KEY POINTS:
New Zealand golfer Michael Campbell emerged with his worst score in three years to plummet to the tail of the field on the second day of the Australian Masters in Melbourne yesterday.
Campbell carded a horror round of a 12-over 84 for an 11-over tally on the Huntingdale course to miss the halfway cut in a tournament he won in 2000.
Campbell's round included a pair of triple bogeys, a double bogey, five bogeys and one birdie.
It's Campbell's worst European Tour score since a final round 86 in the 2004 Heritage event at Woburn in England.
Leading the tournament is Australia's Robert Allenby. Yesterday he shot four under to go nine under for the tournament, a shot clear of countryman Aaron Baddeley.
Campbell had arrived at Huntingdale this week looking to end more than a two-year winless drought since claiming the 2005 HSBC World Match-Play Championship.
He's no stranger to the famed "Sandbelt" course having won the Masters seven years ago and he ignited hopes of being fitted with a second gold jacket when he moved to within a stroke of the lead with four holes to play yesterday.
But it all began to turn sour for the former US Open champion when he double bogeyed the 18th.
He started yesterday's round of the co-sanctioned event with four straight pars before back-to-back bogeys at his fifth and sixth holes.
But Campbell then double-bogeyed his seventh hole after going out-of-bounds with his drive before eventually making the turn in 41 and five over par.
As of another bogey on the 12th wasn't bad enough, he triple bogeyed the 14th and 16th holes.
Campbell eventually ended his round with a birdie on the 17th and then a bogey for 84 and a share of second-last place on 11-under.
Waiting for him as he walked from the course was wife Julie and a gob-smacked coach Jonathon Yarwood.
England's New Zealand Open-bound Simon Khan played in Campbell's company over the first two rounds and was amazed with the New Zealander's demise.
"You always feel for a fellow player when he is playing poorly and Michael was playing very poorly," said Khan after carding a 69 for a level par tally.
"It's a very strange game we play because here he was at four under par with a couple of holes to play yesterday and for all intentions looking to finish either tied for the lead or out in front by himself.
"But the double he took yesterday on 18 really rocked him and he just didn't seem to recover to today because he was bleeding a lot out there."
"But then we all know how good a player Michael is and I'm sure it's only a matter of time before we'll see him winning again."
Gareth Paddison also joined Campbell for the weekend off after rounds of 75 and 74.
The best of the New Zealanders was Josh Carmichael, who shot a two-under 70 for a two-round total of 142 to be equal 19th. Michael Long was a shot back with a 74 today for a share of 26th and Mahal Pearce has a two-round 145 for a share of 49th.
- NZPA
