Golf: Campbell hints at return to US tour fulltime

Michael Campbell has indicated he could be playing fulltime on the USPGA Tour next year.

The New Zealand golfer, defending the US Open this weekend, is planning to set up a base in Florida.

He gave away his intention when he was launching the Michael Campbell Foundation at Winged Foot yesterday.

"I'll be flying them over from New Zealand to Florida where I'll be based next year, maybe Orlando, to spend a whole week with me and my coach (Jonathon Yarwood)," he said.

When quizzed if he was planning a fulltime move back to compete in the US, Campbell said:

"Did I say that? Maybe, I'm not sure. Well my coach is based in Orlando."

Due to a ruling, Campbell has been restricted for three years to just 10 Order of Merit events on the US Tour for three years but the restriction ends on December 31 this year.

Campbell, who won a five-year tour exemption for winning last year's US Open, will then be free to take up full membership.

The restriction was exercised on Campbell after he left the US Tour early in the 2004 season when he wasn't playing well.

Campbell, meanwhile, was happy to be flying under the radar here in the leadup to the Open while the spotlight firmly focused on his playing partner for the first two rounds Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

Woods is returning to competition for the first time since the death of his father, Mickelson is bidding for his third straight major title.

But Campbell was quietly confident he could pull off a second straight surprise and become the first player since Curtis Strange in 1988-89 to win back-to-back US Open titles.

"Fantastic, bring it on," he said.

"Look at last year, no one gave me a chance to win, and I won," he said.

"Once again, no one has given me a chance this year, apart from myself, which is the most important thing... I know I have a chance

"I feel very comfortable with my surroundings now, being a major winner, and being defending champion is a label that I'm actually very, very comfortable with."

Certainly Campbell has worked hard to live up to his status as a major title holder.

"I think I have new responsibilities as a major winner, especially back home," he said.

"I found out there's only three New Zealanders in the top 500 in the world, and to me that was a pretty scary stat," he said.

"I've decided to take hold of the situation and hopefully make a change, and in about another 15 years' time, when I'm sitting back in my rocking chair, I'll see 20 guys (from New Zealand) playing the US Open instead of two. That's my ultimate dream, once I retire from this game."

Campbell hopes the foundation he launched will help young New Zealand players get the break-through.

- NZPA