Campbell fights mystery illness to play in Noumea event
NO ONE could be happier to contest the South Pacific Open Championship in New Caledonia than Masterton pro Ben Campbell, who has even had his chest cut open in search of an ailment that has plagued him for over a year.
Campbell, 24, has long been regarded as one of the country’s most promising golfers, only to be derailed by misfortune. He was once ranked world No 6 amateur, and finished fourth in the 2010 world amateur championship.
When he teed off in Noumea yesterday, it was the first shot he had been able to play in an overseas professional tournament since his 10th in The Eternal Courtyard Open in China five months ago. An unexplained medical problem has sidelined him since.
‘‘It’s pretty much been happening over the last year-and-a-half. My chest keeps flaring up,’’ said Campbell, who was also suffering from a severe lack of energy.
‘‘I would go play in the morning and have to sleep the whole afternoon. I was going to bed at 7pm, just always feeling tired and then wouldn’t be able to wake up.
‘‘I had about five MRIs, x-rays and ultra sounds. They have cut me open and taken a biopsy of my chest and everything keeps coming back fine, they can’t really figure out what causes it.’’
Campbell was forced to rest up as his mates on tour chased the dream he held dear. For a time he feared the dream was dead.
‘‘They thought I had this muscle disease, it was pretty scary, they said to be prepared that I might never play golf again. That was a shock to the system and I was pretty happy that the biopsy came back fine and I don’t have that,’’ he said.
‘‘For a while there I was just sitting around, I would go out and spend a bit of time on the farm but there wasn’t obviously that much I could do while I was out there.
‘‘At times I thought about life after golf, but I have been very lucky to have some awesome sponsors, they cheered me up and kept me going,’’ he said.
Campbell is starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel and is getting back to his normal lifestyle. ‘‘I have only really been training the last three weeks, it’s been a lot of physio work, and obviously I have been out of the gym for a year and a half so I have lost a lot of muscle.’’
The South Pacific Open Championship – a PGA Tour of Australasia – is being played at Tine Golf Course. Campbell shot an eclectic opening round to finish one over for the day, an eagle and four birdies offset by three bogeys and two doubles.
Australian James Nitties led the early finishers at six-under, with Wellington professional Nick Gillespie two shots off the pace.