Brian Campbell won the Mexico Open in a second playoff hole over Aldrich Potgieter. The tournament was played at Vindanta Villarta in Nueva Nayarit-Vallarta. It was held from Feb. 20th through the 23rd.
Potgieter started the tournament off hot. In his first round he shot a 65(-6). In the next round he shot the course record of a 61(-10), with a 5-hole birdie streak to round out his front 9. In round 3 he still played well but not as good at his first two rounds. He shot a 67(-4) with 2 bogeys and 6 birdies. He held the lead in rounds 1 and 2 with his lead getting up to 4 strokes at one point. In his 4th round is when it really went south though. He shot a 71(E) and held a tie for the lead with Campbell.
The stakes couldn’t have been higher for Campbell. With a win here he gets an invitation into the Masters and The Players Championship as well as five of the $ 20 million potted tournaments this year. Campbell has been on tour for a decade and got his first win this weekend. Campbell had a great round to start the tournament off with a 65(-6) to tie Potgieter for the lead and closing out his round with an 18th-hole eagle. He stayed hot going into round two shooting the same score as round one a 65(-6) with another eagle but this time on the second hole but he was not able to keep up with Potgieter’s course record 61. In his next round he shot his best score of the tournament with a 64(-7) and staying bogey free. At this point he was only one off of tying the lead with Potgieter. Finally, in the final round, he had been able to catch up to Potgeiter with a 70(-1) to force a playoff hole.
Both of the playoff holes were played on a par 5. This was a huge advantage for Potgieter because he is the longest driver of the golf ball on the tour and 2nd in strokes gained off the tee only behind Rory Mcilroy. In their first playoff hole they both made a par on it, forcing a second. Potgeiter hit a good drive and had a 6 iron into the green. It was a different story for Campbell. He hit a low slice that was headed for the out of bounds stakes. He got a great break when it crashed into the trees and kicked back into the rough. He was still 94 yards behind Potgieter. He hit a fairway wood to just short of the hole and then hit a lob wedge pitch shot that checked up just short of the hole. He sunk the putt for birdie. Potgieter had a long putt for eagle but he blew it past the hole. He now had a tough 6-footer for a birdie to force another playoff hole, but he missed it. He sunk the putt for par but it was not enough.
Campbell won the tournament and brought home 1.26 million dollars and an invitation to lots of tournaments. It was heartbreak for Potgieter but he still came home with $800,000.
https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/43987370/brian-campbell-wins-mexico-open-lucky-break-playoff
https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/2024/mexico-open-at-vidanta/R2024540
