You know he's one of the best bal strikers in golf, but get to know more about Chad Campbell
April 9, 2006
By CAMERON MORFIT
AUGUSTA, Georgia—Chad Campbell leads the 70th Masters after shooting a 5-under-par 67 on Friday, but what does anyone know about the guy beyond that? He said he owns a couple of fancy jackets, one from winning the 2004 Bay Hill Invitational and a few left over from the '04 Ryder Cup, but offered few insights beyond that after his round, in which he birdied 12, 13 and 14. And so we go to the audiotape, and a fact-finding mission at February's Buick Invitational in San Diego that revealed:
He doesn't read his own ink, not even when Sports Illustrated anointed him The Next Big Thing in 2003. "It was great exposure for me," Campbell said, "but that's about all I thought of it." His big 2006 owes to a break in '05. "Being able to take two months off before this season really helped me," he said. "I didn't get that the year before when I played in Sun City, Tiger's tournament and the Shark Shootout all the way through to the end of 2004." He's flat and happy. "The main similarity between my swing and Hogan's is the plane that it's on, a flatter plane," he said. "I'd like to think I have a little more personality than him, by the stories I've heard. People who actually knew him said he was a great guy, but he could get in his den and have no awareness of what was around him. I wish I could do that on the golf course all the time."
Chad's wife Amy is an aspiring singer.Getty Images
He did not ask about Cameron Diaz when he played with Justin Timberlake while winning the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in January. "I didn't feel like we were close enough to get into that," he said. "She wasn't out there the day I was playing with him. It was cold, so there weren't many groupies out following us, either, but they were out the day I played with Roger Clemens, Mike Eruzione and Matthew McConaughey." He might trade his three Tour wins for a victory at the 2003 PGA—or not. "I can't say that I wouldn't," he said, "but I don't know if I could." He'll pass on the whole Best Player Never to Win a Major thing: "You've got to put Sergio in there, and Stuart Appleby, and Kenny Perry, too." Even he thinks he's boring. "To the people who say I'm vanilla and boring," he said, "I'd probably kind of agree. I really do like vanilla." He's into big rigs: "I've got a truck, an F-250. It's navy. I won a Mercedes, which my wife, Amy, drives. It's silver. And I've got a 2003 black Hummer H2." He's no backseat driver: "Amy's done her music career all on her own. I've voiced my opinion a few times, but I've kind of let her do that whole deal. She's just trying to get on the radio. I think it's there, she's got talent, numerous people have told her that. She tried to get on American Idol probably a little over three years ago." He's a good iron player 'cause he IS from Texas. "Growing up with more wind has to help, being able to keep the ball down and hit different shots," he said. "When you're keeping it down you're trapping it more." He cares more than he lets on. "I don't want to get into why I was crying [at the 2004 Ryder Cup]," he said. "It was Saturday night, and I'd lost both my matches. Me and [Jim] Furyk were 1-up with two to go in the four-ball and we lost the last two holes to Paul Casey and David Howell. I just happened to get emotional. He's deadly when he's on. Campbell pounded Luke Donald 5&3 the next day.
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