KEY POINTS:
CARNOUSTIE, Scotland - Michael Campbell has slipped outside the top-100 on the world rankings for the first time in more than seven years.
After finishing near the tail of the field in last week's European Open in Ireland, Campbell has dropped to 101st on the latest world rankings released in London on Monday (UK time).
It is the first occasion since late January 2000 when Campbell jumped from 108th to 67th on the rankings courtesy of his four-stroke victory in the European and Australasian Tour co-sanctioned Heineken Classic at the Vines course in Perth.
Campbell had won the Johnnie Walker Classic in Taiwan two months earlier in November 1999 to rise from a lowly 364th place on the rankings to 108th.
Since his win in Australia, Campbell has managed to keep himself among the top-100 in the world with six other successes highlighted in June 2005 when he brilliantly captured the US Open championship.
The victory at Pinehurst saw Campbell rise to 23rd in the world.
But his form in recent months has declined despite Campbell making the halfway cut in his last four events.
However, those results have been well off the winning pace with Campbell placed 29th in the Wales Open, 58th in the US Open, 33rd in the French Open and 51st last week in Ireland behind Colin Montgomerie who ended a 19-month winless drought.
In contrast to Montgomerie, it's now 20 months since Campbell last tasted success and that was the 2005 HSBC World Match-Play Championship.
Meanwhile, Steve Alker has his work cut-off if he is to join Michael Campbell in next week's British Open after carding a level par 70 on the first day of a two-day 36-hole Final Qualifier at the Panmure course in east Scotland.
Alker ended the day four shots from the lead but in a share of 13th place among a field of 96 and with only the top three qualifying for next week's 136th British Open at the nearby Carnoustie course.
A total of 384 players are competing on four courses.
Alker started brilliantly to be three-under par after just two holes when he holed a six-metre birdie putt at the first and then landed his second shot on the green at the par five second and sank a 10-metre eagle putt.
But it proved the highpoint of the 35-year old Hamilton-born golfer's round with Alker then bogeying the third, sixth holes and 11th holes before proceeding to birdie the 14th but also dropping a shot at the next.
"This is the first time I have put myself through Final Qualifying since 1998 when I qualified for the British Open at Royal Birkdale," said Alker.
"It was a great start to my round and I could not have asked for anything better but I then missed a fairway at the third and from there on in there wasn't much to write home about.
"The last four weeks have been pretty much a stop and start affair as I didn't get into the BMW International Open in Munich nor the French Open while I was the last one in last week's European Open.
"But then two 74s in Ireland didn't do me any good only that it allowed me a practice round here at Panmure.
"I'm now going to go over to Carnoustie to have a look around the course and hopefully if I can shoot a real low one tomorrow I might just again qualify for next week."
- NZPA
