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About Michael Campbell

June 22, 2005

Excerpt from a Golf Digest story chronicling the meteoric rise of the reigning U.S. Open champion.

"Michael has the nerve to try things," a fellow Kiwi professional said. Such as go up to Greg Norman at a golf banquet -- cold -- to ask for a practice game. Oh, not completely cold; he warmed up first. "I planned to go up to him before the appetizer," Campbell said, "but I couldn't. After the appetizer, I couldn't. After the main course, I couldn't. After the dessert, I...

"'G'day,' I said. 'My name's Michael Campbell. Can I play with you tomorrow?' He said, 'Yeah, sure, I'll organize a foursome.' I got to the tee the next day, and there was Jack Nicklaus."

Xerox Backs Greg Norman Collection Open

June 21, 2005

DUBAI --- The Greg Norman Collection summer Open, supported by Xerox, will be held at the Desert Course at Arabian Ranches July 23.

Elliott Gray, golf operations manager, said, "We are delighted to welcome Xerox as a support sponsor of the second summer Open to be held at the Desert Course.

The event has attracted over 40 entries so far. The tournament will be played from the 7,100-yard, par-72 championship tee course.

Earp Helps Cairns Classic

June 17, 2005

Legendary golf coach Charlie Earp will be in Cairns to coach the regionÕs leading young players at the Cairns Classic Junior clinic and Pro-Am to be held on Monday 20 June. Earp is best known as the coach of Greg Norman and is a legend of Queensland golf.

The tournament proper begins Thursday, June 23 with 140 players vying for the title. A 36-hole cut will be made on Friday afternoon to the top 50 places plus ties with the conclusion coming late Sunday afternoon.

Goosen's Rapid Ascent

June 15, 2005

In 2004 Retief Goosen became the first non-European to win the European Tour's Order of Merit since Greg Norman accomplished the feat in 1982.

Shopper's Paradise At U.S. Open

June 15, 2005

PINEHURST, N.C. -- Take your pick at the 2005 U.S. Open: You can watch golf till you drop. Or you can shop till you drop.

The 120-yard long merchandise tent generated $6 million in sales in 1999, when Pinehurst also was the U.S. Open site. It became so full that year that at times people had to wait for other buyers to leave to get in.

By mid-morning Tuesday, the tent was filling up and by mid-afternoon it was packed with those wanting something to take home with the tournament logo: hats, jackets, shirts, ties, golf bags, commemorative putters, baby bibs, sunglasses.

Brand names are familiar, too: Greg Norman Collection. Polo, Tommy Hilfiger, Bobby Jones, Gear, Oxford and Ashworth.

The inventory totals 500,000 items by 60 manufacturers, with goods making a stretch to connect with golf, such as Stevie the Frog, a stuffed animal with the Open logo, and stuffed dogs with Open lanyards around necks.

Wind A Factor At 38th PGA CPC

June 15, 2005

The Scottish expression, "If there's nae wind, there's nae golf," is perhaps more a theme for this year's PGA Club Professional Championship.

The 38th CPC, the showcase event for PGA Professionals, makes its first visit to South Carolina, June 23-26, at The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Perhaps no other golf course outside of the United Kingdom and Ireland is as affected as much by the wind.

The Greg Norman Collection is the Official Golf Apparel of the CPC.

The Sound Of Feel

June 14, 2005

In an informal survey of PGA Tour pros conducted by Golf Digest earlier this year, several top players said that sound plays a key role in their games. "Sound has a lot to do with feel, especially in chipping and putting, or when you're testing putters and balls," says Justin Leonard. "If you couldn't hear impact, you'd get a lot less feedback from your shots."

Tour veteran Kirk Triplett keenly remembers the sound of one particular shot. "It was the first time I heard Greg Norman hit a driver, at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock in 1986. I was standing on the range a couple of guys down from him, and the first shot I heard, I had to turn around and see who it was. I had never heard anything like it. It was my first tour event; the guys I played with never made a sound like that," recalls Triplett. "I think sound is very important. If you couldn't hear your shots, it would be like eating crème brûlée with a clothespin on your nose."

Levin Signs With MacGregor

June 14, 2005

California amateur Spencer Levin earned a spot in the U.S. Open by tying for 13th last year at Shinnecock Hills, where he made an ace in the first round.

This time, he can expect a check if he makes the cut.

Levin will announce Tuesday that he is turning pro at Pinehurst, signing a deal with MacGregor Golf. Other players on MacGregor's tour staff include two-time British Open champion Greg Norman, two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal and Aaron Baddeley.

Levin, who turns 21 the day before the U.S. Open begins, won the California State Amateur last year, as well as the Porter Cup and the Scratch Players Championship by 10 shots. His tie for 13th at Shinnecock was the best finish by an amateur in the U.S. Open in 33 years.

Congressional Record

June 13, 2005

Sergio Garcia shot a 6-under 65 to finish with a 14-under 270 total, two strokes ahead of Davis Love III (66), Ben Crane (67) and 2004 winner Adam Scott (68).

Garcia led by as many as four strokes after a spectacular front-nine 30 at Congressional Country Club, emerging from a pack of contenders in the final tournament before the U.S. Open.

The last time Congressional hosted the event was in 1986 when Greg Norman went on to win his second title in three years.

Pacific Harbour Golf Club

June 13, 2005

Pacific Harbour Golf Club is in its perfect condition and a delight to the 30 golfers who took part in a private 18-hole competition last Sunday.

It brought back memories of the glory days of Pacific Harbour, as the best playing ground of World Standard Championship course in the South Pacific of its days.

This is the same course that hosted the World Amateur Championship for men and ladies golf in 1978 and where Greg Norman made his winning debut and from there on to international golfing fame and glory.

Today In Sports

June 13, 2005

Vijay Singh matches the best score in major championship history, shooting a 7-under 63 for a share of the second-round lead in the U.S. Open with Jim Furyk. Singh and Furyk had 7-under 133 totals, the lowest 36-hole score in the U.S. Open. Singh also had a 63 in the 1993 PGA Championship and joins Greg Norman as the only players to shoot 63 in two majors.

Gogel Matches Congressional Record

June 10, 2005

Matt Gogel matched a course record with an 8-under 63 at the Congressional Country Club to take a three-stroke lead after the first round of the $5 million Booz Allen Classic.

Gogel fired eight birdies in a bogey-free round at the Congressional, which has hosted two previous U.S. Opens and a PGA Championship.

The last time Congressional hosted the event was in 1986 when Greg Norman went on to win his second title in three years.

Pinehurst, Stewart Forever Linked

June 10, 2005

Professional golfers who spend entire careers battling to keep their emotions in check will be able to express their feelings more freely next week when the U.S. Open returns to Pinehurst No. 2.

Apart from focusing on the second major of the year, they will be thinking back to the 1999 tournament at the same venue when Payne Stewart clinched the title by sinking a 15-foot par putt on the 72nd hole to beat Phil Mickelson by a single stroke.

Just four months later, Stewart died when his private jet crashed in the South Dakota countryside and the American golfer and Pinehurst will remain forever linked.

Stewart was ranked eighth in the world at the time of his death and trailed only Greg Norman and Davis Love III in career earnings on the Tour with $11,737,008.

Record 14 Aussies Qualify For U.S. Open

June 8, 2005

A record 14 Australians will contest next week's U.S. Open Championship after Steve Elkington earned one of the last qualifying spots.

Elkington earned a spot in the field by shooting a pair of 67s to finish in a tie for 12th at the 36-hole sectional qualifier in Rockville, Md.

Other Australians in the field are: Steve Allan, Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Steve Conran, Richard Green, Mark Hensby, Peter Lonard, Geoff Ogilvy, Nick O'Hern, Rod Pampling, Craig Parry, Adam Scott and Euan Walters.

Allan, Conran, Elkington, Ogilvy and Walters advanced through sectional qualifying, while the other nine were previously exempt.

David Graham, in 1981, is the only Australian to win a U.S. Open, while Greg Norman finished second in 1984 and 1995.

Bryant Joins Memorial's Over-40 Club

June 6, 2005

Bart Bryant, in only his second Memorial appearance, became only the seventh player to post four rounds in the 60s in the 30-year history of the tournament. He also joined Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and last year's champion Kenny Perry as winners over age 40.

Sport Memorabilia Auction

June 3, 2005

An outstanding array or racing and sporting memorabilia will be up for grabs at Sunday week's Paula Lane Charity Auction and Dinner.

Donations have been flooding in from around Australia and indeed and world for the auction with racing, AFL, rugby league, golf, cricket and soccer items amongst those up for grabs.

A unique framed golfing keepsake is sure to appeal to lovers of that sport. Framed are the official scorecards from the 1999 Australian Open that were signed by Greg Norman, Craig Parry, Stuart Appleby and Robert Allenby.

For more information, please call +61 (07) 5538 8933 or +61 0408 280 979.

Make Summer Sizzle With Indonesian Escapade

June 2, 2005

Award-winning spa resort Banyan Tree Bintan has a limited time "Bintan Escapade" hot deal that provides holidaymakers even more reasons to take that well-deserved summer break.

Guests who book their stay before June 15, and complete their minimum two-night stay by July 31, will relish the 90-minute couple spa massage session and in-villa breakfasts, among other perks.

Details of promotion at http://www.banyantree.com/hotdeals/bintan_escapade.htm

Ideally located along Tanjong Said Bay on the north-western tip of resort island Bintan, Indonesia, Banyan Tree Bintan is 45 minutes from Singapore by high-speed catamaran.

While at Banyan Tree Bintan, guests have a wide range of activities to choose from, including the 18-hole Greg Norman-designed championship golf course at the Banyan Tree Golf Club.

Webb Joins Illustrious Aussie Duo In Hall

June 2, 2005

Karrie Webb will enter the World Golf Hall of Fame next week, joining Peter Thomson and Greg Norman as the only Australians to receive the honor.

Webb, one of six women to achieve a career grand slam, has long since fulfilled all the Hall of Fame requirements, apart from length of time on tour. She reaches that next week when she completes 10 years on the LPGA Tour and becomes the 23rd woman in the Hall of Fame.

"I am particularly proud at being the first Australian woman to be inducted," she said. "The thought of joining all those other great names is quite a humbling feeling and hopefully there are still a few more chapters to write before my career is done.

Greg Norman Collection Golf Event

June 1, 2005

DUBAI - The Greg Norman Collection Summer Golf Challenge will be held at the Desert Course Saturday, July 23.

The event is open to golfers with a maximum handicap of 18. Play will be from the Gold Tee Course, a par-72 measuring 7,146 yards. There will be a two-tee start with tee times spread between 12 p.m. local time and 1:50 p.m. local time.