Brian Campbell and Aldrich Potgieter tied at 20-under after completing 72 holes at the 2025 Mexico Open. On the first extra playoff hole, both scored a par. On the second playoff hole, Campbell's tee shot almost went out of bounds as it hit a tree, risking his first Tour title.
However, the ball bounced back into a playable area rather than going out of bounds. Because of the lucky bounce, Campbell scored a birdie on the hole winning the tournament. After the win, he thanked the tree with a toast for helping him get his first professional win in the 187th start.
Let's take a look at the shot-by-shot overview on the second extra playoff hole of Campbell and Potgieter, as per PGA Tour:
Shot 1:
- Brian Campbell: 227 yards to the right rough, 311 yards to the hole
- Aldrich Potgieter: 321 yards to the right fairway, 218 yards to the hole
Shot 2:
- BC: 243 yards to the right fairway, 68 yards to the hole
- AP: 202 yards to the right bunker, 48 feet 7 inches to the hole
Shot 3:
- BC: 67 yards to the right green, 3 feet 7 inches to the hole
- AP: 55 feet to right green, 6 feet 2 inches to the hole
Shot 4:
- BC: In the hole (Birdie)
- AP: Putt from 9 feet 7 inches, 3 feet 1 inch to the hole after putt
PGA Tour shared a clip of the lucky bounce and wrote:
"Luckiest break ever?! Brian Campbell's ball bounces off the trees and stays in bounds on the second playoff hole!"
Fans took to the comments section to express their awe and surprise at the lucky bounce. While some thanked the tree for helping win their bet, some declared it among the top five luckiest breaks ever.
"$2,000 bounce here. Thank you tree (saluting face and handshake emoji)," one fan wrote.
"Ridiculously lucky," another fan commented.
"I'd say it's in the top 5 luckiest breaks of all time," one fan declared.
Some fans also expressed sympathy for Potgieter and lamented losing their bet on him, others also criticized the nature of the PGA Tour pro's win.
"damn feel bad for Potgeiter," one fan commented.
"Not a good look for a PGA win. The tour oooooshh......," another fan wrote.
"My Potgieter ticket is crying right now," other fan said.
Brian Campbell took home $1.26 million and 500 FedEx Cup points for his win at the 2025 Mexico Open at Vidanta Vallarta in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Brian Campbell on his lucky bounce: "You've got to get those breaks sometimes"
In his post-tournament press conference, Brian Campbell was asked about his tee shot on the second playoff hole and the lucky bounce off the tree. The 31-year-old acknowledged his lucky break after a bad tee shot which kept him in the game. He said (via Tee Scripts):
"I mean, you've got to get those breaks sometimes. Unfortunately I hit a really bad tee shot there, caught the tree, was able to keep it in play and get ourselves in a good position to get a wedge and keep the pressure on. I was just so happy that I was able to kind of stay in it to the end."
Talking about his bounce, Campbell’s caddie Cooper Wilson said that the lucky bounce secured Campbell's career for two more years.
"That ball shouldn’t have bounced back. It did. And then he had a 3-wood off the dirt, hit a 60-yard shot to however close and made it to have a job for two more years at least and chase his dreams some more." (via PGA Tour)
PGA Tour players receive a two-year exemption when they win a title on the Tour. For most parts of his professional career, Brian Campbell has played on the Korn Ferry Tour after turning pro in 2015.