Golf: Play in NZ - Campbell

GAINESVILLE - New Zealand golfer Michael Campbell would like to see the President's Cup event come to New Zealand despite the disappointment of his International team being humbled by the Americans yesterday.

The Ken Venturi-led Americans downed the Internationals 21 1/2-10 1/2, turning the tables on the Internationals, who defeated the Americans by a then record nine points in Melbourne two years ago.

The Internationals trailed by eight points heading into the final day's singles but could only salvage 4 1/2 points, with Australians Robert Allenby and Steve Elkington, Paraguay's Carlos Franco and Canadian Mike Weir managing to win their matches.

Campbell, playing in the penultimate match of the final day, grabbed a half after squaring his match against Kirk Triplett.

For Campbell, the cup had already been won by the Americans when the New Zealander stood over a putt on the fifth hole. Davis Love, playing six matches ahead needed three putts from six metres at the 15th to defeat Ernie Els and secure victory for the United States. Els, the disappointment of the internationals, lost all his five matches.

The Americans headed into yesterday's singles leading by 14 points to six and only needed 2 1/2 points to secure an emphatic victory.

Campbell was even with Triplett when news filtered over the Robert Trent Jones course that the Americans had regained the trophy.

"Our match was pretty close all day, but it was pretty hard out there when you see your team losing," Campbell said."When I heard that we had lost the President's Cup I had about a 40-foot putt and I just seemed to lose interest because I three-putted it for par."

Their encounter then seesawed until Triplett bogeyed the 15th hole to bring the encounter back to square. The two players then parred the closing three holes for the only halved match in the 32 games contested over the four days.

"However, now that I have been a part of the International team I'm looking forward already to 2002 and South Africa.

"But even more so, I want to be a part of the team when the President's Cup comes to New Zealand, and I hope that will be sooner rather than later."

- NZPA