Jorge Campillo (-3) has started the Nexo Championship in a more than remarkable manner. He has delivered a card of 69 strokes, placing him high on the leaderboard, just two strokes behind Richard Sterne (-5), the first leader of the tournament, and one stroke behind the second position shared by Norwegian Andreas Halvorsen (-4) and another illustrious veteran of the DP World Tour like South African Thomas Aiken (-4).
It’s an excellent performance by Jorge, although nothing too surprising if we analyse his recent rounds in Scotland. Since 2023, today marks his 20th round on Scottish soil in regular European circuit tournaments, and on 17 occasions, he has played under par. The good streak began at the Genesis Scottish Open in 2023 and continued at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship of the same year, carrying on in those same two tournaments in 2024, plus this year’s Genesis and the first round at the Nexo. Twenty. A round number. Excellent record.
Campillo seems to have adapted well to the courses in Scotland. This streak also includes last year’s Open at Royal Troon, where he added another round under par, a spectacular 68 sealed on Friday to make the cut. It’s interesting because these numbers contrast with the history of the golfer from Norba in Scotland. To date, excluding this week, he has played a total of 35 tournaments in this country and has only achieved one top 10. It was at the Scottish Open in 2016 at Castle Stuart. It’s been a while.
Campillo’s early experiences in Scotland on the DP World Tour were not particularly promising. He missed the cut in three of his first four visits. However, he has played the weekend in seven of his last appearances on Scottish soil, including that Open at Troon.
Campillo’s start is promising. Not only because of the result, which is the first thing you notice, but also because of the sensations. He played solidly and, above all, intelligently. He had a good strategy with his caddie Jesús Legarrea and managed to stay in position most of the time, which is crucial on this course. He made five birdies and two bogeys.
The wind blew intensely, although the course setup made it more manageable. All tees, without exception, were moved forward today. The 18th hole, for instance, was shortened by about 60 metres. This approach by the European circuit is debatable. It’s understandable that they don’t want to see a massacre, but if the day turns windy and the par 5s become little monsters, then it will be the same for everyone. It’s okay if no one finishes under par today.
Despite everything, the course defends itself well. Under-par cards are not common, and the mishaps are quite significant. Only in the morning session were there eight cards over 80 strokes.
In addition to Campillo’s good start, it’s worth highlighting the good round by Ángel Ayora (-1). Anything under par is good. The player from Malaga, like Campillo, also made five birdies but committed four bogeys. Albert Boneta’s start (+1) is not bad either. A nice battle from the Catalan player. He made four birdies and an eagle against four bogeys and a triple bogey. His enormous birdie-making ability is undeniable. Eugenio Chacarra scored +2, Santi Tarrio started with +5, and Nacho Elvira was one of the big casualties with +9.
