Jorge Campillo (-7) doesn’t usually have much trouble falling asleep. Quite the opposite. However, the last night in China, before going out to play Thursday’s first round of the Hainan Classic, was a rough one. By ten he was already in bed, but a quarter of an hour before one in the morning he woke up and couldn’t get any shut‑eye. You know that feeling we’ve all had at some point that only makes things worse: “I have to sleep, I have to sleep, I have to sleep…”. Nothing. Zero.
That said, after a long nap of almost three hours, the Extremaduran golfer went out to play the Vintage course and carded a 65 to move into sole possession of the lead, pending completion of the afternoon tee times. Don’t try to find an explanation. These things happen. At least the Hainan Classic is undoubtedly the best week of the year for something like this to occur, since golfers, unusually, use buggies. “I was knackered, planning to grab a nap between shot and shot, but I was lucky I wasn’t walking. It would have been a lot worse,” Jorge joked afterwards.
The thing is he not only shot 65 and took the lead, he played brilliantly. He struck one great shot after another. He only missed three greens. The first was at the 10th, although he was able to putt from just off the green, the second came at the 15th, his only truly poor shot of the day and one that also lacked luck. He hit a 9‑iron and the ball stuck like a fried egg in the bunker. His only bogey of the day. A decent bogey. And the third green he missed was the 18th, although very similar to the 10th; it finished on the fringe and he played a good chip. He left it a metre for par.
The rest of his round was a procession of good shots. He could even have posted an even better score. At the 2nd he missed a three‑metre birdie chance, at the 5th a four‑metre one, at the 6th he played from 10 metres and it just missed, at the 7th a five‑metre attempt, at the 8th four metres… An exhibition. He also had chances to nick a bit more on the par 5s, as on both the 4th and the 12th he left himself two very good eagle opportunities. In fact, on the 4th came possibly the best shot of the day. It wasn’t easy to pick the club today. “I hit a very good 3‑wood. It’s a club I don’t usually hit well, so it leaves me more comfortable. It went straight to the hole and in the fog,” explains the Norba player.
In short, eight birdies and a solitary bogey for a 65 to sit at the top, one ahead of the South African Thriston Lawrence (-6), the only top‑100 player in the field, and local favourite Wenyi Ding (-6). Two back are the Frenchman Martin Couvra and the Korean Taehoon Oh (-5). As you know, this tournament is played over two courses on Thursday and Friday. The Vintage, where Campilo competed today, is slightly easier on paper. Of the 16 golfers who have already finished at -3 or better, five played the Blackstone course and eleven the Vintage.
As for the other Spaniards who played in the morning, Nacho Elvira (-3), who returned to action after skipping the Africa swing, produced a good showing at the Vintage, just one stroke better than Eugenio Chacarra (-2), also at the Vintage. On the same course have already finished Ángel Ayora (-1) and Pablo Larrazábal (+2).
