Hong Kong Open: New Zealand’s Ben Campbell lifts title – then reveals he nearly quit golf 4 months ago
- Birdie at the final hole helps Campbell to snatch glory by a shot from Australia’s Cameron Smith
- Campbell says title ‘means a lot’, months after ‘thinking I’d never play again’ when hip and back operations left him at times unable to get out of bed
Four months ago New Zealand’s Ben Campbell was on the verge of quitting golf. On Sunday, he won the Hong Kong Open in stunning fashion with a birdie at the final hole.
The Kiwi’s solid four-under-par 66 left him 19 under for the tournament, a shot ahead of Cameron Smith, with Phachara Khongwatmai and Richard T Lee tied for third at 17 under.
Victory was Campbell’s first on the Asian Tour, and lifted him into the fourth on the International Series order or merit, earning him a spot at next month’s LIV Golf Promotions event in Abu Dhabi.
More importantly, after hip and back operations that on occasion left him unable to get out of bed, Campbell got the win he so desperately wanted, more than 10 years after turning professional.
“There were plenty of operations, and bulged discs and thinking I’d never play again, so yeah, it means a lot,” Campbell said.
