KEY POINTS:
Michael Campbell's indifferent form this season continued to snowball yesterday when he crashed out of the European Masters with rounds of 71 and 75.
The score left him with a four-over par tally on the Crans-sur-Sierre course in Switzerland. It is the eighth occasion in 22 European Tour events this season that the former US Open champion will not have played all four rounds.
However, Hamilton's Steve Alker remains in contention, with a second round 66 leaving him one-under for the tournament.
Campbell had moved into a share of second place at three-under par through 15 holes on day one but played the next 21 holes in four-over par. Thursday's round was spoilt by a double bogey on the 16th, while yesterday's round, played in superb conditions, was ruined when he posted a double bogey after finding a greenside water hazard at the ninth hole.
In a similar vein as day one, Campbell then proceeded to drop a shot straight after recording the double bogey.
Alker capped his round with a hat-trick of birdies from the sixth hole before holing a four-metre putt for eagle at the par-five 14th.
"I played very well and just managed to get on a roll after my birdie at the sixth," Alker said.
"Conditions were ideal for scoring in the morning and I just took full advantage.
"It's nice to have bounced back from missing the cut last week in Scotland and hopefully I can shoot two more sixty-sixes over the weekend."
England's Oliver Wilson heads the event by a shot on 11-under par from Welshman and defending champion Bradley Dredge. Australia's Brett Rumford is next best on eight-under par.
Italy's pint-sized Alessandro Tadini won himself a one kilogram gold ingot for an ace at the third and Hawaiian teenager, American Tadd Fujikawa, who stands just 152cm tall, was handed an Omega 'double eagle' watch after his double-eagle or albatross at the ninth.
Campbell's best results this year in Europe were achieved late in 2006 when he finished third in the Champions event in Shanghai and then joint second three weeks later in the New Zealand Open in events that counted on the 2007 European Tour international schedule. He began 2007 in January's Qatar Masters and finished 27th but then missed the cut in the Dubai Desert Classic and withdrew with injury from the final round of the following week's Malaysian Open.
Campbell's results since that event read - 33rd Accenture Match-Play Championship, 71st WGC CA Championship, missed cut US Masters, missed cut Irish Open, missed cut BMW PGA, 29th Wales Open, 58th US Open, 33rd French Open, 51st European Open, 57th British Open, missed cut Players Championship of Europe, 46th Bridgestone Invitational, missed cut US PGA Championship and 12th in the KLM Open.
Fortunately, Campbell's 46th place standing on the European Order of Merit has assured him a start in next week's German Masters in Cologne, in which just the top 60 on the money list are eligible to play.
