Rio Grande. Just when Rafael “Rafa” Campos feels like he’s at his best, he failed to capitalize on the Puerto Rico Open and was far from the leader of the golf tournament that concludes this Sunday.

Campos finished the fourth and final round with a 70 (two under par) for a total of 284 (four under par). On Sunday, he birdied holes 2, 17 and 18. But he bogeyed 12.

On Sunday afternoon, the Puerto Rican was in 48th place, shared with Americans Bryce Garnett, Ryan Blaum, Jonathan Byrd and Dylan Wu, as well as Colombia’s Camilo Villegas.

His result was well below what he achieved in events like 2021, when he fought for the title until the last hole and finished tied for third with American Grayson Murray.

Visibly disappointed, the golfer admitted he was not happy with his performance during the competition and admitted the course and tournament were top-notch.

“My game is there. I can’t believe I had four rounds that I really didn’t get any use out of. The second day I hit him hard, I think that was the day I got more positives from him than negative (things) because I was able to deal with all the elements that were happening to me. I wasn’t hitting the ball well and at the end I was able to recover,” said Campos, recalling Friday’s round.

Campos, who was the only Puerto Rican to reach the final two rounds, nearly lost that day after making four bogeys that put him one over par. However, it ended with three consecutive birdies that kept him in the tournament.

Rafa Campos understands that he has had two days of competition in which he has not done much to position himself in a better position. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo)

He also didn’t have a favorable round yesterday, carding a 74 (two over par).

“I’m upset. I didn’t expect to have such a bad result, let alone feel so good. This is really the best year I’ve felt, the best year I’ve felt my swing, the best year I’ve been moving. I’m working really hard I was preparing not only for this tournament, but also for my season,” the athlete added.

Analyzing his performance, Campos noted that he needs to improve the first position and his stance, which he understands was not the best. However, he noted that his shot “was great” and noted that he could have finished under par.

“When I looked at my stats from last weekend, I realized I wasn’t hitting fairways. It’s more of a guessing game when you’re in a rough situation that the ball might come out hard, it might come out slow,” Campos said.

“On the other hand, when you’re on the fairway, you can control the distance more. This part, I definitely did it very badly. That’s the number one approach I’ll have and attitude,” analyzed the golfer, who will return to action at the Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic from March 23-26.

“They deserve to be here”

Campos expressed regret that Puerto Rican players Roby Culvesbert, Chris Nido, Diego Saavedra and Edward Figueroa were not able to make the squad, as he understands they have the talent to play until the end.

“I had high expectations because the guys played great,” Campos said. “I’m sorry because they deserve to be here. They deserve to play on Sundays and feel the love and support that people give us. I know they are at the same level as me and all the players are here and every one of them can win.”