It pays to be lucky.
On the second playoff hole of the Mexico Open, the par-5 18th, Brian Campbell hit a push slice that looked destined for trouble. His ball sailed toward the out-of-bounds, and it seemed he had lost the tournament. Then, somehow, Campbell’s ball ricocheted off a swath of trees and landed back in play.
From there, the former Illinois star hammered a three-wood to 68 yards short of the pin and got up and down for birdie and the win.
His playing partner, 20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter, missed a six-footer for a birdie that would have extended the playoff.
Potgieter is also the longest hitter on the PGA Tour, while Campbell is the shortest, which set up quite the juxtaposition. But Potgieter’s exquisite and entertaining length did not seize the day. Instead, his short game let him down at the end — something he struggled with all day.
With the win, Campbell booked a trip to Augusta National and the PGA Championship. He also gains entry into every remaining Signature Event, a career-altering trajectory.
Mexico Open at VidantaWorld Final Leaderboard & Payout:
1. Brian Campbell -20* — $1,260,000
2. Aldrich Potgieter -20 — $793,000
3. Isaiah Salinda -19 — $483,000
T4. Aaron Rai -18 — $315,000
T4. Ben Griffin -18 — $315,000
T6. Joel Dahmen -17 — $245,000
T6. Stephan Jaeger -17 — $245,000
8. Nicolai Højgaard -16 — $218,750
9. Akshay Bhatia -15 — $204,750
T10. Alejandro Tosti -14 — $176,750
T10. Alex Smalley -14 — $176,750
T10. Ryo Hisatsune -14 — $176,750
T13. Michael Kim -13 — $137,084
T13. Henrik Norlander -13 — $137,084
T13. Danny Walker -13 — $137,084
T13. Justin Hastings (a) -13 — $0
T17. Chan Kim -12 — $99,750
T17. Kevin Roy -12 — $99,750
T17. Greyson Sigg -12 — $99,750
T17. Steven Fisk -12 — $99,750
T17. Ryan Gerard -12 — $99,750
T17. John Pak -12 — $99,750
T17. Joe Highsmith -12 — $99,750
T17. Jose Luis Ballester (a) -12 — $0
T25. Lanto Griffin -11 — $59,350
T25. Kris Ventura -11 — $59,350
T25. Patrick Rodgers -11 — $59,350
T25. Ben Kohles -11 — $59,350
T25. Jake Knapp -11 — $59,350
T25. Jeremy Paul -11 — $59,350
T25. Max McGreevy -11 — $59,350
T32. Takumi Kanaya -10 — $46,900
T32. Quade Cummins -10 — $46,900
T34. Aaron Baddeley -9 — $35,160
T34. Rafael Campos -9 — $35,160
T34. Niklas Nørgaard -9 — $35,160
T34. Chad Ramey -9 — $35,160
T34. Taylor Moore -9 — $35,160
T34. Sami Valimaki -9 — $35,160
T34. Rasmus Højgaard -9 — $35,160
T34. Chandler Phillips -9 — $35,160
T34. Harry Hall -9 — $35,160
T34. Aaron Baddeley -9 — $35,160
T34. Jacob Bridgeman -9 — $35,160
T34. Blades Brown -9 — $35,160
T45. Ben Martin -8 — $24,150
T45. Kevin Yu -8 — $24,150
T45. Hayden Springer -8 — $24,150
T45. Taylor Montgomery -8 — $24,150
T49. Jonathan Byrd -7 — $18,574
T49. Francesco Molinari -7 — $18,574
T49. Thorbjørn Olesen -7 — $18,574
T49. Andrew Putnam -7 — $18,574
T49. Noah Goodwin -7 — $18,574
T49. Jesper Svensson -7 — $18,574
T55. Scott Piercy -6 — $16,556
T55. Antoine Rozner -6 — $16,556
T55. Frankie Capan III -6 — $16,556
T55. Ricky Castillo -6 — $16,556
T59. Sam Ryder -5 — $15,690
T59. Erik van Rooyen -5 — $15,690
T59. Adam Svensson -5 — $15,690
T59. Thriston Lawrence -5 — $15,690
T63. Matt McCarty -4 — $15,540
T63. Fred Biondi -4 — $15,540
T65. Santiago de la Fuente -3 — $15,190
T65. Emiliano Grillo -3 — $15,190
T65. Mason Andersen -3 — $15,190
T68. C.T. Pan -2 — $14,700
T68. Matteo Manassero -2 — $14,700
T68. Peter Malnati -2 — $14,700
T68. Thomas Rosenmueller -2 — $14,700
T72. Victor Perez E — $14,280
T72. Karl Vilips E — $14,280
74. Harry Higgs +1 — $14,070
75. Vincent Norrman +2 — $13,930
T76. David Lipsky +3 — $13,720
T76. Riley Lewis +3 — $13,720
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
