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Campbell Edges Home at The K Club
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Campbell Edges Home at The K Club

Michael Campbell won the Smurfit European Open at the end of an extraordinary afternoon of high drama at The K Club when he held off the challenges from Bradley Dredge, Retief Goosen, Padraig Harrington and Paul Lawrie to win by a single stroke.

Campbell appeared to be coasting to an emphatic victory as he pulled five strokes clear of the field with four to play, but with the finish line in sight the tough K Club course started to hit back and his lead was gradually eroded.

Dredge and Goosen shot rounds of 68, four under par, to set the clubhouse target of five under par 283 but at that stage Campbell was lying on ten under par and not under threat. Lawrie birdied the last to match their total with a final round of 73 but leaving Campbell and Harrington centre stage.

Campbell pulled four ahead of Harrington with back-to-back birdies on the 12th and 13th holes and when the Irishman, cheered on throughout the final day by record crowds of 28,500, bogeyed the 14th Campbell’s lead had stretched to five.

Campbell, winner of four titles on The European Tour International Schedule, had one hand on the trophy and that elusive fifth victory and admitted later that when he holed his par putt he thought he had won it. But the drama was still to come.

Harrington, aiming to emulate Darren Clarke’s victory 12 months ago by winning on home soil, hit back on the 15th with a birdie three as Campbell bogeyed to close the gap to three and when Campbell found trouble on the 16th and could do no better than a bogey six Harrington had a chance to close the gap again.

Faced with a tough shot to the island green, Harrington hit a brave five wood but the ball drifted right on the wind and into the water. Harrington still saved his par, holing from ten feet after a penalty drop, to chip a further shot off Campbell’s lead but it was a bitter blow.

When Campbell dropped another shot on the 17th Harrington had a three foot putt to close the gap to one playing the last but his putt stayed above ground and another chance was lost.

Campbell was two ahead playing the last but when his approach found the water the door was once again opened for Harrington. With a six iron in his hand he knew he needed to go for the pin rather than play for the centre of the green but he pulled the shot left into the water and with it went his last chance of victory. Campbell just needed two putts for the title and he made no mistake to claim the €515,584 first prize to climb to fourth in the Volvo Order of Merit.

“I was cruising along with four holes to play and I said ‘This is it, I’ve got the trophy in one arm’ but unfortunately it wasn’t in the other,” said Campbell. “I think my emotions got too far ahead of myself and made some ridiculous mistakes but just managed to get there in time to pip four other guys.

“Obviously I’m elated that I won but disappointed with the way I finished.”

Harrington was understandably disappointed with his closing 73 as the chance of lifting the title in front huge home crowds slipped away.

“I’m gutted,” he said. “Michael got so much ahead he saw the winning post and started to bleed. To be honest it was a chance for anybody else to win the tournament. Certainly a good chance for me to win the tournament and I am gutted.

“On the 16th I hit the perfect shot towards the middle of the green with a five wood, and it just drifted right on the wind. That was probably the worst outcome of any shot I hit all day. I couldn’t have hit a better shot. But I still had a chance after making the par. Then on 18 it looked like I had another chance. I kept on being given chances. I felt on 18 I was trying to win it there and then. I was trying to hit it as close as I could but and pulled it a little, it drew on the wind and there you have it.”

For Dredge it was another good week following his third place in The Great North Open at Slaley Hall as he seeks his maiden tour title while Lawrie also finished well despite struggling with the putter over the final round. The group on four under was completed by European Tour Number One Goosen, who consolidated his position at the top of the Volvo Order of Merit and heads to Loch Lomond to defend his Barclays Scottish Open title full of confidence.

Dredge admitted: “I am trying to win and would love to win. I just keep plugging away and trying to get into contention. This definitely gives me confidence for next week at Loch Lomond”.

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