Courageous Cambo

How can any New Zealand sporting fan not be pleased to see Michael Campbell playing some decent golf again?

"Cambo" finished tied for 16th place in his most recent event on the European Tour - the Qatar Masters - but it could have been even better when considering he was fifth equal after the completion of the third round. Nonetheless, it gives the New Zealander his second consecutive top twenty finish, in two weeks, to start 2013. That is not exactly a spectacular fortnight of golf, but when considering what Cambo has been through over the past several years it makes me wonder how he ever found the will to continue.

Since Cambo had that unforgettable year in 2005 when he won the US Open, HSBC World Match Play Championship, and was ranked inside the world's top 15, his golf has been just the opposite: Forgettable. Cambo missed cut after cut, year after year. I cannot remember what exact year it was (might have been 2010), but he was not even ranked inside the world's top 1000 at one stage. His golf was nothing short of a disaster.
 
Cambo's results in 2011 and 2012 paint a very sad picture. Of the 27 tournaments he entered in 2011, he failed to make the weekend on 19 occasions and only recorded one top 20 finish. From September 2011 to March 2012, he missed 12 straight cuts on the European Tour.

At the beginning of 2012, Cambo's world ranking hovered around the 750 mark. He missed 11 out of 13 cuts to start that year.

At this stage, some people would ask themselves: What is the point? I cannot bear to imagine the emotional turmoil he must have gone through and the constant self doubt that must have crossed his mind; wondering if he could ever discover his form of 2005 that made him the talk of the golfing world. It would have come as no surprise to me if Cambo decided to wave the white flag, give up, and accept the fact that he has had a successful career but his time is now up.

But Cambo stuck at it. He persevered and fought back from the depths of despair. 

Finally, in late 2012, Cambo chalked up his best finish on the European Tour, not to mention his best finish worldwide, since 2008, with a tied for third finish at the Portugal Masters. I cannot remember the last time he shot four sub-par rounds in a golf tournament like he did that week. Less than a month later he backed up his performance in Portugal by participating in the UBS Hong Kong Open and coming eighth equal.

It is safe to say that we are witnessing the early stages of a Cambo comeback. His last 12 tournaments are a testament to his fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude: Nine made cuts (four in a row), and six top 20s that include four top 15s. Again, nothing spectacular, but pretty decent when taking into account what Cambo has been through in recent years.

His world ranking has skyrocketed from 910th in July 2012 to where it is currently - 264th.

His recent return to form is partly due to his reunion with former swing coach Jonathan Yarwood - the same man who helped bring him major success almost eight years ago.

It seems that this reformed partnership has brought about a change in attitude for Cambo. In an interview after the Portugal Masters late last year with Brendan Telfer on Radio Sport, Cambo stated that he is enjoying his golf again, and that his goal in the final round was to essentially have fun and, as he put it, "smile."

In that interview Cambo also addressed the root of his previous problems - he wanted to hit the ball longer and consequentially tried to change his swing. It came as a surprise to me at how easy it is for one decision to lead to a catastrophe.

But Cambo had faith in himself and trusted his ability to rediscover his golf game. Full credit to him in doing that.

Now 43, Cambo has drawn his inspiration from fellow golfers in their 40s such as 2012 British Open winner Ernie Els, Fiji's Vijay Singh, and Paul Lawrie.

From the doldrums of the last several years, this newly relaxed, confident and smiling Michael Campbell is fantastic to see. He is performing at a level he has not done so in a very time. He has turned a huge corner and sparked a glimmer of hope in what looked like the back-ends of a diminishing golf career. I look forward to what he achieves throughout the rest of 2013.

Cambo probably has five or six years left to make some noise again on the professional golfing circuit. Are we on the verge of something special? Who knows. He was at 500-1 odds to win the US Open in 2005, was completely out of form throughout the first half of that year, and holed a two metre putt just to qualify. How did that turn out?