Uncharted territory for Chad Campbell

Chad Campbell found himself in uncharted territory on Saturday, tied for the lead with fellow American Shaun Micheel after the third round of the U.S. PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

Campbell, 29, without a win on the PGA Tour, is in only his second season on the circuit and the eighth major of his career.

He missed the cut in five majors before breaking through at this year's U.S. Open, finishing in a tie for 35th place. He then followed up by sharing 15th spot in the British Open.

Campbell was 81st on the 2002 money list and the only time he has led after 54 holes was at the 2001 Southern Farm Bureau Classic. He eventually finished second behind Cameron Beckman.

"I didn't feel like I played that well last year but it gave me a little bit of success," Campbell told reporters after firing a five-under-par 65 for a total of 206, four under.

"It gave me a lot of confidence coming into this year and I felt really comfortable for the entire year."

Campbell has had five top-10s in 2003, including second place finishes at the Chrysler Classic of Tucson and the Honda Classic.

This week he has been a model of consistency, hitting 76.2 percent of fairways, second in the field behind South African Tim Clark, and ranking first in greens in regulation, hitting 79.6 percent.

If Campbell has had a let-down it has been with his putter. He is ranked 49th in the field with 30.3 putts per round, but his 35-foot birdie effort on the 18th made up for any perceived woes.

"That was huge," Campbell said of his 35-footer. "I had quite a few putts today that I didn't take advantage of, like 10, 12, 13.

"I had some putts that were definitely makeable. It was nice to get a few in at the end and kind of make up for that."

Campbell could follow in the footsteps of Ben Curtis, who had never won on the PGA Tour before lifting the British Open trophy last month.

He also has history on his side. The U.S. PGA Championship has had 44 first-time major champions and six have made this their first win on the tour, the last being John Daly in 1991.

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