With Arnold Palmer looking on, Chad Campbell rallies from four back to win, taking advantage of Stuart Appleby's collapse.
By BOB HARIG
Published March 22, 2004
ORLANDO - This time, the noise was for him. Having played the first two rounds of the Bay Hill Invitational with tournament host Arnold Palmer, Chad Campbell heard the roars reserved for somebody else.
Come Sunday, it was Campbell being cheered.
A bogey-free, 6-under-par 66 produced a charge even Arnie would have been proud of and propelled Campbell to victory over stumbling third-round leader Stuart Appleby, who shot 76 and lost by a whopping six strokes.
The collapse brought back memories of another implosion by a blond Aussie, although this was not nearly the same stage as Greg Norman blowing a six-shot lead at the 1996 Masters.
Still, it was just the fifth time a 54-hole lead of four strokes or more on the PGA Tour was squandered in the past four years.
Amazingly, Campbell and Appleby were tied through 13 holes, and the tournament may well be remembered for how it was lost rather than won. A 10-shot swing occurred in 11 holes.
"I really screwed up the back nine," said Appleby, who won the season-opening Mercedes Championship and was bidding to become the first multiple winner this season. He shot 40 on the back nine.
"I felt all right all day, but Chad just kept making every putt. I was trying to ignore that and continue to do what I needed to do and hit my shots. He just outplayed me, no two ways about it."
Last year, Campbell was voted by his peers the player most likely to make a major championship his first victory in a poll conducted by Sports Illustrated. A Texas native, Campbell finished second to Shaun Micheel at the PGA Championship, then made the Tour Championship his first win.
Now he has two victories in his past 10 tournaments.
"It's extremely special to get the second one," said Campbell, 29, who will move up from 15th in the world and earned $900,000 to vault to eighth on the tour money list. "It proves the first one wasn't a fluke. And, obviously, being here at Bay Hill, playing with Mr. Palmer for the first two rounds and then being there with him on the 18th green when it was all done is extra special."
Palmer told Campbell he was not surprised by his victory, having gushed about him Friday.
"Chad didn't look like he was ever going to make a mistake," Palmer said. "Chad Campbell is about as strong as I've seen out here lately."
Campbell, who finished at 270, 18 under par, began the round four strokes back and didn't tie until Appleby bogeyed the 11th hole. The turning point occurred at the ninth, where despite hitting his drive into the trees, Campbell managed to punch his approach onto the green and make the putt for birdie. Meanwhile, Appleby bogeyed, dropping his lead to one.
Although Campbell played the back nine in 33, Appleby helped with bogeys at the 15th and 17th holes. An 18th-hole double bogey proved to be meaningless for Appleby, who finished second and won $540,000.
Scott Verplank and Adam Scott tied for third, seven strokes back. John Daly, bidding to secure a spot in the Masters, played the final two holes in 4 over par, dropping from a tie for third to 10th. He remains ninth on the money list and must stay in the top 10 by March 29 to earn an invitation.
Tiger Woods, who tied for 46th to post his worst PGA Tour finish in five years, expects more good things from Campbell.
"People don't realize he has won at every level," Woods said. "He won in college, won on the Hooters Tour, won on the Nationwide Tour and now he's here and won the Tour Championship.
"Chad can flat-out play. He's got kind of a flatter swing, he draws the ball. It's just a beautiful draw, and sometimes he can really hit it hot, too ... just hot tumblers out there. I look for him to do well. He's a wonderful ball-striker. That's what you have to do here."
Campbell took a long path to the PGA Tour, having to endure golf's minor leagues before finally making it by winning three times on the Nationwide Tour in 2001. Now he's backing up what a lot of PGA Tour players already knew about him.
"I think I've earned a lot of respect from my peers," he said.
"I definitely feel like I'm ready to be in that role."
