Cambo revels in celebrity status

Michael Campbell is already enjoying celebrity status in the United States, being whisked through the streets of New York in a limousine yesterday to an appearance on the iconic late night Letterman show on American television.
The 36-year Wellington golfer was still coming to grips with his US Open victory at Pinehurst yesterday.
"It's unbelievable," he said about the victory and subsequent publicity.
"That means I can make the front page with the All Blacks."
Campbell said he was hoping to make it back home to New Zealand within a couple of months to celebrate his victory, worth $1.65 million, with his family and friends.
Sir Bob Charles, the only other New Zealander to win a golf major ? the British Open in 1963 ? said Campbell would be set up for life now.
"I won the championship early in my career and it set me up for the rest of my career, more or less." he said.
"For Michael it's a kind of a little later but he's set up for life. He won't have any further financial worries. He and his family are set for life and it's made a lot of things easier for him.
"Instead of having to pre-qualify as he did on the European Tour for this event and I must say it's quite a unique event in itself that a qualifier comes through and wins an event like this, it doesn't happen too often.
"He can now concentrate on the future with confidence and optimism."
"I'm very proud for they way he stood up to the pressure," Charles said
"I take my hat off to him, it was a wonderful win. He's been through the mill in recent years. Not long ago he was missing cut after cut, week after week. He always had a great golf swing. I've always acknowledged that he had one of the finest golf swings in the business. It's solid, it's compact, he does everything right. He's been going through a mental trauma in the recent years but there's no trauma this week.'
Campbell can now play the British Open at St Andrews next month without having to think about an opportunity that didn't come along for another 10 years.Wellington,
Campbell has jumped to 23rd from 80th in the world golf ranking after winning the US Open and said he still planned to play in the New Zealand Open early next year and would continue to play on the European Tour.
He said he would tee off at the European Open at the K Club in Ireland on June 30 and was hoping to match South African Retief Goosen, who won the last year's US Open and then the European Open at his next start.
Campbell's stunning success vaulted him 57 places up the world ranking and to the top of the European Tour Order of Merit with 1,328,074 euros ($2,293,340) in earnings this year and he can now virtually walk into any tournament in the world.
But he said he would continue doing things as he did previously, though a watching his victory on TV today stunned him
"I'll be doing the same old things. I'll still be myself and come over for the New Zealand Open if I can," he said yesterday.
"I'll be looking forward to coming home."
"But I was watching myself on TV this morning and I said 'who's that man?' I couldn't recognise myself. I looked a different person ? the way I walked, the way I was swinging ? I looked great on TV. And I said 'well, is that really me?' I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that I transformed myself into a golfing machine.
Campbell has however dropped one event.
He decided today to withdraw from this weekend's French Open. ? NZPA