staff
Jorge Campillo’s time has come. With Jon Rahm and Sergio García heading to the LIV Golf, he is now the sole Spanish representative on the PGA Tour. The 37-year-old Extremaduran will make his debut on the American circuit this Thursday (16:00, Movistar Golf), having acquired his card last season through synergies with the DP World Tour, formerly known as the European Tour, which now distributes ten memberships among the highest-ranked players in its annual standings who did not already have one.
As he mentioned in an interview with this newspaper in December, his schedule on the other side of the Atlantic will not be too hectic, as his status there is limited and he does not have access, for example, to the Signature Events, the highest category of tournaments.
He will begin his journey at the Mexico Open.
Jorge Campillo, results
Interestingly, this event is not far from where he made his first appearance in a regular PGA Tour event, the Mayakoba Classic, which was a regular stop on this tour south of the border before it fell into the hands of the LIV and the venue shifted to Puerto Vallarta.
Not much has changed. It remains a minor event, with a field that includes only four of the top 40 players in the world rankings, although that classification has long ceased to be a reliable benchmark, and it takes place on a resort course.
But where the average fan sees a less appealing menu, Campillo sees an opportunity to earn a good number of FedEx points to pave the way for more significant events later in the year. Others who have taken advantage of the new “European path” to access the circuit have also noticed this opportunity.
Indeed, the Frenchman Victor Perez and the Dane Thorbjorn Olesen have also signed up. A victory in Mexico awards 500 points in the FedEx Cup, almost guaranteeing a spot in the playoffs and entry into The Players and the rest of the season’s Signature Events, a purse of $1.5 million (1.38 million euros), which would be the largest payout of his career, and an injection of world ranking points that would bring him closer to the Olympics as a companion to a seemingly fixed Jon Rahm for Spain.
Over the first two days, the Caceres native will tee off from the 10th hole with American Blaine Hale Jr. and local amateur José Antonio Safa. It’s the moment for the “last Spanish Mohican” on the PGA Tour.
