After exiling Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth, OWGR 180th-ranked player receives Arnold Palmer invitation

Rafael Campos earned a spot in the signature PGA Tour event after Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler were denied entrance into the Arnold Palmer Invitational field. There are four sponsor exemptions for the $20 million purse event, and one of them is given to the World No. 180 player.

Rafael Campos wrote a letter to officials asking for an exemption for the tournament. Arnold Palmer's grandson Sam Saunders revealed in an exclusive interview with Golf Week about Campos getting an exemption to play in the tournament.

Speaking of Campos, Saunders said:

"There are different levels of effort from each player. And I will tell you from what I've seen, I don't know that anybody's written a more thoughtful letter and put more effort into requesting an exemption than Rafa Campos did. He's genuine, he's kind. He's a steward of the game and that's something that mattered a lot to my grandfather."

Although all four exemptions have not been revealed so far, however, Fowler, Spieth, and Gary Woodland won't be getting the exemption for the competition. Sam explained his reason for his decision, saying:

"What our team did was try to pick players that, you know, it's about protecting and growing the game of golf as a whole. And doing what's the most balanced and fair process. Honestly, I think there was a lot of thought put into each and every player that was selected.

"At the end of the day, it's who's getting the ball in the hole the fastest that are the ones who get the opportunities. You can't make everybody happy with exemptions. So you try to just do it as fair and balanced as possible," he added.

Notably, the Arnold Palmer Invitational is a four-day signature PGA Tour event with a limited field of players. It will take place from March 6 to 9 at Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club and Lodge.

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How has the Arnold Palmer Invitational invitee performed so far in 2025?

Rafael Campos has played in six PGA Tour events in 2025. However, he has struggled with his game, missing the cut in four tournaments. The Puerto Rican player started the campaign at the season-opening event in Hawaii, The Sentry. He had a tough start at the signature PGA Tour event, however, with two back-to-back rounds of 72.

Campos then played another round of 71, followed by the finale of 73, to settle in 57th position. Next, he teed off at the Sony Open in Hawaii but missed the cut after playing the two rounds of 67 and 72. He missed the cut in four back-to-back tournaments.

After the Sony Open, his struggles continued at The American Express and Farmers Insurance Open, and he also missed the cut at the WM Phoenix Open. However, in his last outing at the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld, Rafael Campos played the four rounds of 69, 67, 71, and 68 to settle in T34 place.