Jorge Campillo (-11) has crafted a great opportunity for victory this Saturday at the Turkish Airlines Open. The golfer from Extremadura has delivered his third consecutive card below 70 strokes and has placed himself right in the thick of the action for Sunday’s final group, in second position, three strokes behind the Englishman Brandon Robinson Thompson (-14).
Campillo signed for 66 strokes, the fourth-best card of the day, with six birdies and a solitary bogey. Once again, he started the day with a stumble, missing a short par putt on the 1st hole. Shortly after, another good birdie chance from a metre and a half slipped away. Far from losing patience, the golfer from Cáceres stuck to his plan. He didn’t force things and trusted in how well he’s been striking the ball these days. The putts will drop eventually.
And indeed they did. The first and longest of the day came right on the 3rd. Jorge holed from about five metres for birdie. The floodgates opened. From that moment, he went five under in seven holes. Birdies came in a cascade. Holes 5, 7, 8, and 9. Very solid from the tee and with a repertoire of great shots, especially on the 8th, a par 3, from about 170 metres. On the back nine, he continued putting for birdie almost every time. He made a great recovery on the 10th and had more or less reasonable chances in the last eight holes, some very good ones like on the 11th, 12th, 13th, and 15th. However, the only birdie came on the 16th, once again with a trademark iron shot to within a metre.
Campillo displayed great golf in the third round at the Regnum Carya in Antalya. It’s no exaggeration to say he achieved practically the highest possible result. Practically, he couldn’t have squeezed another stroke out of his round. In some way, he broke through another barrier, that of the third rounds. The Spaniard wasn’t doing well on moving day. In fact, it’s the first time this year he’s gone below 70 strokes in the third round, and it’s his best Saturday in a year and a half. Specifically, since the Qatar Masters in 2023, in October, when he finished in second position.
Jorge will play in the final group with Brandon Robinson Thompson (-14), a 32-year-old English golfer who shot a stunning 62 today and has been knocking on the door of victory for some time. Earlier this year in Qatar, he had a good opportunity. In terms of experience, there’s no comparison. Campillo has more top 5 finishes in his career on the DP World Tour (31) than the total tournaments played by the Brit (22). However, a three-stroke lead is not a bad cushion. Robinson wants to open his winning account, while Jorge is seeking his fourth.
The playing conditions today on the Turkish course were much more favourable. The greens, softened by the rain in recent hours, were more receptive, allowing for more aggressive shots at the flag. More and better birdie opportunities. We’ll see what the course is like this Sunday. On paper, Robinson is a player who has shown he can go very low in good conditions, so if there were a choice, Campillo would prefer more challenging conditions.
Obviously, the tournament is not a two-horse race. Tied with Jorge in second position are solid and dangerous contenders like Haotong Li (-11) or Robin Williams (-11). Additionally, at -10 are Martin Couvra, Jordan Smith, Matthew Jordan, and Mikael Lindberg. There are 17 players separated by just three strokes between second place and 19th. A lot to play for.
Campillo will be the only Spanish victory option. Still, there are very good chances for a top 10 finish, such as Rafa Cabrera Bello (-6), who delivered a great card of 67 strokes today, Nacho Elvira (-5), or Ángel Ayora (-5). It’s really a shame the poor putting week, generally speaking, for the player from Málaga. He shot 70 today, but a significant number of short putts slipped away. Finally, Manu Elvira (-2) and Santi Tarrio (+1) still have chances to climb positions and improve their points and money haul.
