Teenaged golfer Ben Campbell was concerned when he hit his drive left in the pro-am ahead of the Muriwai Open starting tomorrow.
Campbell, of Masterton, had six months out of the game last year after injuring his wrist when he hit out of the rough during the North Island amateur championship at the Muriwai course, northwest of Auckland.
After winning the Tauranga Open last week, the 18-year-old was back at Muriwai today preparing for the second tournament of the domestic Charles Tour, which consists of five $40,000 tournaments for professionals and amateurs.
Campbell became the first amateur in two years to win a Charles Tour event at Tauranga and will line up tomorrow far from daunted with the expected wet and windy conditions at the coastal course.
"I have played in conditions like this quite a bit in Wellington. And where I first started playing golf out at Castlepoint is a coastal course a lot like this. So I don't really mind the wind," Campbell said.
"It's quite a bit like courses around Wellington with a lot of wind, like Miramar which has the same type of grass as here. It's not a true links because of the grass, more like a course by the coast with a lot of wind."
With memories of his misadventure at the North Island amateur last year, Campbell was going to bypass the Muriwai Open but entered in the knowledge that hard tournament play at the coastal course will stand him in good stead for his upcoming trip to Europe.
The Australian amateur runner-up, now ranked the 14th best amateur in the world, leaves next week for three tournaments in Scotland, including the Scottish and British amateur championships and St Andrews Links, as well as staying on for expert tuition as part of the Michael Campbell Scholarship.
"I wasn't really too keen on coming back here but the timing was good as a stepping stone for the events in Scotland coming up. I am sure we will get weather like today over there."
He feels his swing is improved from Tauranga and hopes to play well again this week.
"My game was good in Tauranga but I have worked hard and my swing is feeling a bit more comfortable now and the chipping and putting is still feeling solid."
He faces plenty of competition this week, including past New Zealand Open winners Mahal Pearce and Peter Fowler, Hawke's Bay's Doug Holloway, North Harbour's Michael Hendry and Hamilton's Mark Purser, who have won seven Charles Tour events between them.
Other leading professionals include Troy Ropiha, of Taupo, Waikato's Andrew Searle, the Brian Perry Classic winner, Tauranga's Jared Pender, who was third in Tauranga, and Aucklander Richard Lee.
The amateur field is led by Campbell, fellow national Academy players Gary-John Hill, of Auckland, Ryan Fox, of Auckland, Andrew Stewart, of Tauranga, and Peter Spearman-Burn, of Wellington, while North Harbour No 1 Scott Johnson will enjoy the home course advantage.
The 10-strong women's amateur field is headed by New Zealand amateur champion Cecilia Cho and fellow international Zoe Brake, while Auckland's Phillis Meti will have her second start in the professional ranks.
