Jorge Campillo walks off the 18th green on day one of the 2024 Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters. | Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Through 36 holes, Spaniard Jorge Campillo holds a sizable lead at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters.
Ahead of this week’s Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters in Southern Spain, Jon Rahm revealed that he has an open spot on his LIV Golf team, Legion XIII.
“I still don’t have a player who’s already signed, but we have six or seven in mind,” Rahm said in an interview with Golf Sin Etiquetas, which was conducted in Spanish.
“Two or three are in this tournament.”
One of those players is Angel Hidalgo, the 26-year-old Spainard who defeated Rahm in a playoff a few weeks ago at the Spanish Open. Hidalgo plays with plenty of flair and has tremendous potential. He is also a Callaway player, which is vital for Rahm. Per his interview, the two-time major winner wants to sign Callaway players. The goal is to partner the brand with Legion XIII eventually.
Jorge Campillo is another Callaway player from Spain, thus fitting the billing for Rahm and his team.
So far this week, Campillo has made quite an impression. He is 15-under through the first 36 holes and holds a four-shot lead at the midway point. Daniel Brown, who rose to international fame at The Open thanks to his easy-going demeanor and Charley Hull-like impression, sits in solo second.
“I’m feeling good and although I have played a lot of events, I feel like I am playing better recently, and I just love playing golf,” Campillo said after Friday’s round.
Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Jorge Campillo during round one.
“I don’t feel too tired, and shooting 15 under over 36 holes doesn’t feel tiring for me.”
This week marks Campillo’s ninth straight event, echoing what Tom Kim did on the PGA Tour earlier this year. He has played in every DP World Tour event since late August, with his best finish coming at the Betfried British Masters, where he tied for 6th. He also recorded top-20s at the Spanish Open in Madrid and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St. Andrews.
But nothing has compared to this week, where he opened with an 8-under 64 and a 7-under 65 to grab control. He began the day two strokes back of the lead, in a tie for third, but an early par-save on the opening hole, the 10th, set the tone. Campillo then catapulted into the lead on the 354-yard par-4 11th, where he holed out for eagle from 36 yards short of the green.
“It was a tough pitch shot, but that’s the best part of my game,” Campillo said.
“I hit it perfectly, and it went in the hole, which was nice.”
The 38-year-old Campillo, who hails from Caceres, Spain, about a four-drive north of Sotogrande in Andalucia, went on to make five more birdies. No bogies have blemished his scorecard through 36 holes, either. But he knows that a lot of golf remains.
“I’ve been putting the ball in play off the tee, hitting my irons great, and then making the short putts,” Campillo added.
“Last year at the KLM [Open], I was in this position after 36 holes and ended up finishing 29th, so I know there is a lot of golf left to play, and I don’t know what’s going to happen over the weekend.”
Rahm is certainly not out of it, either. The 2021 U.S. Open champion carded a 6-under 66 on Friday to soar up the leaderboard to 8-under overall. He currently sits in a tie for sixth, seven strokes back of Campillo.
“It was a really good round of golf. I was solid off the tee and gave myself a lot of chances, and my iron game was great,” Rahm said of his second round.
“I hit two approaches to tap-ins, and my ball striking was good, which is what you need in windy conditions. I rolled in a couple of nice putts, and it was a shame to drop a shot on the last hole. I need to keep making birdies tomorrow, and you have to go low here whether it’s windy or not. Hopefully, I can repeat today’s round and maybe go even lower.”
No matter how low Rahm goes over the weekend, he has to be impressed with Campillo’s play. And if Campillo can keep the pedal to the medal, perhaps he will find himself as a member of Legion XIII at the beginning of the 2025 LIV Golf season.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
