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SHANGHAI - Inspired by the All Blacks' win over France yesterday, Michael Campbell cut a swathe though the HSBC Champions field in Shanghai with a course record-equalling 64 to jump from 19th to finish joint-third.
A poor third-round 77 cost the New Zealander a chance of upsetting eventual winner Yong-Eun Yang, of Korea, who shocked his more fancied rivals, including world No 1 Tiger Woods, to win the €655,883 ($1,287,560) first prize.
Yang, 34, overhauled overnight leader Retief Goosen of South Africa, shot a final day 69 and finished on 14-under 274, two shots ahead of Woods. Campbell and Goosen were a further shot back.
Woods, looking to capture a seventh straight strokeplay victory, stalled before making three straight birdies in carding a 67 to secure second place outright on 12 under.
Campbell finished nearly an hour ahead of Yang at the Sheshan course field to emerge from a third-round share of 19th place to seal a top-three finish with a flawless round.
His 64 matched the record rounds of Tiger Woods and Sweden's Henrik Stenson in the $US5 million ($7.61 million) event.
Campbell will surely regret his third-round effort, which included 10 bogeys and half as many birdies, which spoilt his hopes of ending a 13-month win-less drought.
He said: "Today was a totally different day to yesterday and I just went out there and had a good time and made some birdies," Campbell said.
"It was simple, just think positive. I was so unlucky on a lot of occasions during the third round, like getting a swirling wind, getting some bad lies, and so on.
"I seemed to have all my bad luck on one day.
"But today I just hit the ball great, found the greens in regulation and saw the putts go in - and if you go out there with positive thoughts it is always going to help you.
"I was not going to dwell on one poor round."
Campbell, dressed in black, said his low round was inspired by the All Blacks' demolition of France in Lyon.
"I was inspired by the score and it was great to see the boys continuing to perform in Europe so well," he said.
"As for wearing all black, it just seems that when I get to the last round and all that is left in my suitcase is black attire," he smiled.
Campbell's share of third in Shanghai has seen him start superbly in the first event of the 2007 European Tour international schedule. He said his target was to get high up in the Order of Merit.
"The good thing is that all four events - Shanghai, Hong Kong, the Mastercard Masters in Melbourne and the New Zealand Open - are all co-sanctioned with Europe," he said.
Campbell is remaining in China to compete in the two-day Goodwill Cup at the Mission Hills Club in Shenzan, just across the border from Hong Kong.
The inaugural event features a Europe and US side competing against a Rest of the World team.
Campbell's Rest of the World side will be captained by Goosen.
Both players will then cross into Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Open, which starts on Thursday.
- NZPA
