Campbell confident at NZ Open
BY iseekgolf.com | Australasian PGA Tour | 2006 New Zealand Open | General | 29 Nov 2006
Michael Campbell is confident that his roller-coaster career can surge upward in this week’s 89th Blue Chip New Zealand Open at Gulf Harbour.
The effusive 2005 US Open champion said he was not too fazed at missing the cut in last week’s Mastercard Masters in Melbourne, as he has often followed a poor performance with a good one.
“That’s how it is with me. And how it has often gone with one good week and one not so good,” Campbell said. “This has been a frustrating year for me. After having a great year in 2005 I had great expectations, and when those expectations are not met, you try a bit harder and change a few things. That’s human nature.”
However he is encouraged by a strong finish to the season with two third placings at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai and the China Masters.
“Once again I turned things around very quickly by finishing third three weeks ago in China. As soon as you finish within an arm’s length of Tiger you are doing quite well. It was a good start to 2007 for the Order of Merit.”
Campbell said it was his putting that had let him down.
“If you go through my stats I am hitting the ball longer, hitting more greens and more fairways. The only factor that is obvious to me is my putting which was not quite as good as 2005. I think it is half a shot per round which equates to two shots which is a lot.”
However he is confident that there are many more successes ahead.
“There’s five good years left in me. Look at Vijay Singh, he’s 43 and still winning tournaments. I’ve grown as a person and learned a lot about myself over the last 18 months. I’ve really enjoyed giving back to charities in this country and also in England and Australia.”
Campbell is keen to take a stronger role in the future of the game in this country and was enthused after an informal chat with Geoff Saunders, a director of New Zealand Golf and convenor of the New Zealand Open subcommittee.
“I know there’s talk about New Zealand Golf not being great but I’ve had a very exciting meeting with Geoff Saunders. We’ve got some wonderful things coming up in the future for the New Zealand Open and for the juniors.
“We’re on the same page. Now I have to take on some more of a responsibility for this Open. It’s been going for 100 years and there’s no way I want to see my own national open go belly-up so I want to be more involved.”
Campbell said he was looking forward to this year’s Blue Chip New Zealand Open after missing the cut at the 2005 event.
“It’s my first time back playing in my home country since winning the 2005 US Open. Coming back this year is a little different. Expectations are a bit higher this time.”
Source – NZGA
