Campbell’s sensational season

MICHAEL CAMPBELL was on his way to Virginia yesterday for this week’s President’s Cup £1m richer, very close to being Europe’s top golfer of 2005 (even though he’s a New Zealand Maori) and still reflecting on his victory in the HSBC World Match Play Championship at the weekend.

There are those who will belittle his achievement because there wasn't a single American in the field and none from the top four in the world. There will also be many who believe handing out £1m for four days of golf is a sacrilege. There is merit in both points of view and much for the ultra-generous sponsors to ponder.

At the moment, there is every indication that the Match Play Championship will take place in the week before the Ryder Cup next year. HSBC would fancy that because it might tempt the likes of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to take part. The European players are against the idea because they believe the Wentworth week is exhausting and would leave them in poor mental and physical shape to cope with the special demands imposed by the Ryder Cup.