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HSBC CHAMPIONS TOURNAMENT


November 9, 2005


Michael Campbell


SHANGHAI, CHINA

GORDON SIMPSON: We have the U.S. Open Champion, and Michael, maybe give us your impressions, first of all, on the course and your visit to China this week.

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Obviously I'm very proud to be back in China. Last time I was here was probably six months ago, or three months ago, Beijing, and I think golf in China is very exciting. It's the new golfing mecca of the world right now and that's why we're here. It will be nice to add my add this title, the stroke play event to my match play title. That's my plan to go out there this week and play as best as I can hopefully add to the match play event, the stroke play event.

The golf course itself, it's a challenge to all of the players playing this week. I think that it's a good golf course, still very immature, needs time to settle down, but besides that, it's very, very playable.

GORDON SIMPSON: Your thoughts on the season; you ran Monty very close, right down to the wire, wasn't it?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: It was very exciting for both The European Tour and obviously for myself and Monty and came down to the last round. So it's amazing how you have the accumulation of all the months and the tournaments that you play in from the start of the year to the end of the year and pulled down to one round, 18 holes. It was pretty exciting for all of us, really. Unfortunately I didn't quite crack it, but hopefully you can get off to a good start this week and win this week and put me in good stead for next year for the Order of Merit.

Q. I would look to ask Michael which one you think has the most possibility to win the tournament?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Obviously there's a lot of possibilities. These two guys who obviously really Tiger and Vijay, Tiger coming off of a good finish last week, I think second last week; and Vijay, obviously is a world class player.

All I can say is congratulations to HSBC for getting as much such a great team of players together this week for accumulating a lot of top world class players like myself and Colin Montgomerie is Thomas Björn and Tiger and Vijay; and all credit to Tiger and the sponsors this week. I think it's very, very exciting. I think it's the first time Tiger has been to China, apart from Shenzen the first time ever four or five years ago, but in tournament play. Well done to HSBC for getting such a strong field together.

Q. You've been doing very well this year and compared to other years like 2003, 2004, is it very much different, the results, so what have you done to yourself this year to improve your swing or strategy or mental game? What have you done to improve the results?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Well, I think obviously, the obvious answer is I've changed a lot over the start of the year. In December 2004, I sat down, I looked back at the last two or three years, I looked back on a few things with my other people around me. I suppose that Michael Campbell is a business or corporation, and when you run a business, it's not working, you make changes. I did. I changed the infrastructure of the people around me. I changed my fitness instructor. I Changed my psychologist. I changed my physiotherapist. I employed my coach full time, Jonathan Yarwood, and it was a huge revamp. I found a recipe that works right now, a certain formula that works, and now I make sure that I apply the same sort of structure for next year, as well.

So I've decided to employ my coach full time for five years, a full time contract. It's been a huge difference for me, seeing my coach now twice a month now; whereas previous times it's been once every three or four months. And seeing a different fitness instructor, as well, as well as a psychologist. So I've done huge changes to the whole Cambo golfing corporation here. And that's one thing I've actually really happy about is it works. It's taken me ten years to find my recipe, but it works. I've been patient since I've been professional, so it's very exciting times right now. I'm 36 years old. If I remain which I'm sure I'll remain fit, I'm sure I can play this game at a certain high level for a very long time, so I'm very excited.

Q. Michael, when you were making all of these changes, you also changed you, didn't you?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: (Laughing).

Q. I'm just wondering, I know you've obviously had such great success doing it, do you find it difficult to keep this level of work and fitness up or not?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: I think the hardest thing really for us being human out here in this golfing world is that, stop searching. That's the biggest thing. Most golfers are always searching. When you find the right formula, or recipe, we still search. It's not about a situation. We are all humans we are out there playing, and when we're all there playing golf, we're trying to search for the X factor or the secret. But once you find it, it's hard to stop searching.

Now I'm trying to tell myself to push a button saying: Michael, stop searching for the secret, you've found it. So no point in trying to carry on and add things to it or add, you know, another person to the equation, or whatever. You've got to stop searching and keep on playing the way you're playing.

If I just keep the same old routine and processes going, I'm sure it's going to hopefully next year be a better year than this year.

Q. You tried your luck in the States and didn't enjoy your time there, but now that you've got yourself back playing to the level of golf you'd like to play, would you ever consider spending more time in the States now?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Probably not. I think next year, I'll probably play the same sort of schedule as The European Tour.

Maybe 2007, I might dabble a little bit in America. With the new schedule coming up. I believe it's very, very exciting for the players. So I've got a five year exemption in America.

But as far as next year goes, I'm just going to play The European Tour and then recess in 12 months time where I am, how I feel about my game, and then think about 2007, maybe joining the PGA TOUR. But it's too far ahead right now and I just want to think about next year 2006; more important than 2007.

End of FastScripts.
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