Big pay day for Campbell

VIRGINIA WATER, England - Michael Campbell may need to call an urgent meeting with his bank manager after earning the biggest pay cheque in golf by winning the HSBC World Matchplay Championship at Wentworth today.

Campbell needs somewhere to store the £1 million ($2.59 million) he won for beating Irishman Paul McGinley 2 and 1 in the final.

The reigning US Open champion was never behind after the ninth hole before finally sealing the outcome with a birdie at the 35th hole.

The New Zealander's payout was £370,000 more than when he won the US Open in June.

It catapulted Campbell back to the top of the European Tour's Order of Merit with official earnings this year of £1,613,530, £109,474 ahead of South African Retief Goosen, who he eliminated out in yesterday's semifinals.

Campbell joined some illustrious names by winning the matchplay crown. Among those before him were Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Seve Ballesteros, compatriot Sir Bob Charles, Nick Faldo and Ernie Els.

He also joined Palmer (1964), Tom Weiskopf (1972), Hale Irwin (1974), Isao Aoki (1978), Bill Rogers (1979), Norman (1990) and Els (1994) by winning the event on his debut.

Campbell was delighted, saying his goals for the week had been met.

"To win this event was one of my goals and this week another goal was to get back on top of the Order of Merit and I have done that.

"But to be holding this trophy means that I have beaten some great players this week and I am thrilled to have achieved that goal.

Campbell entered the final having ended the title aspirations of Australians Geoff Ogilvy 1 up and Steve Elkington on the 37th hole before trouncing Goosen 7 and 6.

McGinley had breezed through the preliminaries, accounting for Thomas Bjorn 6 and 5, Luke Donald 9 and 8 and Angel Cabrera 4 and 3.

McGinley approached his showdown with Campbell drawing heavily on an impressive Ryder Cup record of six wins and just one loss in Europe's winning campaigns over the United States in 2002 and 2004.

McGinley drew first blood at the opening hole to go 1 up when Campbell found a greenside bunker with his second and then two-putted from five feet for a bogey.

Campbell drew level at the fifth when McGinley three-putted from 20 feet but the Irishmen nosed ahead again by winning the eighth before Campbell birdied the ninth to lock the contest up again.

Campbell birdied the next, too, to edge ahead, an advantage he held until McGinley won the 16th after Campbell was forced to take a penalty drop after finding a bush behind the green.

The New Zealander sat down for lunch after 18 holes 1 up, thanks to a birdie on the 18th when he played a superb sand wedge to within one foot of the pin.

Campbell emerged after his light meal with the momentum seemingly on his side, as he won the 19th with a birdie to go 2 up, which he improved to 3 up at the 21st when McGinley found a greenside bunker before two-putting from nine feet for a double bogey.

McGinley won the 24th and 25th holes with birdies before Campbell played a poor approach shot into the 27th and then had to chip between tree branches to eventually lose the hole with a bogey.

The next two holes were halved before Campbell played a poor shot into the par-five 12th, or 30th hole, with his ball stopping less than two feet from going out-of-bounds from where he played a super chip shot to six feet and holed the birdie-winning putt.

McGinley won the next with a par but lost the 33rd when he two-putted from eight feet for bogey.

The match was effectively over in Campbell's favour when McGinley hooked his 34th hole tee shot into trees.

Despite finding the ball, he had little option but to chip out before losing the hole to go 2 down prior to conceding victory at the next.

The result left Campbell in a buoyant mood as he heads to the United States to join his International teammates for the Presidents Cup starting against the US on Friday (NZ time).

- NZPA