FORMER US Open winner Michael Campbell will start the final day of the Champions UK plc European Senior Masters in first place.
This comes after the New Zealander moved to nine under par at the Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa, Murcia.
Campbell returned a second-round score of four under par on Saturday, extending his advantage over the field to two shots. Germany’s Thomas Gögele sits second at seven under, followed by England’s Van Phillips in third on six under.
When talking with tournament headline sponsor and UK speakers agency Champions Speakers, Campbell said: “It was pretty tough. It’s blowing hard today and -1 would be a good score so to shoot -4 is great. I was patient today, played stress-free the last couple of days and controlling the ball nicely.
“I’m excited for tomorrow, I haven’t led a golf tournament for a long time, maybe 20 years or so, so it’s nice to be in that position again, focus on my processes and see what happens tomorrow.
“I knew the front nine of the golf course is the scoring nine and just tried to stay patient and made a few good putts coming in, it’s great to be in such a good position.
“[The reaction to the heart operation news] has been amazing. The support I’ve had from my family and my close friends over the last couple of years has been incredible.
“Two months ago I was on the operating table, getting my heart figured out, and here I am 10 weeks later leading a golf tournament on the Legends Tour. So it really puts this game in perspective. Today I hit a few bad shots, but I didn’t really care. I’m just pleased to be here.”
Gögele remains Campbell’s nearest competitor heading into Sunday, who told reporters: “It was difficult in the wind, no doubt about that. When I was on the range this morning, it was shocking, to be honest, so I didn’t go into the round with a lot of confidence.
“I didn’t hit many good shots starting out and I got lucky twice on the fourth. I felt like I would need to battle all the way just to keep my score together.
“Then I holed a good return, a good putt on five, holed a good putt for birdie on six, and hit it stiff out of the bunker on eight, so the round started moving in the right direction. I made another birdie on ten, then a couple of bogeys on fifteen and sixteen, but overall I was satisfied. With the luck I had early in the round, and just missing the bunkers a few times, there was no need to complain.
“I hit two good shots into the last and thought, ‘Well, I’m under par, and with the way I felt going into the round, that’s great.’ I rolled the putt in and that’s the finish you’re looking for.
“It’s always good to be in contention. That’s what you play for, that’s where the fun is when it matters. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. It’ll be hard work again, but that’s what I’m here for.”
Phillips will begin the final round a further shot back on six under, but remained thrilled with his performance: “I played great today. I putted really well, which is something I’ve been working really hard on. It was really nice to have a round where it feels like the work paid off.
“I’ve started doing Aim Point and a lot of the world’s best putters do it. You read the green with your feet instead of your eyes and have to teach yourself the degree of slope by feeling it.
“That’s why you’ve seen me out there with the spirit level on the putting green. I went to Wentworth to watch the BMW PGA as Justin Rose is a good friend of mine. I watched him practice his putting for about two hours, and it was a bit of a wake-up call.
“It made me think that the way I practice is completely amateurish compared to what the best guys are doing in the world. So I started to try and learn it five weeks ago. It’s been a tough learning curve. I’ve really struggled on the greens as I’ve been trying to learn, and today was the first round where I felt like it was starting to come together.
“I played solid today but the putter was the difference between. I’ve had a lot of good rounds recently, but I haven’t been able to finish it off as of yet. There’s been a lot of good stuff in there and today the putter got going top. As with most of the guys out here it’s all about the putting.”
Full Sunday tee times and updated leaderboard information are available at: https://www.legendstour.com/tournament/european-senior-masters-2025#tee-times-direct
To find out more about the Champions UK plc European Senior Masters, in association with Equals Money, visit: https://europeanseniormasters.com/
