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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 16, 2006

Michael Campbell

MEDINAH, ILLINOIS

KELLY ELBIN: Michael Campbell, ladies and gentlemen. Michael is playing in his ninth PGA Championship, tied for fifth at Baltusrol in the 2005 PGA Championship and of course the 2005 U.S. Open Champion.

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: I think the golf course is in great conditions. I can see now why we come back here every time for U.S. Opens and PGAs. Just a fine piece of work out there and a pleasure to play. The golf course itself is magnificent. I think the guys are ready to go out there and play now. It's been our third day practice round and everyone is ready to go. It's going to be fun the next four days.

Q. What are your confidence levels at the moment? Do you go into one of these things thinking, telling yourself, "I'm a Major Champion, I'm going to find my game this week"?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Yeah I think so. Once you've won a big one like I did last year at Pinehurst, the expectations are always very, very high. Obviously mine is very high for this week as well.

It's been a rocky road since I won last year, but I've got my mindset sorted out, I think. I've been trying too hard the last 12 months or so to win another major. Just trying to put too much pressure on myself to go out there and win my second one. You look at all of the previous multi winners of major championships, it takes a bit of time, apart from maybe Tiger, it takes a bit of time to get used to the different environment, different expectations from the media, from myself, from the public. Looking forward to playing this week obviously and I'm looking forward to playing next year as well, all of the major championships.

I finally found a solution to fix this problem. I'm going out there trying not to expect too much. Just trying too hard I think is the thing.

Q. Putting pressure on yourself, to what extent does Tiger put pressure on you all?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Well, obviously the way he's been playing right now, he's always a threat. His form is second to none. I think Earl passing away two or three months ago has empowered him a lot as a player. It's been an amazing accomplishment to succeed so quickly after his father passing away. I can see him getting even better and better as each year goes on.

Q. Along those lines, when you won at Pinehurst last year, maybe your expectations weren't as high as they are now. I posed this question to Tiger yesterday. Is it easier in some ways for a guy to play well against him in the final round of a major when their expectations are not high, as opposed to guys that are second in the world, third in the world, fourth in the world, who are supposed to be his main challengers?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: I think so. To give a proper scenario, last year, no one expected me to win last year at all. It was all about Tiger winning I think three in a row. So it put pressure on Tiger a lot. And every time I have a chance to win, he's up there amongst the leaders, all of the pressure is on him, not me, so it makes my job a little bit easier to go out there and play. The prime example of that was last year.

The expectations of Phil, for example, must be very high to knock Tiger off his pedestal. He's playing great right now. They're both playing great. They're paired together tomorrow and the next day on Friday. So it's going to be a great spectacle I think for all of us really and to see these two best players in the world fight it out in the next four days.

Q. You can't speak for other players, but could you see why it can be difficult for Ernie or Sergio when they are paired with him in the final on the weekend of a major to have difficulty overcoming playing with him or playing against him?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Every player is different. Every time I play with Tiger, it really makes me play better. Playing with one of the best players in the world makes me play better. Ernie, Sergio, Retief, I'm not sure how they will react. Everyone reacts differently playing with Tiger. But for me, I'm very, very comfortable. It all depends on the individual.

Q. You're talking about this fascinating spectacle, Woods and Mickelson playing together. What do you think will happen? Where do you think they will be at the end of two rounds?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Pretty close together. I think Phil and Tiger will be very close together. They will pull each other along, drag each other along in their slipstreams. And Geoff, also, he's obviously done great this year. He'll be up there, too. He's a great ball striker and he has every chance to do as well as the other two.

Q. When we come back here, we think of Sergio and the impact that he made here in '99. You've played with him a fair amount over the years. What do you think about his promise and what's kept him back from winning his first major?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Ask him himself, but my personal opinion about Sergio is himself. He's the only person that controls his own destiny. He's held himself back, no one else has. If he just finds the secret formula or the x factor, I'm sure he will win one, or more than one major championship.

He's a good enough player, no question. He's got a wonderful game. We enjoy watching Sergio. He's very colorful to play with and watch on TV. What he did seven years ago was great for the game of golf. He's proven to not only us here today in this room, but around the world, that he can win a major. It's up to him really. One day the pendulum will drop and he will definitely win one.

Q. This year you played a fairly limited schedule of events. Do you think that's hurt your performances and keeping you out of the thick of it, and what are your plans for next year regarding schedule?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Yeah, I think I lost a little momentum. I played Mercedes at the start of this year and had a fourth or fifth, and the momentum was carried on from last year. Then I took six or seven weeks I took off and in March I came back over for Bay Hill and TPC, those weeks. I broke up the pattern, you could say, or broke up the momentum a little bit, which is probably the wrong thing to do, but I actually needed a break from the game of golf.

I actually wanted to keep on playing throughout January and February but my mind and my body wouldn't let me. I just told myself to come back and take some time off and play less. It didn't work out this year so far, but the game of golf can change quickly and I could have a good week this week and win my second major. A whole week can change a year, and I've got another seven, eight tournaments left this year, so hopefully this will be the start of it.

Q. Saturday night, the All Blacks, score prediction?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Come on, Mate, you can even ask that question? It will be All Blacks by at least 20.

Q. Would you comment on the course conditions and the length of the course?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: I played it twice now, and the locker room talk you can say is all positive. I mean, the greens are a little bit soft for a major championship, but come the weekend, I'm sure it will be pretty firm by then. Everything about it is fantastic. I have no complaints. The greens are a good pace, not too fast. But my only maybe point I might make about it, the greens are a little bit soft right now. I'm sure by the weekend, they will be a little bit firmer.

Yeah, the guys really enjoy playing this golf course. The length is very, very fair. I believe it's one of the longest we're playing ever, golf course.

KELLY ELBIN: It is in a major championship.

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: It's going to benefit the longer hitters but also the straight hitters, too. One thing you have to do is hit it straight because, again, the rough is very, very penal.

Q. Every major has its own personality. How would you say is the PGA set apart from the Masters and the U.S. Open?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: I think it's the atmosphere. That's one thing I've really noticed over the last, you know, five times or six times I've played this tournament is the atmosphere. It's the last one. It's the last major of the year and everyone is gearing up for it. We've tried three times already to win a major this year, and obviously there's been three guys who have won. It's our last one. It's not as intense as say the first major like Augusta. This is one thing that I realized over the years is that this is our last straw to get into the Grand Slam, you could say. After playing the Grand Slam last year, I definitely want to go back to play again this year. So this is my last attempt.

KELLY ELBIN: Any particular holes stand out at Medinah as a key to a good round?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: I think the one thing that really stands out is the par 3s. The 13th, for example, is a long par 3. I hit even a 3 wood down there, and it's a very, very long par 3. 17 is a very tricky 7 iron, the penultimate hole, you have 4 or 5 iron in there, so it's a really tough finishing hole on 17. So I think in my mind, the back nine there, you've got 13 and 17, the holes are very, very challenging. Those two holes I believe could turn around the Championship quite easily.

KELLY ELBIN: Michael Campbell, thank you very much.

End of FastScripts.

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