| Berlin,
Germany, 6th August 1998 -
New Zealander Michael Campbell and Briton Paul Lawrie shared a one-shot lead together
with the defending champion, Ignacio Garrido and Frenchman Olivier Edmund in the
German Open at the Nick Faldo-designed Berlin Sporting Club on Thursday.
Only a frustrating double-bogey
on the last prevented Campbell taking top place outright as all four shot five-under-par
67s. They were
one stroke in front of England's Russell Claydon, but tournament favourite Bernhard
Langer finished well off the pace after a 74. Scotland's
Lawrie was first to lead, carding six birdies with one bogey. Campbell,
having collected seven birdies, slipped at the 18th by driving so deep into rough
he only found his ball with less than two minutes to spare of his allotted search
time of five minutes. The
Wellington man, who led the 1995 British Open at St Andrews after three rounds,
has had a lean spell since, suffering injury and loss of confidence. But
this year he has rebounded after regaining his Tour card and will stay on the
circuit next year. "Things
have got much better again after a bad time and I've ticked off two of the three
goals I wrote in a little diary at the start of the year," said Campbell,
whose wife Julie expects their first child in three weeks' time. "That
was to first make my card and then afford two weeks off while the baby is born.
Now my third goal is to finish top-50 and get into the big one at the end of the
year, the Volvo Masters." Campbell
praised Faldo's new layout just outside Berlin as the "best course I have
ever, ever, played and I've played a few good ones". He
also commended Welshman Mark Mouland, whose higher loft of putter he switched
to in order to line up better. The consequence was only 27 putts. | 
