5:00 am today

All heart: Michael Campbell’s massive achievement, 20 years on

5:00 am today

Michael Campbell is looking fit and healthy, and he's feeling it too.

At least, he's feeling an awful lot better than he was earlier this year, after undergoing heart surgery.

"I had atrial fibrillation, which means my heart was racing out of rhythm," the 56-year-old said from his home in Marbella, Spain.

"I had felt terrible for about 4-5 years. I had an operation two months ago and I feel great now.

"I've lost a lot of weight, and feel strong and healthy."

That surgery and recovery co-incided with the anniversary of the greatest day in Campbell's career and one of the most memorable in New Zealand sporting history.

On 19 June, 2005, he strode up the fairways of Pinehurst in North Carolina, on his way to winning the US Open. While it's seen as an out-of-the-blue sporting moment, winning a golf Major is no fluke.

"I must have been pretty focused, because I can remember every single shot on the last round of the US Open, 20 years ago. Those shots are unforgettable, it's just life-changing stuff."

Michael Campbell walks up the 18th fairway during the final round of the 2005 U.S. Open Golf Championship in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Michael Campbell walks up the 18th fairway during the final round of the 2005 US Open. Photo: S. Badz/Getty Images

Especially when one of the players chasing Campbell down on the final round was a bloke named Tiger Woods.

"What he brings to golf, it transcends it as a sport," said Campbell. "He's just incredible - the presence, what he did for the game and what he achieved is just an incredible thing.

"To beat him in is in his prime and his height makes it even more special - there were 50,000 watching him and 10,000 watching me.

"He was there with me at the prizegiving, which is very unusual. I asked him, 'Why are you here, Tiger?', and what he said to me was the biggest compliment you could ever get from anyone.

"He said, 'I know where you came from, how much resources back in the day, this is to show my respect'. That was the coolest thing ever."

Michael Campbell shares a laugh with Tiger Woods after the final round Sunday June 19, 2005 of the U.S. Open Golf Championship.

Michael Campbell shares a laugh with Tiger Woods after the final round of the US Open. Photo: Sean Meyers/Getty Images

While he was putting together an ultimately tournament-winning one-under-par round of 69, Campbell had only one thing on his mind - what was he going to do with the US $1.7 million winner's prize?

"My original goal was a second-hand Porsche, but then after three rounds, it was a brand new one," he said. "I put 997 on my ball to mark it, because that was the new Porsche model number that year."

Campbell still has that ball, along with the US Open trophy that sits proudly in his living room.

All of this is captured in Dare to Be Different - The Michael Campbell Story. Premiering on 30 November on Sky Sport, the documentary tells Campbell's story from when he was growing up, through to the US Open win and up to the present day.

Campbell returned to Pinehurst for the first time since lifting the trophy.

The film talks to legends like Ernie Els and Colin Montgomerie, as well as New Zealand icons Sir Bob Charles, Steve Williams and Ryan Fox, but mainly, it focuses on Campbell coming to terms with his legacy, after a career that's dominated by one massive moment.

Michael Campbell

Michael Campbell at the 2011 NZ Open. Photo: Photosport

"Golf has taught me discipline, perseverance and the possibility to dream. It's more than just a game - it's all about creating moments."

The documentary also shows Campbell doing it the hard way, as a young Māori trying to break the mould of how New Zealand society in the 1970s and 80s saw him.

Golf was not a particularly 'brown' pastime when Campbell was growing up. In fact, his schoolmates and teachers laughed at him, when he announced that his dream was to one day become a professional player.

"I stood there, staying up proud and thinking, 'You know what, you're laughing now, but I'm going to have the last laugh'."

With his heart now in the right place, both literally and figuratively, Campbell is eyeing up the PGA Legends Tour, now that he is qualified to play on it. He's looking at Steven Alker for inspiration, after Alker's huge pay days since joining the over-50 circuit.

"It's just incredible, but he's so hard working. I've known Stevie since I was like 15 years old, it's a great story."

Before he even steps on the course again, Campbell is already mindful of the powerful trail he's blazed. Thanks to him and Phil Tautarangi, as well as significant youth programmes by Golf NZ, Māori participation in golf is now much more of a given than it was a few decades ago.

Recent stats point to eight percent of registered club members identifying as Māori, something Campbell is proud of.

"It was tough, people laughing at me and being told there's no Māori professional golfers on tour," he said. "So why not?

"We can make it. If you think you can do it, you can."

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