Golf: Eagle earns Campbell champagne

Michael Campbell

MERIDEN, England - Michael Campbell won himself a magnum of champagne but he would rather settle for a victory toast after a superb end to his second round of the British Masters

Campbell again rekindled the form that has earned him six European Tour wins by eagling the 17th and birding the final hole on the Forest of Arden course near Coventry in England.

The 34-year-old Wellington golfer ended with a round of 70 to finish on one under par in an event dominated by wind that has now lashed the rural Warwickshire course for a second day running.

England's Brian Davis heads the £1.7 million ($4.47 million) event on four under par and one stroke clear of three players -- the Danish duo of Thomas Bjorn and Soren Hansen along with England Ryder Cup star, David Howell.

Campbell and local hero, Steve Webster, winner of last week's Italian Open, are next best on one under par.

Just six players, among them Campbell, Webster, Bjorn, Hansen and Sweden's Henrik Stenson managed to break par while more than 25 players, including former British Open and US Masters champion, Sandy Lyle of Scotland, failed to break 80 in the very testing conditions.

Campbell commenced his round on one over par but quickly moved into the red with first and third holes birdies. He then bogeyed the sixth, birded seven and dropped two shots at the par three, eighth hole, after finding a hazard with his eight iron tee shot.

But Campbell, who finished a superb third in the recent Johnnie Walker Classic in China, made amends with birdies at the 11th and 12th holes before a bogey at the 13th.

He recorded the second double bogey of his round, and again finding water, at the 16th before the standout shot of his round when Campbell drilled a second shot seven-iron, at the par five, 472-metre 17th, to six metres and holed the putt for an eagle three.

The eagle earned him a magnum of champagne presented to him straight after he holed a one metre birdie putt at the par three, 18th.

"It was a very tough day out there as you can see because the average score is about three or four over par," he said.

"It was probably the toughest conditions I have played in all year and certainly the toughest I've experienced competing on this course.

"I really had a great finish and it's great to be at the forefront of the tournament for the weekend."

Campbell is now looking to end a two-year winning drought since claiming the Irish Open that takes place next week on the new Carton House course south of Dublin.

In contrast to Campbell, Stephen Scahill, the only other New Zealander in the field, was left lamenting his bogey, double bogey finish that handed him a 78 for a 152 total and a stroke outside the official seven over par cut off mark.

- NZPA