Brian Campbell’s victory at the John Deere Classic was his second victory on the PGA Tour this season.
The 32-year-old has experienced a rollercoaster 2025 season on the PGA Tour, with two wins in 17 events played and seven missed cuts as well.
Incredibly, aside from Campbell’s two wins, his best finish is a tie for 32nd.
His win at the John Deere Classic was a big surprise, but he clearly knows how to get the job done when it matters the most.
That’s two wins from two sudden death play-offs this season now for Campbell, and that surely has to count for something when discussing his viability for a place on the Ryder Cup team.
So could it really happen, could Campbell actually achieve the unthinkable and qualify for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black later this year?
Brian Campbell responds when asked if he could make the Ryder Cup team
All of the talk right now is surrounding whether Keegan Bradley will play on his own Ryder Cup team.
Bradley being part of the 12-man playing team would be no surprise, but Campbell nailing down a spot for Bethpage really would raise some eyebrows.
Campbell is the shortest hitter on the PGA Tour, with an average driving distance this season of just 280 yards off the tee.
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
Taking that into account, the fact that he has won twice this season is truly remarkable.
The 32-year-old PGA Tour rookie now sits in 28th place in the Ryder Cup rankings, and one more win or a couple of top-three finishes would really throw the cat amongst the pigeons.
He was asked after his win at the John Deere whether he thinks he has a shot at making the Ryder Cup team.
He said: “Well, I’ve had no thought about that whatsoever. I just know how much I love the Ryder Cup, and to let alone be in the same conversation as the Ryder Cup is wild.
“So the best thing I can do is just keep working on what I’m doing and keep moving forward. I think we’ll see what happens when that comes around.“
It’s still highly unlikely that Campbell will make the U.S. Ryder Cup team, but stranger things have happened in golf, that’s for sure.
Ben Campbell on whether he thinks he can win before teeing off
Most pro golfers say that they have full belief in themselves to win every time they tee it up.
So it was refreshing to hear Campbell openly admit that winning doesn’t even enter his mind at the start of tournaments.
He was asked if he just attempts to play and then see what happens come the end of the week.
Campbell said: “I guess that’s how I approach most weeks. There are things I can control and things I can’t control. The best thing I can do is give myself as many looks as I can; I was doing that.
“So I think there were definitely moments in the week where I was thinking about, hey, you know, this could be a special week. I don’t know if I like to let myself get ahead of myself and think about winning all that much, but I know if we stick around and keep doing the right things that we’re going to be there in the end.“
Fair play to Campbell for his win at the John Deere Classic, and the well-grounded 32-year-old seems like he may actually have an outside shot of making the Ryder Cup team now as a result of his performance at TPC Deere Run.
