World class amateur, IU golfer enjoys his global travels

Senior Jorge Campillo has racked up some serious frequent flyer miles.

Among the stamps on his passport are Australia, Japan, Iceland, Scotland, England, Wales, Belgium, Finland, Sweden, Spain, France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Mexico.

Although the surroundings for Campillo, a native of Caceres, Spain, have changed, the activity stays mostly constant – playing against the best golfers in the world, free of charge.

Campillo, a star on the IU men’s golf team said he appreciates the opportunities he has had.

“It’s really nice,” he said. “You get to go to some countries for free, and I always like to go to new places.”

Campillo, who started playing golf at the age of 3 under the direction of his father, has learned the game quickly and is currently the No. 2-ranked amateur golfer in the world.

Most recently, Campillo had the chance to travel to Australia to represent Spain in the World Amateur Team Championship, where he finished 14th overall and helped Spain to a seventh-place finish among 65 teams.

The senior said he has a lot of pride in his country and enjoys playing with the other Spanish golfers, some of whom he has known for more than 10 years.

“I’m really happy to represent Spain and go all over the world with that team,” he said.
Among his teammates at IU, Campillo and senior Seth Brandon are great friends.

Brandon said he thinks traveling so much is beneficial for Campillo and something that he wishes he could do more of himself.

“It’s kind of a neat thing that I’ve always been a little envious of, but I think it’s a great opportunity for him,” Brandon said.

For the Spanish-born golfer that has traveled all over the world, Campillo first came to the U.S. to play golf eight years ago.

Shortly after his arrival, he drew the attention of IU coach Mike Mayer, who traveled to Miami for the Orange Bowl International tournament, an event for the top international players at the time.

Mayer primarily came to Miami to watch Santiago Quirarte, a 2008 graduate of the Hoosier golf team, but saw Campillo play while watching another Spanish player.

In the short time Mayer watched Campillo, the golfer’s putting and conduct on the course impressed him, and he eventually convinced the Spaniard to sign a national letter of intent to come to IU. 

When Campillo first arrived at IU, he didn’t know much English, but said the seniors on the team helped him greatly.

“The seniors were nice to me the first time I was here,” he said. “I didn’t know what was going on; I didn’t know the language; I didn’t know the culture, so they really helped me a lot. I’m really thankful for all they did for me.”

At IU, Campillo has captured eight individual tournament titles, and in his first NCAA Tournament last year, he finished runner-up individually, earning All-American honors.

In giving back to IU, he has also helped inspire new IU golfers. Freshman golfer David Erdy said working alongside Campillo has had a profound effect on his play.

“It gives you that confidence, you’re accepted onto the team and playing with these guys,” Erdy said. “It gives you the confidence to go out and do it yourself.”

Campillo has won the Spanish Amateur Championship and played in many elite tournaments overseas, yet his most memorable moment he said came the European Under-21 Team Championship, where he helped Spain beat Italy in the finals.

“When we won, we jumped into the lake on (hole) 18,” he said. “I will always remember that moment.”

Mayer – who said he thinks Campillo is unique in that his talent is unbelievable and his moral standards are so high – added that he thinks Campillo has a bright future ahead in professional golf and would like to stay involved with him.

“I look forward to being involved with Jorge in any possible way I can be involved with Jorge,” Mayer said. “He is a delightful human being and a great guy to be around.”