Michael Campbell of New
Zealand, who won four times on the European and Australasian tours earlier this
year, was offered a special exemption today to play in the U.S. Open.
Campbell won the Johnnie
Walker Classic in Taiwan in November, then captured the New Zealand Open, the
Heineken Classic in Perth, Australia and the Ericcson Masters in Melbourne, Australia
earlier this year.
Campbell is the sixth player
to get a special exemption from the USGA, meaning he will not have to qualify.
The others were Jack Nicklaus, Curtis Strange, Tom Watson, Greg Norman, and amateur
Aaron Baddeley, the 1999 Australian Open champion.
It will be the first U.S.
Open for Campbell, who is No. 48 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He first
gained notoriety in 1995 for leading after 54 holes in the British Open at St.
Andrews, finishing third behind John Daly and Costantino Rocca.
That brings to 70 the number
of players who do not have to qualify for the 100th U.S. Open, to be played June
15-18 at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Five others can avoid the
final stage of qualifying next week by winning the Kemper Open -- Olin Browne,
Rich Beem, Brad Faxon, Kirk Triplett, and Robert Allenby. A victory this week
would be their second on the PGA Tour since April 28, 1999.
