It may be more than 11,000 miles from his native New Zealand but Michael Campbell always feels at home whenever he is golfing in Scotland.
The 2005 US Open champion is heading back to Aberdeenshire for the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship at Trump International Links which runs from July 31 to August 4.
After finishing in the top three last year, Campbell is excited about returning to the Aberdeenshire venue.
The New Zealander said: “There’s a pattern that goes on with me when I play on Scottish golf courses.
“I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s my last name!
“There is ancestry on my side – I think my great-great-great-grandfather was Scottish.
“He came over from Edinburgh back in 1862, I think. So there is that Scottish blood and I feel at home – that’s what it feels like.”
The Kiwi finished tied third at Trump International Links last summer but a whopping 10 shots behind runaway winner Peter Baker.
Campbell would love to be competing at the top of the leaderboard once again.
He said: “I love it, it’s one of my favourite venues of the year.
“You’ve got to use your imagination especially when it blows there, it’s tough golf course.
“Sometimes you can’t get too close to the hole, so you’ve got to accept sometimes par is a very good score.
“Twelve-under-par for Baker, I mean that was a freak week for Bakes! It’s a tough test of golf and I love that.”
Course is ‘a real diamond’
Campbell, whose best finish in The Open was tied third in 1995, is a big fan of links golf and relishing his visit to Balmedie.
He said: “If you go through my record of all the majors, I’ve always played well in the Open and came close a couple of times.
“I love to manoeuvre the ball at different heights and shapes, so that’s why I think it really suits me.
“I think it’s a fair course, it’s quite wide open in certain places off the tee.
“The greens are very undulating, and you’ve got to shape your ball both ways.
“That’s one thing I love about the golf course, and it’s so picturesque with a couple of holes out here right next to the ocean, it’s just a real diamond.
“It’s going to be a really nice week again, depending on the weather – that makes a big difference.
“The score Baker shot last year was just phenomenal. He was obviously on great form and playing well – I knew it was going to be pretty tough to pull it back from him because he was flying with confidence and momentum having won a couple of times already before then.”
Risk and reward
Campbell believes the Legends Tour are fortunate to have Trump International Links as the host of the tour’s flagship event.
He added: “There is not a weak hole on the golf course. The short 7th hole is a tough shot – it is a risk and reward kind of hole.
“You can be hitting a five iron or four iron off the tee and you can hit wedge in or you can go for the driver, but the green is so tiny and so undulating.
“You can hit it pin high for your drive on a par four and you’re faced with a difficult chip.
“You’ve got a tough run through seven, eight and nine – every hole is challenging – there’s no gimme birdie holes, you’ve got to work for it.
“That’s one thing I love about links golf, and this course is definitely one of my favourites.
“Most of the time I play on links, I have good imagination, that part of me comes out more.
“I don’t like straight down the line kind of holes, par fives with no wind and tree lined – I like to see it sometimes where you have to aim yards left of the target. It’s all about hitting your targets.”
Tickets for the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship at Trump International Links are on sale at www.legendstour.com/tickets
