- Slug: Sports-Phoenix Open Puerto Ricans. 900 words.
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By Jack Barron
Cronkite News
SCOTTSDALE – A long way from the island they call home, Puerto Rican fans made the trip to Phoenix to watch their very own Rafael Campos in his WM Phoenix Open debut.
Campos’ appearance is one full of pride for Puerto Ricans attending the WM Phoenix Open even though he didn’t make the cut Saturday. The small island is home to less people than the Phoenix metropolitan area and nearly 3,000 miles away from the Valley of the Sun, but the distance didn’t seem to matter for some loyal fans.
“We are a little island, really little,” Leslie Vega said. “And for us, we have a PGA player, he’s so good. It’s so difficult to do it from Puerto Rico and he did it.”
Puerto Rico is estimated to be home to 5,000 golfers with registered handicaps and potentially as many as 12,000 golfers, according to the Puerto Rico Golf Association. For an island that’s only 100 hundred long by thirty miles wide, Puerto Rico boasts 12 active golf facilities with 19 courses as the game continues to grow with the likes of Campos beating the drum.
“I understand that I have this thing to be like an example for kids from Puerto Rico, and that is obviously something I love to know that they’re watching me for motivation to keep grinding,” Campos said.
The story of golf in Puerto Rico can’t be told without Puerto Rican golf legend Chi Chi Rodriguez, the first Puerto Rican inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Rodriguez represented Puerto Rico well in the PGA Tour with eight tour wins and 22 PGA Tour champions, tying him for seventh-most all-time. Rodridguez died at 88 last August, leaving Campos to represent Puerto Rico.
“I knew Chi-Chi Rodriguez, he was a really good friend,” Leslie Vega said. “Of course, he’s a talent that we had, and he motivates everyone to play golf.”
Alexis Rosado, from San Juan, made the long trip for the sole purpose of watching Campos. A longtime fan of Puerto Rican golfers, Rosado followed the action down the green wrapped in his island’s red, white and blue flag Campos signed at the Puerto Rico Open.
“I’m super proud because ever since Chi-Chi Rodriguez, we didn’t have other representatives, other golfers in the tour,” Rosado said. “That Rafa came now to play in the tour means a lot.”
Campos has long been a rare inclusion in PGA Tour events. The Puerto Rican has mostly appeared in the Puerto Rico Open. From 2008 to 2015, Campos’ only PGA Tour appearance came in his island’s tournament.
He didn’t hit the double-digit event mark until the 2020-21 in which he appeared in 25 events and tallied two top-10 finishes. The next two years weren’t too kind to Campos as he made just five events in the two-year span.
Campos finally had his breakout year in 2024. Just days after becoming a father, Campos finally had his moment at the top with a win at the Butterfly Bermuda Championship at -19 under par. That fateful day secured his PGA Tour spot through 2026 and even punched his ticket to the Master’s in Augusta, Georgia.
“The island is always very proud of him, like when he won the when he won the tournament at the end of the year, it was incredible,” Axel Vega said. “Everybody in the island was so proud of him.”
Leslie Vega and Axel Vega, brothers from San Juan, are closer to Campos than most. Leslie Vega has known Campos for nearly a decade and flew to Phoenix with his brother, who now lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and other friends in part to meet up with Campos and his family.
The group shared a dinner earlier this week with the golfer and his wife Stephanie Campos. Campos shared with the group how he felt lost amid his stretch of tough breaks but was elated to still be in the PGA Tour, especially after the birth of his daughter.
So far this year, Campos has once again run into difficulties with a 57th place finish to start the new year followed up by three straight cuts. Campos took lessons in Phoenix leading up to the WM Phoenix Open to bounce back into form.
Hard work seemed to pay off as Campos played well in his first WM Phoenix Open round shooting two under par with four birdies through 18 holes.
Campos started round two surrounded by his fans. Puerto Rican fans made their presence felt with chants of “Eso” and “Vamos Rafa” when he made long putts or drove the ball particularly well.
“Obviously I felt very happy to see so many Puerto Ricans here in Phoenix,” Campos said.
Starting on the 10th hole, Campos met his wife and less than three-month-old baby at the green. The Vegas were among the first fans to greet him and welcome him back to the course with rowdy cheers and a friendly embrace across the rope separating golfers from fans.
Campos’ two under par mark faded away in round two as he started stacking up bogies faster than birdies. Campos slid down the leaderboard to one over par through the back nine. Further errors piled up on the front nine as Campos finished at one over par and failed to make the cut.
Win, cut or loss, Campos’ faithful fans are proud they could watch Campos represent Puerto Rico on one of golf’s biggest stages.
“So usually, representing for a guy like him is a lot of pressure,” Axel Vega said. “He knows how many places do you succeed, and then they give you a parade or they receive you. Not many places but in Puerto Rico it’s like that.”
