The game of golf is truly unique, and this is a factual statement in many ways. Not only is it a game which can never be truly mastered, but it is a game which was developed to equalize the playing field. Anyone can win on any given day, and how they execute that victory varies with every round played.

In the recently completed Mexico Open, the tournament which ended with Brian Campbell outlasting young Aldrich Potgieter in a playoff, how Campbell won was truly worth further inspection.

Anyone who watched the tournament conclude will likely talk about the amazing bounce Campbell got down the stretch in a critical moment. How great was the bounce? Campbell and his caddy both went back to the fairway after the victory an toasted the trees who helped keep his dream alive of winning his first event on the PGA Tour.

See the video below the image for the actual bounce which helped Campbell not have to be assessed a one stroke penalty due to hitting it out of bounds.

shoutout tree 🙏🙏🙏 https://t.co/SyMj5q3H3a pic.twitter.com/H1ED4W0dxJ

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 24, 2025

As I stated, golf is a crazy game, and sometimes the Golf Gods are looking down on your in a positive way. For someone like Campbell, his career hasn’t always been viewed in that way from those very same Golf Gods who aided him in Mexico this past weekend. Just look at Campbell’s last eight starts on tour:

Last 8 PGA TOUR starts for Brian Campbell:

CUT
CUT
CUT
CUT
T56
T51
CUT
Win 🏆

Golf is a funny game. pic.twitter.com/mR2NoPPRWt

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 24, 2025

No matter how you slice it, golf is the ultimate equalizer, and the Mexico Open was the perfect example of this when you compare Potgieter to Campbell from a distance/analytics standpoint.

Look at the difference between the two golfers:

Aldrich Potgieter and Brian Campbell are among those battling for Mexico Open title.

Potgieter leads Tour in driving distance (328.7 yards).

Campbell is 182nd, or last (262 yards).

Potgieter: 190.78 avg. ball speed/125.75 avg. swing speed.

Campbell: 160.93/108.22.

Amazing. pic.twitter.com/HWF2vckPib

— Brentley Romine (@BrentleyGC) February 23, 2025

When you consider these metrics, most would assume Campbell wouldn’t stand a chance vs. the younger, and longer, Potgieter. However, it was Campbell, and his short game, who was victorious in Mexico.

The game of golf is built around evening the playing field. Golfers who are consistent are rewarded, not necessarily those who it it the furthest or have the best equipment. On top of that, the game’s handicap system is built to even the playing field. It is a system where a 20-handicap golfer playing against the scratch player would be both fair and competitive. It doesn’t always work out this way on the PGA Tour, but it absolutely did this past weekend during the Mexico Open.

The game of golf is the ultimate equalizer, and the playoff win for Brian Campbell last weekend was just the latest example of this. I also talk about this more on the latest Fairways & Dreams podcast, which can be heard in the player below.