	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

QUINN DIRECT BRITISH MASTERS

May 12, 2006

Michael Campbell

WISHAW, ENGLAND

RODDY WILLIAMS: A bit more of a struggle today perhaps both with the cold and the conditions out there?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Yeah, I think today was a reflection on not playing much at all. I hit a few stray shots today. Cost me a few bogeys here and there. Besides that, it's nice to go out and play a B game the last couple of days and still have a chance to win.

There's a long way to go to work on my game I think to win this tournament, and I know I'm going in the right direction. I've got my coach here this week, so it's going to be a very exciting two days.

RODDY WILLIAMS: Were you expecting to be in this strong of a position after two days, after having such a long break?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Not really, no. I'm really surprised to be honest. I think my last round of golf was Augusta a month ago, and then the next time I played golf was Monday this week. So I didn't touch a golf club. Closest I think I came to a golf course with a mini putt.

Q. When you were in Australia?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: In Sydney, yeah. Beat me, too.

RODDY WILLIAMS: Ironic with you and Padraig playing again at The Belfry after the scorecard incident a few years ago. Can you just elaborate on how you felt at the time a few years ago?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Obviously Padraig and I are pretty good mates and I felt a lot of blame for it. I had his card and passed it onto Jamie Spence. He signed it, it was actually Padraig's card and that's how the confusion went. Padraig thought that signature on the card was his, but it was Jamie Spence, and Jamie Spence's signature and not him; so he was disqualified after three rounds.

I remember standing on the 12th tee and Padraig was like six ahead, seven ahead, or was miles ahead of the field and all of a sudden I see the guy take down his name from the leaderboard and thinking, this is not right. They came out and told me.

Obviously time heals and it's been five, six years ago, whatever it was. It's quite funny, we can laugh at it now. We can laugh it quite easily now. On the first tee yesterday, said to me, "Michael, here's my card, do a proper job this time."

So you can look back now and just laugh about it. But six years ago, it was pretty grim.

Q. Does being US Open champion add to your fear factor when contending?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: I would say more so the other players. Knowing that I've won a major, knowing that I've won the World Match Play and they see my name up there would make them think twice I think. That's one thing I've noticed over the last 12 months. You know, I look at the leaderboard I think Poulter is up there. He is a very good player certainly. So every time we go into a weekend when you look at the leaderboard and see a little check next to the guy who is a threat and a cross from the guy who isn't

Q. You think other players look at you and think he is a threat?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Yeah, well, I would say so. With my record on The European Tour, I've won I think six times here, seven times here and won under the toughest conditions you'd ever come across. You would think logically my other peers would think that, as me being a threat to the weekend, which is kind of nice, nice for the ego. It's nice, really empowers me, too, I think, to have that feeling of looking at me as a major front runner for this event.

Q. Is Padraig still in the mix?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Yeah, at 3 under, he's right up there, and he's a threat to this weekend. Look at Darren Clarke, obviously, Paul Casey. They are all fine players, great players. So once again, a tussle between the European's best, that's why we come here, that's why we play, to compete against the best players in the world, and I believe we've got some great players here. Hopefully I'll be in amongst the leaders on Sunday.

Q. Did you think a 64 was possible out there today?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Watching Padraig could have easily been 64 for Padraig, absolutely. The greens are getting a little bit rough now because of all the traffic, so the guys in the afternoon will find it a little bit hard. But today, Padraig was a great display of golf, Padraig Harrington could easily have been a 64, 63 for him.

RODDY WILLIAMS: Michael, thanks very much. Play well over the weekend.

End of FastScripts.

About ASAP Sports • FastScripts Archive • Recent Interviews • Captioning • Upcoming Events • Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297