Campbell sets sights on Perth

There could soon be two Campbells making waves for New Zealand on the international golfing scene.
While everyone knows of Michael, there is another younger version turning heads on the national scene.
At only 15, Masterton golfer Ben Campbell is set to play in his first international tournament after being selected as the sole male New Zealand representative to attend the Mastercard Junior Masters in Perth later this month.
The all-expenses paid under-19 tournament, based at the prestigious Vines Resort and Country Club, features some of the world's best young talent from throughout Asia, South Africa and Australia.
The winner will be handed a ticket into the Mastercard Masters, a professional event at Melbourne's Huntingdale Golf Club won last year by leading Englishman Justin Rose.
But Campbell, who is in year 11 at Wairarapa College, is not getting ahead of himself just yet; in fact his selection has barely sunk in.
"I didn't even know about the tournament, I'd never heard of it before until they told me I was going to it," he said.
"My coach text me saying that I'd made the New Zealand team and I was like what, that can't be right.
"I had a few missed calls on my cellphone and thought it was him but when I rang the number it was New Zealand Golf, it was pretty weird."
Campbell's selection comes on the back of two strong recent performances, finishing in the top 10 of both the South Island under-19 tournament in Motueka and the North Island Amateurs in Wanganui, where he shot two under par over four rounds.
His recent inter-club form for Masterton has been equally impressive, recording only a single loss in individual match-play in the Wellington competition this season.
Coached by Wellington's Kevin Smith, Campbell has now whittled his handicap down to just one, a remarkable feat given he has only been playing competitively for the last three years.
"I practice pretty much everyday, even when it's raining I go out and have a hit off the mat and I play a lot of tournaments down in Wellington," he said.
"I don't hit it (the ball) that big, I'm probably better with the iron shots. I hit a lot of greens in regulation but my chipping and putting hasn't been too good lately so that's what I'm working on at the moment."
Campbell is due to fly to Perth on May 27 alongside Aucklander Larissa Eruera, who will play in the girls' competition, with the tournament starting two days later and ending on June 1.