Injury puts gun golfer's future on hold

Ace Masterton golfer Ben Campbell is "gutted" at a hand injury stopping him from making his debut for the New Zealand senior men's team at the Southern Cross tournament in Taupo this week.
Not only that, it's also meant he has withdrawn from the New Zealand open men's amateur stroke play and match play championships to be held at the Titirangi and Remeura courses in Auckland from April 21 to 28.
And it could delay a trip to the United States, which Campbell had planned for early June with the idea of playing in at least five major amateur tournaments there.
Campbell, 17, suffered the injury during first-round play at the North Island stroke play championships held at the Muriwai course in Auckland last Tuesday.
He struck a root while playing out of long grass on the second hole and immediately felt a severe pain going through his right hand and into the wrist area.
Campbell's immediate reaction was to battle on in the hope it was nothing too serious but 10 holes later he was playing out of long grass again and the pain then was so sharp he had little alternative but to call it a day.
"I didn't want to quit but, honestly, there was no way I could carry on," Campbell said.
"I didn't know what it was or how bad it was and I didn't want to risk making it any worse."
At that stage, however, Campbell remained optimistic of the recovery process being quick enough to allow him to make his first appearance for then New Zealand senior men's team in the Southern Cross tourney, which also involves amateur sides from Argentina, Australia and South Africa.
He travelled to Taupo for a practice session but it didn't take him long to realise the injury had not improved to any great extent.
"I hit about 20 balls and I knew I was in trouble but I told myself to toughen up and keep going ... 10 balls later and it was all over," Campbell said.
"It was gutting but that was it, no way could I play."
Just how bad the injury is should be known this Friday when it is assessed by a doctor and physiotherapist at the Adidas Medical Centre in Auckland..
It has been suggested to Campbell the pain could be caused by him spraining a tendon in his hand but because the soreness is centred around the wrist area the main damage could be there too.
Whatever the problem, however, the national amateur championships in Auckland next week are already off his itinerary and the timing of his United States trip may have to be adjusted by a few weeks, something which doesn't particularly worry him as the tournament season there runs from June through to August
While in the States Campbell also intends to visit several universities with an eye to perhaps picking up a golfing scholarship at one of them, something which he believes would give him valuable experience before he looks to join the professional ranks.
And while on the subject of the professional circuit Campbell has, not surprisingly, been taking special interest in the dealings which have seen New Zealand's Danny Lee reputedly signing a contract worth US$10 million with IMG.
It was Lee who Campbell beat in a neck-and-neck finish to the national under-23 stroke play title last year, a victory which was later followed by Campbell winning the Aaron Baddeley junior international tournament in China by all of 12 strokes and being unbeaten in singles play for the New Zealand junior men's team in their annual transtasman clash with Australia.