Home advantage aids Campbell
Put it down to a bit of local knowledge.
Ben Campbell utilised his familiarity with the Millbrook course to finish with a brilliant eagle, taking him to within a stroke of the lead after the opening round of the New Zealand Open in Queenstown yesterday.
“Lucky I’ve hit that one a few times, I knew it was just outside right, but it always looks like it will go a little bit more. I probably only hit it about half a foot outside of right,” Campbell said.
He’d just signed his card after shooting a 6-under 65 yesterday, leaving him a shot behind Australian leaders Matthew Griffin and Scott Hend in the $2 million tournament in Arrowtown.
On a day some of New Zealand’s form golfers faltered – Steven Alker shot an ugly 76 and Kazuma Kobori hit a sluggish 72 – unassuming Omokoroa pro Kieran Muir is a stroke back from Campbell and tied for 11th.
Muir, a two-time winner on the China tour, looked set to fly the New Zealand flag after holding a one-shot lead over Daniel Hillier, Josh Geary, Chang Gi Lee and amateur Zack Swanwick the majority of the afternoon.
However, after a day in which his patience was tested, Campbell got a familiar look on the final hole of the Coronet course and delivered.
“It was good to finally hole one there at the last. I probably had four, five putts just come up short,” he said.
“I stayed pretty patient, I was getting a bit frustrated through about 10 holes because I hadn’t made too much.”
A year after Campbell finished second, it leaves him nicely poised heading into day two, when an early morning tee time should come with calmer conditions when he and playing partner Michael Hendry, who is even par and tied for 107th, play the Remarkables.
Not only has Campbell played the Remarkables more than Coronet, it was the course which provided the hotter scoring yesterday.
That included the 7-under 64 shot by Griffin, the 40-year-old Victorian who held aloft the Brodie Breeze Trophy almost a decade ago.
“There’s just a few more birdie opportunities [at the Remarkables], it just sits down lower so maybe there is a little bit more wind up the top and there’s just some tougher shots up top [Coronet],“Griffin said.
“All the par fives are reachable on the Remarkables, so if your game is on song there’s some relatively easy birdies.”