New Zealander Ben Campbell eager to win his last title at New Zealand Amateur Championship
New Zealand’s leading amateur golfer, Ben Campbell will probably be trying to win his last title as an amateur in the upcoming New Zealand Amateur Championship. Campbell is one of the most promising golfers to have come out for the country and is currently
ranked sixth in the World Amateur Rankings.
The 19-year-old, who hails from Masterton and recently moved to Melbourne, will be turning professional by the end of this year. This will be his last chance to win either at the Match Play format of the tournament, or the Stroke Play format, scheduled afterwards.
The title is the national amateur title of the country, one Campbell would be eager win for the last time.
This time around, however, Campbell will not be facing the tough challenges of captaining the side as well as performing on the course and is poised to be the favourite to lift the cup. The Match Play format, however, comes with all the surprises of its
own and the knock out feature of the sport can be fatal for many celebrated golfers.
Campbell has moved to Melbourne with his coach Marty Joyce and has been practicing for the last two and a half months. He finished runner-up in the Australian Amateur Championship, a joint fourth in the Lake Macquarie Amateur Tournament and sixth in the
Tasmanian Open. Campbell also finished for joint fourth at the Riversdale Cup.
“This is a good event to play before I go overseas, I'm sixth in the world at the moment and age shouldn't be a barrier. I'm confident that between us (he and his management team) we'll make the right decision,” he said. “I think it will be home for me to
be fair, even if I turn pro.”
Campbell will be heading straight for the British and US Amateur Opens and will also make his bid for the British Open scheduled in July at the scenic Royal St. Georges Club in Kent. The young kiwi landed in Christchurch and went over to have a look at the
Russley Golf course, one he has never played on. The player will be pitched against some formidable challenges including his arch rival Ryan Fox of Auckland who has just struck excellent form having won the North Island Stroke Play Championship.
The tournament will also be featuring the women’s amateur titles. Lydia Ko and Cecilia Cho, the two leading women golfers from New Zealand, will be returning to make an attempt for the top slot. The tournament will tee off with men’s and women’s foursomes
followed by separate rounds of Stroke Play.
Top 32 men and women will advance into the Match Play afterwards. The women’s tournament was initially organized at the Coringa Golf Club, but with just 42 entries, the tournament is now moved to the Russley Golf Club.
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