Don’t be whingeing Poms over weather, Campbell tells rivals

DON’T be a whingeing Pom! That was US Open champion Michael Campbell’s message to his colleagues complaining about the weather and the difficulty of the Montgomerie Course on the eve of the Nissan Irish Open Championship.

To be fair, the driving rain and stiffish breeze made conditions miserable in yesterday’s pro-am, but the New Zealander is buoyed by the fact that he has won twice in Ireland and isn’t worried by our unpredictable weather.

His views are in stark contrast to those in the locker room who have already given themselves a two shot penalty before going on the course.

And that, as far as ‘Cambo’ is concerned, is just fine! He may have made several costly mistakes in the final nine holes at The Belfry on Sunday but he was more than happy to have competed well for three rounds and claims that boosted his confidence. And coming back to a country where he clocked up a couple of victories, also gives him a good feeling.

“Nothing can replace the winning feeling and I recall my first win in Ireland was the European Open in 2002”, he said.

“I was like five shots ahead of Padraig Harrington with five holes to play and tried to give it away to him. In the end, I managed to pip him on the 18th. The Irish Open the following year was in Portmarnock and I won in a play-off against Thomas Bjorn and Peter Hedblom. I think Portmarnock is one of the finest courses I ever played in my life. And I hit a driver and eight iron to a foot in the play-off so it was nice to finish that way.”

Nobody fancies four more days of yesterday’s weather but with the forecast far from favourable, Campbell insists he won’t let the elements bother him. As he put it: “You’ve got to tell yourself, it’s the same for everybody. No point in whingeing about it. Just get on with the job. If it’s cold and wet and windy before we tee off, more than half the field has given up already. Why worry about it. It’s fantastic when I hear people whinge. I think it’s great. That means these people are gone already. They add a two shot mentality before they tee off.”

Campbell said he wouldn’t be complaining: “I’m not a Pom. We’re here for the Irish Open and playing golf at a great golf course. At least enjoy it. Let’s not complain about the weather. Let’s have a Guinness, the people are wonderful so let’s have some fun.”

Lest you’re not familiar with the Pom expression, it derives from “Prisoner of her Majesty” from the days when alleged criminals were deported to Australia and New Zealand and is often used in a pejorative sense by Aussie cricketers when putting their English counterparts to the sword during Ashes series.

“The rain in the pro-am is probably good preparation for the next four days”, he mused. “You prepare properly, make sure there are no leaks in the waterproofs, plenty of towels in the golf bag, seeing how far the ball is flying is very important. Those are the kinds of things to look out for when it’s cold, wet and windy. So I’m trying to do my homework today and come out tomorrow prepared.”