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Campbell
defends title with 64
Michael Campbell
has successfully defended his Heineken Classic title at the Vines,
running away with the trophy for the second year in succession after
firing the round of the tournament on the final day.
Campbell finished on 18-under-par with a 64, to win by five strokes
from fellow Kiwi David Smail (66) - who continued his hot recent run
- and six from playing partner and overnight leader Nick O’Hern (72).
Local and 1999 champion Jarrod Moseley (67), Steen Tinning (70), Paul
Devenport (69) and Dean Robertson (70) tied for fourth on minus 11,
while Ian Garbutt (68), Thomas Bjorn (69) and Swede Robert Karlsson
(70) shared eighth another shot back.
With O’Hern holding up well two clear after five, the West Aussie
struck trouble at the sixth hole. His tee shot went left, he then
found a bunker, came up short of the green with his third, hit through
the green with his fourth shot, took one to get onto the green and
then three-putted.
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Michael
Campbell holds aloft the Heineken Classic trophy for the second
time. Allsport.
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When Campbell added
another birdie at seven, the margin had gone from two in O’Hern’s
favour after five to three Campbell’s way after seven, and the Kiwi
pulled away from the field with another run of four birdies in five
holes from nine to 13.
O’Hern kept chipping away with birdies of his own at 10 and 12, and
seemingly running out of holes, birdied the 15th as Campbell dropped
a shot with a bogey to reduce the margin to three with as many to
play.
But Campbell steadied brilliantly, holing his birdie putt from six
metres on the 16th after watching O’Hern slide his own birdie attempt
past the cup, and then parred 17, after O’Hern bogeyed it.
O’Hern parred the last for outright third, his birdie putt for a share
of second stopping right next to the hole, before Campbell stepped
up and holed out for his birdie, his second straight Heineken Classic,
and his final round 64.
Earlier in the day, O’Hern hit a brilliant approach to the first green
to within a couple of metres, while Campbell sent his off the back
of the green. After chipping up, Campbell two-putted, while O’Hern
made no mistake with his birdie putt.
Suddenly four behind, Campbell hit a purple patch to birdie the second,
third and fourth holes as his playing partner only managed pars, before
Campbell looked to be in trouble again at the fifth.
O’Hern found the green in two, for an eventual birdie, while Campbell
flew the green again, but this time holed a testing par putt to keep
the margin to just two after five. But then O’Hern’s disaster struck.
Smail, who won both his previous starts this season, at the NZ Open
and Canon Challenge, bogeyed the second before birdieing four, eight
and 10, and eagling nine to push for a third title in as many events.
A bogey at 11 looked set cost him the momentum he had been building,
but he made it a third fine finish in as many weeks with his fourth
birdie for the day at the 16th and an eagle at the last to finish
with his second successive 66.
Moseley opened his round with six straight pars after starting the
day six-under, but a birdie at seven, and four in a row from the 10th,
brought him right into calculations, before he bogeyed the 13th, birdied
16, bogeyed 17 and birdied the last.
Swedes Henrik Nystrom (68) and Fredrik Jacobson (69), Kiwi Greg Turner
(72) and Queenslander Kenny Druce (72) and NSW’s Peter Lonard (75)
tied for 11th on six-under, a stroke ahead of Brett Rumford (70),
Craig Parry (74) and Greg Norman (74) who were 16th.
Dane Soren Hansen (68), Australia’s Nathan Green (70), Englishman
David Carter (70) and Welshman Phillip Price (70) were joint 19th
on minus four, while Chris Hanell (69), Scott Gardiner (71) and Justin
Rose (72) were among those 23rd another shot back.
Scott Laycock (71) and John Wade (73) shared 32nd place on two-under,
Lucas Parsons (72) and Wayne Smith (73) were among those 34th on minus
one, and several players finished 39th on level par, including Richard
Green (69), Michael Long (72) and Andre Stolz (74).
Tied seventh overnight with Norman, Smail and Parry, South African
Roger Wessels was disqualified for a mistake he made on the 18th green
yesterday, an alert spectator bringing the error to the attention
of officials.
Wessels shifted his ball marker a club length sideways on the last
green, and then, without remembering to replace it in its original
position, putted out despite the fan trying to inform him before he
did so.
Drawn to play alongside Norman, Wessels elected not to return, and
instead his place was taken by young Aussie Adam Scott, who acted
as the Shark’s non-scoring marker.
James McLean, who started the day in last place courtesy of yesterday’s
demoralising 86, bounced back today with a quickfire 71, getting around
the course in less than two-and-a-half hours.
He still finished last, but was joined there by Americans Charles
Howell (78) and Robert Floyd (79) and South Australian Justin Cooper,
who slumped to an 84 that contained a birdie, six bogeys, a pair of
double bogeys and a triple bogey.
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