| Berlin,
Germany, 7th August 1998 -
New Zealander
Michael Campbell continued his recovery from a three-year slump by pulling two
shots clear of the field at the halfway stage of the German Open at the Berlin
Sporting Club on Friday. Campbell's
two-under-par 70 to move to 137, seven under par, put him in sight of his first
victory on the European Tour. It
took him two strokes in front of defending champion Ignacio Garrido of Spain
and two new names on the leaderboard, England's Van Phillips and Scott Henderson
of Scotland. The
other two players with whom Campbell and Garrido shared the lead on day one, Frenchman
Olivier Edmond and Scot Paul Lawrie, are a further stroke back on 140 with Japan's
Katsuyoshi Tomori. Tournament
favourite Bernhard Langer, like Garrido warming up for next week's final
major the U.S. PGA, struggled to a 71 for 145. Campbell
has struggled for three years since leading the British Open at St Andrews going
into the last round before finishing tied third and taking fifth place on the
1995 European money list. He
lost his tour card through a mixture of injury and loss of confidence but now
fit again he is proving he is back after regaining the card at last year's tour
school. Camapbell
shrugged off two early bogeys, his first a three-putt from only 10 feet, to take
over on top with four birdies in five holes around the turn. "That
three-putt from nowhere really set me back on my heels," admitted Campbell,
"and even more so when I hit through the green for another bogey soon after.
"But I
knew I was playing well so it didn't upset my rhythm. It's a nice feeling to start
playing well again and being in front as I was three years ago. "And
this time I feel comfortable. A few weeks ago when I led with Sam Torrance
in the French Open I wasn't comfortable, probably because I hadn't been leading
for such a long time. The
young New Zealander is now ready to tick off another goal in his diary, that of
winning his first European title. He
has achieved two by ensuring his playing card for next year and earning enough
to allow him to take two weeks off after this event while wife Julie has their
first child. Garrido
came back from a poor patch with three birdies in the last five holes.
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