US Open: second chances
What’s great about Michael Campbell’s U.S. Open victory was that golf gave the then- 80th ranked player in the world a second chance after injuries and years of doubt — and Michael seized the opportunity.
In 2000, Michael was a golfer on the rise, winning 3 tournaments on the European tour before heading into the Accenture Match Play tournament, where he faced none other than Tiger Woods in the first round. The “hype” swirling around that matchup proved to be bigger than what happened. As I recall, Tiger won easily. And perhaps the strangest thing I remember about the match: Michael was attired in Nike golf hat and gear, which looked remarkably similar to Tiger Woods that day. The next year, Tiger beat Campbell again in the final round at the 2001 Deutsche Bank-SAP Open. In 2002, Michael finished 2nd to Tiger at the Bay Hill Invitational. Of that event, Michael said: “I’ve been in awe of players like Tiger Woods for so long, I just seem to tense up when I play over here.”
Well, yesterday, Michael put to bed some of his past demons. It will be nice to see his career in the next stage: Major champion winner. Michael’s now 23rd in the world ranking with his victory. For more about “Cambo,” visit his website — which we’ll soon include under our “Hot shot” links. The New Zealand Herald also has a nice write-up about Michael today.
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