SYDNEY - Two years ago New Zealand golfer Michael Campbell was king of the world.
He'd stared down Tiger Woods to win the US Open and was the world matchplay champion.
Now he is playing like a weekend hacker.
Campbell shot horrendous opening rounds of 78 and 80at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney, a course where he is a member.
His sorry form comes two weeks after he suffered the indignity of missing the cut after rounds of 73 and 76 in the New Zealand Open.
That was made even more painful by the fact that his country's only other major winner, 71-year-old Bob Charles, not only made the cut but finished in a tie for 23rd after beating his age three times along the way.
And the week before that Campbell bombed his way to an 84 in the second round of the Australian Masters at Huntingdale.
Campbell, who has a house not far from this course, is a popular figure in Australia.
He was also one of four players on the promotional poster for the Australian Open.
But he felt anything but a pinup today as he stumbled to an outward nine of 42.
After missing the fairway by miles with his tee shot down the 10th, his first hole, he slammed his driver into the bag, a rare show of temper from the good natured New Zealander.
He held things together with six successive pars, but then bogeyed two of the last three holes and signed for an 80.
Not surprisingly, he didn't put in an appearance in the media room.
Before the tournament he talked about the fickleness of his profession.
"It is amazing, the game of golf. When you are out there playing well, you have all good luck.
"When things aren't going your way, you get plugged lies, bad lies in the rough. It is just what the golfing gods give you."
The golfing gods giveth, as they did for Michael Campbell in 2005.
