Golf: Michael Campbell responds to being called most underwhelming US Open winner

Michael Campbell reacts after winning the 105th U.S. Open. Gary Brittain/ Icon SMI / Photosport

Kiwi golf legend Michael Campbell has finally taken revenge on the publication which dissed his 2005 US Open victory.

Campbell produced among golf's most stunning upsets when he held off Tiger Woods to win one of golf's prized major titles.

But two years ago, E. Michael Johnson - the equipment editor for Golf Digest - parked Campbell at number one in his list of the most "underwhelming US Open winners in history". Golf Digest tweeted out the story again ahead of this year's US Open at Winged Foot this week.

Campbell responded with a photo of the trophy with a handwritten sign on it saying "2005 underwhelmed US Open Trophy."

Just made a few adjustments to the trophy to correlate with this underwhelming story. @usopengolf #golf @PinehurstResort pic.twitter.com/Lq2WR375zR

— Michael Campbell (@MCampbellgolf) September 13, 2020

After a lovely meal and a few drinks the “2005 underwhelmed US Open trophy” really opened up to me and said, Michael, I don’t care what people say you are the one for me. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/0CnCGk0cd6

— Michael Campbell (@MCampbellgolf) September 13, 2020

"Just made a few adjustments to the trophy to correlate with this underwhelming story," he wrote.

Johnson had highlighted Campbell's lack of success before and after the tournament at Pinehurst, the US Open being the Wellingtonian's solitary PGA triumph.

Further to that, he damned the effort with faint praise, claiming Campbell won "via good play of his own and collapse by others".

There was no mention of the legendary Woods being the man trying to chase Campbell down.

Campbell got plenty of support from his Twitter followers, with one saying: "I'd rather be an underwhelmed US Open champion that just underwhelmed any day".

🤣🤣🤣 such an average ball striker too. God knows how you won that thing! 🤣🤣🤣

— Lee Westwood (@WestwoodLee) September 13, 2020

Nice one Cambo 😂😂😂, wasn't like you beat a strong field 😲.

— Ross Fisher (@RossFisher) September 13, 2020

But another reckoned he did find it underwhelming "because I stood to win a considerable amount of money if (Retief) Goosen had won".