Jorge Campillo had the home crowd buzzing with excitement as he shot a flawless seven-under-par 65 to catapult himself into a commanding four-shot lead at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters.
The Spanish sensation, already a three-time DP World Tour winner, followed up his opening-round 64 with another jaw-dropping performance, leaving him sitting pretty at 15 under par heading into the weekend at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande.
Campillo was in scintillating form, starting his day on the 10th hole, where he saved a crucial par before dropping an 11th-hole eagle that lit up the leaderboard like a Christmas tree.
As if that wasn’t enough, he bagged a birdie on the par-five 14th and saved par yet again on the tricky 17th with a 12-footer that looked destined to miss until the last breath. If anyone doubted his nerve, that putt shut them right up.
But Campillo wasn’t done thrilling the fans. After reaching 12 under at the par-five second, he drained an eye-popping 56-foot putt on the par-three fourth.
The crowd roared in approval, and the 38-year-old responded with a knowing grin that said, “Yeah, I meant to do that.”
He added birdies on the sixth and capped his round with a clinical nine-foot putt at the last to sign for a sparkling 65, making it 36 holes without a single bogey in sight.
Jorge Campillo: I made a good putt on ten to save par and then the eagle on 11 was a great way to set the tone. It was a tough pitch shot but that’s the best part of my game. I hit it perfectly and it went in the hole which was nice.
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. I don’t feel too tired and shooting 15 under over 36 holes doesn’t feel tiring for me.
I’ve been putting the ball in play off the tee, hitting my irons great and then making the short putts. Last year at the KLM 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.
Trailing him is England’s Daniel Brown, four shots back, after a steady day that leaves him at 11 under par.
Meanwhile, Scotland’s Scott Jamieson carded a six-under 66 to climb into third place, tied with Englishman Jordan Smith and France’s Julien Guerrier, all sitting at 10 under.
And let’s not forget two-time Major champion Jon Rahm, who’s lurking in the shadows. Rahm posted a 66 of his own, vaulting into sixth place alongside Spain’s Angel Hidalgo, South Africa’s Jayden Schaper, Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger, and Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti—all sitting at a respectable eight under.
As the weekend approaches, it’s clear that the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters is shaping up to be a showcase of top-tier golf.
But with Campillo firmly in the driver’s seat, it’ll take something spectacular to knock the hometown hero off his perch.
