KEY POINTS:
Whatever shortcomings Michael Campbell may have as a golfer, a lack of vision is not one of them.
The New Zealander can see a light at the end of the tunnel and as far as he is concerned the illumination represents the end to arguably the darkest period
of his enigmatic career.
The latter half of 2008 has brightened his outlook considerably and renewed belief that more rewards are in the offing from a game that once embraced him before coldly turning its back to his clumsy advances.
The past few months have convinced the 39-year-old that he will add to his 15 career titles and make a serious run to challenge for a ranking inside the world's top 50 next season.
"I'm hungry for it, I'm starving for it, I think I am now back to where I should be," he said yesterday from his home in Sydney.
"I'm 40 in February and I think I have another four-five good years left in me yet."
As recently as four months ago Campbell's predicament was particularly grim, as whispers surfaced from various quarters suggesting that perhaps the time had arrived for him to ditch the clubs and seek out an alternative form of employment.
Such talk certainly pricked his pride but it did not dent his determination to extricate himself from a hole he had largely dug for himself - due to any number of reasons, ranging from listening to too many people, to muddled thinking, to ignoring the basics of his craft.
Of course, he had also stopped far too long to smell the roses after his landmark US Open triumph in 2005 and the World Matchplay Championship victory which quickly followed.
The years 2006 and 2007 largely passed Campbell by. He continued to make good coin by milking the corporate teat while only spasmodically producing anything approaching his best on the course. The proud Maori's ranking plummeted, and with it his standing among his peers.
By the middle of this year he had missed 15 of his last 18 cuts and tumbled to 417th in the world rankings. Suddenly, at the British Open in July, he began to reassert himself.
A tie for 51st at Royal Birkdale hardly represented a breakthrough but by that stage Campbell was almost delirious simply to play the weekend rounds, and in a major at that.
He repeated the feat the following month by finishing in a share of 42nd place at the PGA Championship in the United States, then really got down to business by making six successive cuts on his home European Tour, in the process reeling off four top-10 results.
He was a sight for sore eyes as he found himself in contention more regularly than not, hitting fairways and greens in regulation and slotting more than his share of putts.
A cursory glance at his season's statistics reveals nothing above the ordinary except for his putting, in which he excelled to sit 11th for putts per round with an average of 28.8.
Dig a little deeper and the number crunching uncovers the fact that his scoring average in his last six appearances was an outstanding 69.90, a quantum leap on the 74.75 posted through his first 37 rounds of the European season.
So what led to such an abrupt turnaround which sees him now ranked at 183rd and climbing at such a pace that an oxygen mask is advisable?
"It's all been about routine and rhythm," he said.
"There is no secret formula, I've just gone back to the basics.
"My cup had been too full of technical and mental thoughts so I decided to empty the cup, start again and concentrate only on my routine and rhythm. Now I have got the flow back in my game.
"I am now playing again with more feel. I am playing to my strengths."
He reckoned the presence of veteran caddie Peter Coleman played a significant role in his form reversal after the Englishman came on board in May.
Campbell's regular helper Michael Waite had requested a break to tend to family matters back in Australia.
Waite, by Campbell's side since the late 1990s, had been sharing the job with another New Zealander, Anthony Knight, but the arrangement had run its course.
Waite now has three children and he and Campbell agreed to lessen his workload, with Coleman in his place for the rest of the European campaign.
It is something they plan to build on next season, with Coleman in employment for a six-month block and Waite used outside of that.
Coleman has won close to 60 tournaments with nine different bosses, among them Bernhard Langer, Seve Ballesteros and Lee Westwood, and he has provided Campbell with wise counsel and an experienced set of eyes.
"He's been around for a long time and he has helped me a lot.
"He is not afraid to voice an opinion and whatever he says is worth listening to," Campbell said.
"It's been a huge bonus for me to have him on the bag.
"He's basically just told me to go out there and play golf and not to worry at all about the technical side of things."
Campbell has always excused his wild swings in fortune to his tendency to run hot or cold, going right back to his days as an amateur.
Where others crave consistency he is at ease traversing sharp peaks and long troughs, even if his travels cause his followers to pull their hair out.
All the same, it was surprising that he opted to cut short his European season and instead take in a family holiday in South Africa at a time he finally rediscovered his form.
He makes no apologies for that, saying the break had long been circled on the family calendar, and his schedule had started to weary him.
"Towards the end I was pretty tired.
"I think I played four in a row, something I haven't done for five or six years."
Given Campbell's unfathomable form swings, there is just no way of telling how he will perform when he gets back to work for the Hong Kong Open starting on November 20, when Waite will again carry his bag.
One thing is certain, though - the ride will not be for the squeamish.
- NZPA
