While he drank an Aquarius and snacked on something, the interview with Jorge Campillo Íñiguez (Cáceres, June 1, 1986) followed the usual paths: the current season on the European Tour, his upcoming expectations (his next appointment is in Switzerland), the life of a golf professional… Almost at the end, a question without much intention broke the usual script with him, who usually measures his words a lot. This time he vindicated himself. “I will die and there will be no one in Extremadura close to what I have done”, he released about his career achievements.
How are you doing in 2022? He is 58th in the European Tour classification and in his last tournament, sponsored by Gareth Bale in Wales, he finished 40th…
Bale did not appear there. He was in Los Angeles. The year is going well. Decent. I have passed many cuts, but I have lacked some good position. In the tournament in Ireland I played well and finished seventh, but the most there have been places around 30th. The truth is that either you stay up or you don’t advance in the classification of the circuit.
He is coming off his worst years, probably… 86th in the ranking. He hasn’t sunk this low since 2014, when he was 99th…
I started very bad. I missed many cuts.
He managed a second and a third place, despite everything. This year only a ‘top 10’, but it seems more regular… He has only been left out of the cut four times out of 20 tournaments played…
I prefer what is now. They are good numbers. For my game it is better. You feel that you are consistent and that there is little left to hook a good week. I need to finish off the putts and play better on Sundays.
How has the pandemic affected you?
On March 8, 2020, a few days before the lockdown was decreed, I won the tournament in Qatar and I was playing well. I had to stop for three months and when I came back it was no longer the same, I had lost the moment. Prizes dropped a lot and some tournaments were no longer played. Well, that’s what it is.
Do you sometimes think about leaving the European Tour, doing other kinds of things, even if it was within golf?
Not for the moment. I like to play. If I don’t get injured I can still play for a few more years.
In 2021 you went to the Olympic Games at the last minute… With distance, was it a good experience despite finishing last?
The experience is good and beautiful, but it is true that it was very hasty. And I played bad. That yes: of course that I would like to repeat in the Games of Paris-2024.
At your age, can you still improve aspects of your game or are you already a seasoned golfer?
You can always improve. If you stagnate, the new ones eat you. You have to improve or at least maintain yourself. There is a range of older players who do well and then there are those who come on strong.
What is the hardest thing about your job? Being away from home for a long time or handling the pressure of results?
The tension of the results is complicated, especially when you train hard and then things don’t work out for you. It all makes you a little ball. What about the trips? It doesn’t bother me and that sometimes I have been away from home for five weeks in a row. However, I don’t like taking planes and collecting bills, which is something I have to do.
What do you do when you are away from your family?
It’s not just golf. You know the places, you go out to dinner… What happens is that 80% of the destinations are repeated. For example, places like Hong Kong are very interesting, but I’ve already been a lot of times.
It seems like a very individualistic world, doesn’t it?
It is, even though you have a group of players that you always do things like train or hang out with. Especially with the Spanish. Perhaps the one I get along with best is Nacho Elvira.
Do you think there is still an elitist prejudice about golf?
Every time less. There may be something. Who says it is that he does not know much about this world. There are elite clubs. As a general rule, a person who wants to play golf in Spain can.
And the one who is good arrives or needs a lot of family support?
Yes. It doesn’t take a lot of money. As soon as the Spanish Federation detects that you are very good at the beginning, it welcomes you and already pays you to be able to go to amateur tournaments. You end up having your chance.
What happens in Extremadura golf? A player similar to you has not emerged…
It’s just not easy. I will say one thing: I will die and there will be no one in Extremadura close to what I have done.
You are usually quite cautious, but this time there will be those who think that this is an arrogant statement…
put it on It is my opinion. I would love to be wrong, but no one will come close to what I have already achieved: I have won tournaments on the European Tour, I have played several ‘greats’, I have gone to the Olympic Games… I became 59th in the world. How many people from Extremadura have achieved that in their sport? But I already say that I hope I will be in front of the television in 20 years and see an Extremaduran going further than me. I would be surprised, really.
