After an outstanding amateur career, Michael Campbell turned Professional competing mostly on the PGA Tour of Australasia and European Tour.
He earned his status on the later tour via the European Challenge Tour. During his career, he experienced success on all three Tours but had his breakout year in 2005 when he won the U.S. Open. He became the second New Zealander to win a Major and is one of the countries most successful golfers.
Campbell, who turned 50 in March 2019, has been playing the PGA Tour Champions and the European Senior Tour. Campbell’s greatest win was undoubtedly the 2005 US Open but with numerous victories in Europe and Australasia (including titles such as the World Match Play Championship and Irish and European Opens) his career has been full of outstanding milestones.
Campbell’s New Zealand Open victory came in 2000 when defeating Craig Perks in a playoff at Paraparaumu Beach and he has been runner-up on three other occasions.
2000 New Zealand Open: The eighty-third Open was played on January 20th to 23rd 2000 at Paraparaumu Beach. The Australasian Tour provided this date, reversing an arrangement established in 1995 and which meant no event was played in the 1999 year.
Weather and course conditions were again excellent as the scores indicated. Brett Rumford led after the first round with 66. Paul Gow, with a course record-equalling 62, took over after the second and retained the lead until the last day.
The final round saw Michael Campbell and Craig Perks begin to dominate and they eventually tied with 269, fifteen strokes under par.
The short par 5 eighteenth hole was used to play-off for the championship and on the first occasion was halved with birdies and then next time around Campbell holed the necessary eagle putt to claim the New Zealand Open title.
