Golf: Campbell still finds a sunny spot

By DAVID LEGGAT

Two years ago, Michael Campbell holed an emotional putt in the setting sun at Paraparaumu Beach golf course to clinch his first New Zealand Open title.

It is his home patch, just up the road from where he grew up in Titahi Bay. His mentor, former New Zealand Golf Association chief executive Grant Clements, had died a few months earlier and, with Campbell's large family looking on, the odd tear was shed.

Yesterday, on the same green, the sun in the same spot, Campbell had a 15-foot putt for an eagle for a playoff with Australian Craig Parry.

Had it not been for the blustery wind, you would surely have heard pins drop as he lined up his putt.

History did not repeat as it slid inches past the right side of the hole.

Parry had broken the five-year stranglehold New Zealand golfers have had on the Open, and clinched his first victory since 1997.

The chunky Parry, who turned 36 yesterday, said of Campbell's putt: "I thought, 'miss it'. I'm not going to lie and say I wanted it to go in."

Campbell had to share second place with Hamilton's Steve Alker and West Australian Stephen Leaney - and was also left to rue what might have been. He had dropped two shots a few minutes earlier on the 17th hole when a rushed putt sent him tumbling from holding a one-stroke lead to trailing Parry by two shots.

Campbell gave the large crowd something to savour, however, with a brilliant approach shot from 240 yards - he tailored a shot for the hole, calling it a half-three wood.

"To see that putt roll by on the last hole ... if you'd spoken to me straight after I missed that putt I would have said a few things that can't be repeated."

So Campbell was left with mixed emotions. Earlier in the week he had said that if he finished three shots better than world No 1 Tiger Woods, he would be happy. He did, as Woods finished five strokes back at five-under 279.

"If you beat Tiger in any golf tournament you're doing very well," said Campbell.

"It's nice to beat him, but it's nice to win as well.

"Unfortunately we didn't see Tiger in full flight this week. That was fortunate for us."

Campbell insisted he had enjoyed himself yesterday. He had set out to have some fun, and maintained that his expectations had not been particularly high for the week.

"I did really enjoy myself today, but deep down inside, when I missed that putt on the last hole, I was pretty gutted."

He added: "There were expectations from a lot of people around me to perform at the right time, right place, right tournament.

"I'm only home once a year and my expectations weren't that high, to be honest."

The world No 29 now sets his sights on the four majors of the year - the Masters, the British and US Opens and the US PGA championship - but last night he showed he won't be forgetting his New Zealand ties.

At the prizegiving ceremony on the 18th green, Campbell did his best Arnold Schwarzenegger impression, telling the crowd: "I'll be back next year, you watch."

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