TARGET WORLD CHALLENGE PRESENTED BY WILLIAMS

December 9, 2005

Michael Campbell

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Michael, for joining us for a few minutes here in the media center. I know things didn't work out there at the end of that round, but you're still in great position going into the weekend. Just talk about the day a little bit.

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Ever see that movie "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"? Clint Eastwood. I saw that today. I hit some quality shots and some crap and some average shots.

It was a different day today, different day than yesterday. I had it going quite nicely after 12 holes, I was 4 under, and then the wheels came off. And the wheels came off very, very quickly.

You know, I was just cruising along there. I was playing the 15th hole, hit a nice little 7 iron there, and I couldn't tell myself to hit 8 iron there because it was just too far to hit 8 iron for me. Hit 7 iron, back of the green, and missed the putt for par.

Then missed a real short one on 17 there from about two feet. That was a bit of a surprise, bit of a shock.

The last hole I was in between clubs, in between a 6 iron and a 5 iron, and it was sitting down a little bit so I tried to dig out a little 5 iron that came out left on me, and just with the breeze from right to left, it just magnified the shot to be an ugly shot.

But hey, you know

Q. Where did you end up?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: In the hazard.

Q. Did you drop?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: In the drop zone there, hit it to probably six feet for my fourth shot and missed the putt.

But, you know, I'm going to stand on the tee tomorrow three shots ahead, I've actually increased my lead by one shot.

Q. That's thinking positive there, isn't it?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Absolutely (laughter).

Q. I'm sorry to say this, but we've been sitting in here with Padraig and did not see what you finished on.

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: 9 under.

I bogeyed 15, bogeyed 17, double bogeyed the last hole, just for your information.

Q. You got to 13 at one point, right?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Yeah.

Q. You must have birdied the par 5 then?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: 13.

Q. Was it a case of the course playing tougher today?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: A lot tougher today. The breeze came up probably the last nine holes for us, for me and Darren Clarke. It played difficult into the breeze. 16, the par 5 there, was a lot longer than it had been the day before, so it played a little bit tougher.

13, the par 5 was it, played into the breeze today for us, and it was two good knocks to get onto the green, so it was a different golf course today.

Q. Were you on the green on 15, or was it just a three putt from the fringe? It's very quick around that hole.

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: No, back of the green because the pin was cut in a little corner on the left hand side there, and I hit a nice little cutty 7 iron and just flew it.

Q. So you had to chip out?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Chipped out to ten feet.

Q. You've played golf for years obviously, and you've won we know the Open. I've heard golfers over many years say anything can happen, it's like catching lightning in a bottle. You were talking yesterday the fairways were wide, the cups were like bucket, and you got as low as 13 under. Is it just one swing that turns things around? What happens mentally, or is it physical?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: I made one bad swing, that was on the last hole, probably two bad swings all day, really. That's pretty good for 50 odd swings.

It does really keep you in check, I think. Just to say, hey, this game is pretty hard to play. It's not as easy as you'd think.

It's been an interesting day. I think when I'm out there playing, I was playing great, I think I just got too ahead of myself. I was, I think, maybe five or six ahead at one stage, and I was just cruising along, and I got too ahead of myself and it cost me a few shots towards the end.

It's just the nature of the beast. You just go out there and play, and your mind just keeps on ticking along, and all of a sudden you get a wake up call and you start panicking.

Q. What was your other bad swing?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: 17.

Q. Did you miss the green there?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: On the right hand side, yeah.

Q. You had a three putt?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Yeah, well, I was on the fringe. I three putted from about 30 feet.

Q. Do you feel you had any bad shots in the first round?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: No. Well, I missed the green on 15 with a 7 iron. The pin was cut way back right. You just have to go for middle of the green and hope for the best. I hit it too strong and missed the green by a yard or so. It wasn't really a bad shot, just didn't catch the green.

Q. Just to clarify, how far away were you on 18, your putt?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: 191 yards, and it was into the breeze, a long way. Darren Clarke, I think, had 185 yards, so it was playing pretty tough the last hole.

Q. And the chip out of the hazard?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: I hit it like six foot for a 5. I hit like a 75 yard pitch shot, and I hit it to about six foot.

Q. Some guys make a bogey on 18 or double bogey, they're miserable; they stomp off. You seem to have handled it pretty well.

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: It's only a game. Big deal.

Q. When did you finally learn that, though?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: This year.

Q. When you won the Open?

MICHAEL CAMPBELL: Well, to be honest, a very good friend of mine, Heather Clarke, Darren's wife, was on her death bed, and I'm thinking, "What's the big deal, it's only a golf tournament here." Put life in perspective or put golf in perspective very quickly. Ever since that day, hit a bad shot, so what, who cares. I mean, that's one thing that you learn a lot about this game is it's only a game, and the less importance you put on it, I think the better you perform. If you go out there and try to perform, you just, I think, put too much pressure on yourself and you create this overwhelming pressure on performing well. But it's just a game.

End of FastScripts.