Heart says Campbell, head says Open field is full of possibilities
Ben Campbell can only do one thing to endear himself more to the Queenstown golf community.
He can generate the wildest party seen at Millbrook with victory in the New Zealand Open this week.
Campbell, 32, has twice come within spitting distance of winning the Open, and the popular Queenstown professional would love nothing more than getting his name on the Brodie Breeze Trophy on Sunday evening.
“It’s my home course and my home town, and it’s always nice playing in front of friends and family,” he said this week.
“I’ve come second a couple of times. It’s always one that you come for, and it’s always nice sleeping in your own bed.”
Campbell tied for second last year, three shots behind winner Brendan Jones, and was pipped in a threeway playoff in 2017.
He obviously knows the course extremely well, and is feeling reasonably happy with how he is tracking after playing regular golf in recent months as well as being a reserve on the LIV tour.
“The game has been good. I played in Malaysia. I didn’t have the best results but I thought my game was really good and I just wasn’t scoring that well.
“Last week, in Oman, I didn’t travel that well and unfortunately tweaked the body a little bit, but I don’t think it was anything too serious.”
Any mention of a tweak — indeed any ailment at all — tends to raise a minor alarm bell.
That is understandable, given Campbell has done so well after missing the best part of two years with back and hip problems, but the man himself is brushing off any fears about his health.
“It’s just one of those things. Unfortunately, my back is never going to be amazing, so I’m going to have a few events where I don’t travel that well, and that’s just how it goes.
“It looks like we should have everything under control. If I want to play professional golf, I’m going to have a couple of those weeks where it’s not great.
“It’s just about resetting and going again.”
Campbell’s life and career changed when he won the $2 million Hong Kong Open in November.
The prize purse was nice, securing status in Asia was excellent, and the ability to hold off Australian star Cameron Smith was a pleasant reminder he belonged at the top level of the sport.
“It was good, you know, and it gives you a lot of confidence.
“Going down the stretch like that, and going up against Cam . . . when you get in those situations again, it’s good to have the confidence when you’ve got through it and got the win like that.”
While Campbell is the local favourite, most eyes are on another New Zealand golfer at Millbrook.
The Queenstown professional is as much a fan of boom rookie Kazuma Kobori as anyone else.
“I travelled with him a couple of years ago when he was an amateur,” Campbell said.
“He’s an incredible player and there’s a very exciting future for him. He’s going to be on a big tour some time soon. He’s definitely one to watch this week.” — ODT