Golf: Campbell one shot from win

New Zealand's Michael Campbell missed winning the Lancome Trophy golf tournament in Paris by one shot yesterday.

The European PGA tournament was captured by South Africa's Retief Goosen with a four round 271.

Campbell earned 69,480 pounds ($NZ236,326) for sharing second place with Darren Clarke after shooting 72-68-65-67 for a 12 under 272.

US Masters champion Vijay Singh was a further stroke back alongside overnight leader Alex Cejka of Germany.

Cejka's overnight two-shot lead disappeared at the first when he became the third such leader in this event (the others were Roger Wessels and Nick O'Hern) to take a double-bogey six on the openbing hole.

The German fought back well with a birdie on the fifth and eagle on the sixth to stay in the hunt. But Goosen pulled clear with birdies of his own on the fourth, fifth, sixth, eighth, 10th and 11th and could afford to three-putt the last for victory.

Ulsterman Clarke carded a 68 after birdies at the 16th and 17th and increased his lead at the top of the Order of Merit.

Campbell went one better with a 67 after matching Clarke's birdies at 16 and 17, while Cejka could manage only a 71.

The New Zealander looked in excellent form just four weeks out from the international Dunhill Cup teams events in St Andrews.

Greg Turner and US-based Grant Waite are other members of the New Zealand team for the October 12-15 1 million pound ($NZ3.4 million) tournament.

- NZPA