SANDWICH, England, July 15 (Reuters) - It was almost a case of home, sweet home for Chad Campbell when the former U.S. Ryder Cup player surged into the early clubhouse lead at the British Open on Friday.
Campbell, delighted to be back playing at the third major of the season after failing to qualify last year, compared the winds at the Royal St George’s links to the conditions he is familiar with in his native Texas.
“A bit like home? Yeah, it is,” he told reporters after a two-under 68 gave him a three-under total of 137. “In West Texas we get a lot of wind.
“The terrain is not really similar but I can definitely relate to it. I grew up playing in the wind so much that if you couldn’t do that, you wouldn’t last too long.”
Campbell went to the turn in level-par 35 before a run of three birdies in five holes from the 13th sent him to four-under for the championship. But he then blotted his copybook with a bogey five at the last.
The 37-year-old, who finished second in International Final Qualifying (America) for the Open, has four wins on the U.S. PGA Tour although his last victory was back in 2007 at the Viking Classic.
“I was excited to come here after not being able to play last year,” said Campbell, who played in the Ryder Cup in 2004, 2006 and 2008.
“This is my seventh British Open and I’ve enjoyed every one. It’s a little bit different.
“You’ve got to be very creative around here, around the greens, and play a lot of different shots than we do over in the States.”
Campbell’s golfing forays also represent a chance for him to take a breather from a busy family life. He has three children, one adopted, all under four.
“We had a lot going on there for a while,” he said.
Asked if it was a little less chaotic to be out on the road pursuing his golfing dreams, Campbell replied: “Sometimes—but I get my one good night of sleep and then I miss the family like crazy.”
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