Stroke of fortune

Adam Candee

Monday, June 20, 2005 | 9:17 a.m.

PINEHURST, N.C. -- The government in New Zealand delayed a meeting of its cabinet Sunday to attend to more pressing national business.

Michael Campbell probably deserved the attention, what with a native son of the country turning the sports world on its head. While many might dream of fending off Tiger Woods to win a major championship on one of the toughest golf courses imaginable, Campbell actually did it Sunday.

"It is one of New Zealand's greatest sporting achievements," New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark told the local press. "And his place as one of New Zealand sporting greats is cemented."

While that list of greats is a short one, Campbell busted onto it by playing a steady round of 1-under 69 while greater stars fell seemingly from the sky around him at Pinehurst No. 2. He finished at even-par 280 to become the first New Zealander to win the U.S. Open and only the second from his country to win a major golf title, following Bob Charles' British Open victory in 1963.

"It's unbelievable," Campbell said. "That's all I can say. I worked hard for it. I deserve it, I think. And I have it. So it's all mine."

To get it, Campbell withstood a charge by Woods, who didn't storm up the leaderboard bur rather looked poised to step forward and claim a championship it seemed no one wanted to win. Woods began the day six shots off the pace of Retief Goosen's 3-under Saturday lead, but drew within two strokes of Campbell late in the round.

Yet every time Woods dropped a fist pumper two groups ahead of him, Campbell somehow gutted out another scrambling par or tough birdie. It was the guts of a man who learned from losing a 54-hole British Open lead 10 years ago, who persevered after nearly quitting the game because of injuries seven years ago.

In 1998, Campbell could barely hold a pen and lost his cards on both the European and Australasian tours.

"I had nowhere to play," Campbell said.

That he arrived at Pinehurst shocked many, including countryman Steve Williams, who caddies for Tiger Woods.

"To be totally honest, I got here Monday and saw his caddie and wondered, 'What's he doing here?'" Williams said.

Call him improbable and unexpected, but don't call Campbell, a 36-year-old Maori with Scottish ancestry and a ton of game, an unknown. He recovered from the wrist injury to become one of the better players in Europe, once rising to the top 20 in the world rankings. He missed the cut in the past four U.S. Opens and nearly didn't play in this one.

Campbell, who also makes a home in Brighton, England, had no interest in a one-day trip to the United States to play in qualifying. But the United States Golf Association extended a qualifier to England, and Campbell's agent and caddie convinced him to play. He made it by one stroke.

"And when I arrived here at Pinehurst on Monday, I felt very, very comfortable," Campbell said. "I love the golf course. I play a lot of golf courses like this back in Australia, also different parts of Europe as well. And I felt very at ease with the golf course."

That is something not many players said throughout the week and especially Sunday, when a chilly wind seemingly whipped up by Payne Stewart himself to mimic the 1999 conditions at Pinehurst dried the greens and made drives even harder to land in narrow fairways. Just four players shot under par Sunday, including Campbell and Woods.

"These conditions -- look at what it did to some of the best players in the world (Sunday)," Woods said. "These are some of the most difficult conditions, obviously, in the U.S. Open."

Surviving them means Campbell will not be worrying about tour cards for a while. He earns a five-year PGA Tour exemption by way of his first Tour victory in 63 tries, as well as a 10-year pass to the U.S Open and five-year passes into the Masters, British Open and PGA Championship.

Campbell's grandmother, Tit, told him he would change lives. Starting with his own, Campbell did that for an entire country with a win that is sure to draw more American attention than ever before. The win that Campbell hopes finally got him onto the front page of the newspaper instead of the national rugby team was 10 years in the making after his near-miss at the British Open.

"I stayed patient for 10 years," Campbell said. "And I went through some ups and downs, some injuries, missing cuts, missing tournaments, missing cuts, missing tournaments. But deep down inside, I knew that I had something in me to do something special."

No wonder "Cambo" had to pull down his hat over his eyes after dropping in a short bogey putt at No. 18, hiding away tears. He eventually accepted a hug from his caddie before firing the winning ball about 20 rows deep into the grandstand.

Coming off the green, Williams awaited him with an important message.

"It's the single biggest sporting moment in New Zealand at all."