Golf Irish Open: These days, Michael Campbell is much changed from the poor, downtrodden golfing soul who arrived in Portmarnock a year ago looking for salvation. Back then, he'd just spent months playing on the US Tour and missing the cut in every tournament he played. However, his play-off win in the Nissan Irish Open transformed the Kiwi.
"It kick-started me again," he remarked yesterday, ahead of defending his title.
In fact, as Campbell flipped through pages of a tourist brochure that featured a photo of the Corrs on the cover and proclaimed Louth as the "land of legends", he observed that his Irish Open success had re-ignited his desire to move onto the next level of contending again in majors and in the world championship events.
"Before that win, I was slipping out of the top 50 in the world rankings. I'd had a really bad six months, and the win started my turnaround. It really helped me to be a better player," he said.
Certainly, that flirtation with the US Tour proved to be an ill-advised one. The family were moving from one hotel room to another - "We'd no fixed abode," he remarked - and missing cuts didn't help. Now, though, they're settled in England where his two children attend school and, for the foreseeable future, his career will be based on the European Tour.
"I might change my mind in a few years and have another run at the States," he admitted, "but I like it here. They have a sameness in America, and I enjoy the culture in Europe . . . and you don't get courses like this one in America either. When I first saw the course, I thought it would be a great course. It's a different animal to Portmarnock, but it's wonderful, very testing. There are a few tough holes but, on the whole, it is great to play."
For many players, the first impression of a course is often the one that will determine how they play. As Campbell put it, "If you like a course, it gives you a good mindset for the rest of the week. If you come here with a negative attitude or mindset, it doesn't help the cause.
"I really enjoy the challenges of links golf courses and I always enjoy coming to Ireland. The people are very hospitable, and that is all part of the package. I've had plenty of practice on links courses the last week and a half or so. I'm looking forward to the challenge.
"The course can change 10 times within five hours because of the direction of the wind. If it changes slightly, by even five or six degrees, it becomes a different golf course. My game suits the variation. On tree-lined courses, what you see is what you get but I prefer to play this type of golf."
Campbell comes into the defence of his title in much finer fettle than he was a year ago, when he only decided to play in the Irish Open at a late stage and then went on to defeat Thomas Bjorn and Peter Hedblom in a play-off.
"My form's much better. Last year I'd played for four months in America, missed every cut and played terribly. It's a different scenario. This time I'm playing a lot better," he said, a fact confirmed by his runner-up finish to Thomas Levet in the Scottish Open and his tied-20th finish behind Todd Hamilton in the British Open.
The last time a player successfully defended the Irish Open was Colin Montgomerie at Druids Glen in 1997. For those interested in a punt on an in-form player, Campbell is quoted at 12 to 1 to repeat the feat. Stranger things have happened.
