Golf: Campbell one shot off lead at St Andrews

ST ANDREWS, Scotland - Michael Campbell is set to bury the ghosts of his British Open past after moving to within one stroke of the lead on the second day of the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.

Campbell holed a six metre downhill putt on the final green of the Old Course at St. Andrews for a second successive round of a four under par 68 in the £3million ($8.49 million) pro-am event.

It moved the New Zealand golfer into a share of fourth place, on eight under par, and just behind the leading trio of England's David Howell and the Irish pair of Darren Clarke and Peter Lawrie.

Campbell is tied on eight under par with Denmark's Henrik Bjornstad and Scotland's Paul Lawrie, winner of the event two years ago when he holed a monster putt to deny Ernie Els victory.

Els, with a 65 at St. Andrews, remains well placed with six other players on seven under par.

Campbell recorded a similar four under par 68 a day earlier in testing conditions on the Carnoustie course, host venue for the 1999 British Open.

Campbell started his second round in overcast conditions and was certainly in a similar mood after missing half-metre putt for par at the first before dropping a further shot at the second.

"Missing that putt at the first really rocked me and that probably caused me to bogey the second," he said.

"But I settled down to birdie the third and after a bogey on the sixth, I finished off strongly with five birdies over the back nine."

Campbell then proceeded to birdie the 10th, 12th, 14th and 15th holes prior to a spectacular par putt at the Road Hole, 17th, that left amateur partner, Herb Kohler, gob-smacked.

Campbell's second shot stopped five metres short of the green and to the side of the infamous bunker that guards the green. He then showed all his class by running his ball around the top of the bunker, over a hump on the top of the bunker and bringing it to a halt less than a metre from the pin.

Campbell was due to be paired with All Black great, Zinzan Brooke, but at the last moment organisers asked him if he would partner, Kohler, the Chairman and CEO of Kohler Company, a world leader in kitchen and bathroom products.

Kohler's company also owns the Whistling Straits course in Wisconsin, host venue to next year's US PGA Championship and has already offered Campbell a room in the on-course hotel for next year's major.

He has been suitably impressed with Campbell and his play on the links of Carnoustie and St. Andrews.

"Michael is an absolute gentleman, a great teacher and I have never seen a better putt on the 17th as his putt today," said Kohler

"It was the most extraordinary putt I have ever seen with Michael having to work out the speed of his putt to first clear the bunker and then the hump on top of the bunker, and then to get it to stop just two feet from the hole was absolutely amazing.

"But isn't that what St. Andrews is all about and these two days in his company has been something else."

Campbell has paid many visits to St. Andrews since 1995 when he led the British Open heading to the final round but the mystique of the course and surrounds, along with memories of that Sunday afternoon eight years ago, still do not fail to move him.

"Every time you play your tee shot at the last hole it is always nice to walk those last few yards," said Campbell.

"There's the big huge clubhouse at the back of the green, the clock and the atmosphere of St. Andrews is just so electric.

"I always get a buzz thinking about what happened to me eight years ago and there is still spots on the course where I relive shots I played back then in 1995 both good ones and bad ones."

Kohler, who plays off a 19 handicap but has been slashed to 12 for the event, contributed on six holes to the team score of 17 under par that has them placed just two shots behind the leading pair of Denmark's Soren Hansen and former Dutch and Chelsea football superstar, Ruud Gullit.

The all Italian pair of professional, Emanuele Canonica and football great, Gianuluca Vialli, were also on 19 under par but Vialli has had to withdraw due to TV commitments in Italy over the weekend.

- NZPA