Golf: Campbell in talks to relax US Tour limit

LONDON - Michael Campbell will have talks with United States Tour officials this week in an effort to have a five-year restriction on competing more in America lifted.

Campbell was given a 10tournament a year restriction to the end of 2008 after failing to play the minimum of 15 events in 2003 when he sought to compete full-time on the US Tour.

Campbell walked out in May that year after a miserable 10-tournament run that included being disqualified from the Players Championship.

The US Tour responded by restricting him to play only 10 US Tour counting tournaments a year.

Among the 10 is the British Open and three World Golf Championship events, including this week's US$7.5 million ($11.5 million) American Express event at The Grove in London.

This week's tournament, despite also being on the European Tour, will be Campbell's 10th counting US Tour event of this year. He earned a five-year PGA Tour exemption last year with his stunning US Open success at Pinehurst but the restriction overrides that and means the New Zealander has had to decline invitations to compete regularly in the US.

"I want to get back to playing 15 if I can and I'm talking with PGA Tour representatives here this week," said Campbell.

"At the moment the restriction stays next year, and if I play in the President's Cup that would count as one of my 10."

It was last November when it first became known that Campbell was under a US Tour restriction.

"It's disappointing that I can't control my own schedule as I am a global player and it's like my hands are being tied," he said at the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai.

"I am sure there are sponsors in the United States who want the US Open champion in their field, but the rules are preventing me playing two or three I might like to."

Aside from the four majors this year and the two other world championships, Campbell's only US Tour events have been January's Mercedes Championship in Hawaii and then the Bay Hill Invitational and Players Championship, both in Florida in March.

Campbell will tee up in Europe this week for a last occasion this season and is quietly confident of gaining a first victory this year.

It is the seventh staging of the World Golf Championship event, first played in 1999 but with the 2001 event in St Louis cancelled following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US.

Campbell has missed all but the inaugural tournament and is returning to competition after the unsuccessful defence of his HSBC World Match-Play Championship at Wentworth.

He spent last week relaxing with his family and over the weekend he watched the European demolition of the US in the Ryder Cup.

"It was good to have a break last week as it's been a long season and the Match-Play was about my fifth week of travelling," he said.

"It's great for the European Tour and to think that over the last six years so many Americans have won majors yet they can't win the Ryder Cup."

Like the majority of the 63 players, Campbell has not previously played The Grove but he's hoping to be the one who finds the shortest route around the 6512m tree-lined layout.

"I definitely have a point to prove this week, mainly because it is the last big tournament of the year," he said.

"I haven't won this year so I would like to finish up my year in Europe by winning, so it's a week to hopefully perform well.

"I want to go away from Europe with a bang."

- NZPA