Golf: Campbell taking time out

New Zealand golfer Michael Campbell is resting up in Sydney before launching one final challenge to secure the European No 1 ranking this season.

Campbell, who finished tied for 46th in the WGC-American Express Championship in the United States yesterday, has returned to his Sydney residence for a fortnight's break.

He will next appear at the European Tour's season-ending $4 million euro ($7.07 million) Volvo Masters at Valderrama, Spain, starting on October 27,

It is there that the European Tour order of merit standings will be finalised, with Campbell currently second behind Scotland's Colin Montgomerie, who moved ahead of the US Open champion by finishing third equal in the co-sanctioned WGC event in San Francisco.

Montgomerie, who won his first title in 19 months at the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland last week, lifted his European Tour earnings to 2,565,089 euro, ahead of Campbell on 2,434,069 euro.

Seeking his eighth European order of merit title, Montgomerie has added this week's Spanish Open to his schedule.

The 1m euro Madrid Open, which starts on Thursday night (NZ time), carries a first prize of only about 166,000 euro.

So even should he win that event, the order of merit title race will not be decided until the Volvo Masters.

The title chase is tight at the top, with South African Retief Goosen, sitting third on 2,261,211 euro, another in contention.

World No 5 Goosen missed the WGC tournament in California due to a groin injury.

No one among Montgomerie, Campbell and Goosen has entered the 1.5m euro Mallorca Open, the penultimate event on the European calendar, which starts on October 20.

Montgomerie left San Francisco disappointed to fall just short of the playoff, won by Tiger Woods over fellow American John Daly, but thankful his high placing saw him replace Campbell atop the European Tour standings.

"One of my goals at the start of the week here in San Francisco was to go ahead of Michael on the order of merit and in finishing third I have managed to do that," he said before returning to London.

"Of course, it would have been nice if I could have won but I have managed to do the next best and that is to finish high up enough to get back to number one on the order of merit.

Montgomerie won the Volvo Masters at Valderrama in 1993 while he shared the title with German Bernhard Langer there in 2002.

He has also finished runner-up in the event twice, plus has five other top-10 results on the course to his credit.

"I have the advantage over Michael as he is not playing the next two weeks while I am in Madrid this week, and I also feel that I've somehow got a little bit of advantage at Valderrama," Montgomerie said.

"I know the place very well and I'm playing well. It's just a matter of keeping going."

By contrast, Campbell's best finish in the Volvo Masters at Valderrama was seventh in 2003 while he was last in 2004.

- NZPA