While many of golf’s biggest names enjoyed a weekend off, it was a milestone moment for Brian Campbell and Jacques Kruyswijk. Campbell secured his first PGA Tour title at the Mexico Open, while Kruyswijk claimed his maiden DP World Tour victory at the Magical Kenya Open.
Campbell’s triumph didn’t come easy. After finishing 20 under par through 72 holes, he found himself in a playoff against South African rising star Aldrich Potgieter. What followed was a dramatic battle for the title.
Beginning with matching pars and returning to the par-5 closing hole for a third time Campbell’s tee shot was a low, hard fade that veered toward the out-of-bounds stakes. However, fortune was on his side as the ball struck the trees and bounced back into the rough.
Despite being on the back foot, Campbell recovered well, hitting a fairway wood to 68 yards short before delicately landing a lob wedge just shy of the hole.
Potgieter, twice finding the 18th fairway in the playoff, had a 6-iron for his second shot each time but could only manage pars. On the first attempt, he ran over the green, while on the second, he struck what looked to be a perfect shot, only for it to come up a foot short and roll into the bunker.
From there, he blasted out to six feet but missed the birdie putt to the left—opening the door for Campbell.
The win for Campbell sends him to the Masters, The Players Championship and the PGA Championship, along with five of the $20 million Signature Events left on the PGA TOUR schedule.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn his post round interview, Campbell said:
“To be in this position is just so unreal, I can’t believe it, really. You’ve got to get those breaks sometimes,
“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.”
In Kenya, Kruyswijk delivered a flawless final round, carding four birdies in a brilliant 67 to finish at 18 under par. His bogey-free weekend secured him the title, making him only the second South African to win this event since it joined the DP World Tour’s Global Schedule.
Starting the day with a one-shot lead, the 32-year-old briefly found himself trailing as overnight leader Parry made back-to-back birdies at the fourth and fifth to take the lead. However, Kruyswijk responded in style, sinking long birdie putts on the sixth and seventh to reclaim a one-shot advantage at the turn.
Kruyswijk remained composed, confidently giving himself birdie opportunities and holing crucial par putts to maintain control down the stretch.
The South African moves up 71 places in the Race to Dubai to 8th, putting him in a great position to qualify for the DP World Tour Championship at the end of the year.
Over on the LPGA Tour, Angel Yin won for the second time, making a birdie on the 18th on Sunday to hold off a charging Akie Iwai of Japan in the Honda LPGA Thailand.
A bogey-free 65 in her final round was just enough to win after Iwai posted at 11-under-par, 61. Which included an eagle three on the par five, 18th.
“I wasn’t that comfortable because Akie shot 10 under the first day and this course is very gettable. So I just had to keep my head down,” Yin said.
Embed from Getty ImagesThere have been only six lower 72-hole scores in LPGA history, with Sei Young Kim holding the record of 257, set at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic in 2018.
Other standout performances this weekend include England Aaron Rai, who finished tied 4th in Mexico, coming close to making the playoff. John Parry continued his good form over on the DP World Tour, finishing second and Georgia Hall finished tied 9th in Thailand.
Next weekend on the PGA Tour sees the Cognizant Classic at the PGA National Members Club in Florida. The DP World Tour heads back to South Africa for the South African Open at Durban Golf Course and defending champion Hannah Green will defend her HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore.
Swing and Hope 
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