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So it was the President's Cup in 2005. Won the US Open. Month later I won the
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world match play. Week after that was the President's Cup and Monday flew straight to Washington DC. Now we're on
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Tuesday night, black tie function. Both teams are there. All these important people are there. The president was
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there. Clinton I think was then uh it was uh Bush sat at his table. Had a nice conversation with him. So we're
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in the in the uh in the White House. That's pretty cool. Imagine a little moldy boy in the White House. You know,
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it's crazy, isn't it? Um, so anyway, >> this podcast is filled with moments like
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that. >> Oh, good. You're here. Come on. This is the center of performance. Whenever
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there's a top performance in New Zealand, it all comes from here. That's
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Lisa Carrington. She's been doing that for days. That's the boys who got the
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Holland one in. >> He did it again. Hey Finn, how's the performance going?
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>> Top tier. >> Nice. This is our generate room. In here you'll find our top performers helping
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Kiwis maximize their Kiwi Saver investments. Get in here in >> maximize generate.
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>> Putting performance first. >> Cambo, welcome to my podcast. >> Yeah, great to be here. Thank you.
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Thanks, Tom. >> It's so good to have you here. We've been like chatting um as we set up the
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studio for the last 10 minutes and um just some of the truth bombs you've dropped. I think it's going to be a
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great chat. >> I hope so. Yeah, I think it gives you an insight to my my pathway and and how um
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you know my performance over what the last 30 years as a pro and uh the insights of how I got there and so I'm
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looking forward to sharing that. >> Maybe Michael Campbell is he's never
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been heard before. >> Maybe maybe so depends on your questions how dig how deep you dig. So we'll see.
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when when you agreed to come on the podcast, I thought I'm sure I've got
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Campbell's book in my bookshelf at home and I found this one, Rookie on Tour,
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Michael Campbell, which came out sort of at the beginning of your career. >> It was Yeah. 95, I think it was, written
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by Russell Gray, good good friend of mine. And that was after the Open, leading by, I think, uh, three shots
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going to the last round, finished third. Uh, >> British Open. Yeah. >> Yeah. The Open. The Open at St. Andrews,
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one of the biggest, you know, tournaments in the world. And that was when I um kind of said to myself, okay,
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I'm ready for the big stage now. Because if you think about it, you know, I came
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from very humble beginnings, a sheep farm, the golf course at Tahib Bay golf course was a sheet farm, fences around
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the greens. Went from that to leading the open. So I thought I was on the right track there.
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This is going to be so good. I've got I've got a whole card here uh about that
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open. Um because um yeah, you came third behind Rock Mediate and John Dailyaly, star of Happy Gilmore, too.
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>> Exactly. I saw that. Yeah. >> Um it was amazing. I remember at the
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time like being a Kiwi watching that just having goosebumps cuz I I don't know what happened in that third round.
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You shot like 65 or something, right? >> Yeah, that's right. 65. I think the
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average that day was like 75. Was playing about 30 knots, I think, u that day. And and being brought up in
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Wellington, as you know, is the second windiest city in the world, I think they say. And and to me it was like home. So
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>> like it's not even a breeze. >> No. No. What's this? It's a wee breeze.
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And yeah, I played I mean probably the my best golf in my life that day and shot 65 and leading by three shots. And
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you know it was so much fun, you know. I remember the night before I didn't sleep. But I had I was so nervous, you
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know, and and a funny story about that is that um I went to after the third round I went to the press conference and
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the first time I was exposed to 300 reporters from around the world and they're going, "Who's this Michael
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Campbell? Who are you?" You know, so I tried to explain myself where I was from.
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Some thought I was Poland uh some thought I was um I don't know Pakistani or something.
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>> Pakistani or it was like Yeah. Indonesian. And I said, "I'm a moldy."
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And they go, "Well, what's that?" You know, and so that's when I thought,
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"Okay, I stamp my stamp my my footprint on this um golfing world." And uh all of
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a sudden, all these management groups wanted to sign me on. So they enticed me with a uh helicopter ride cuz we stayed
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in Dundee and it's normally like a half an hour drive. It takes it took uh an
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hour because of the traffic, right? So they said, "Look, Mark, we'll organize
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your chopper ride from Dundee Airport to St. Andrews." I Yeah, that's great.
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Well, that was a big mistake. A big mistake. So I'm obviously last off on Sunday, 2:35 it was. And then forget the
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time. And um they said, "Okay, we'll organize a chopper for you at uh 2 hours
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before." So 12:30 at the airport, leaving the airport at 12:30 to St. Andrews. It's only like a 10-minute
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chopper ride. get there, airport's closed, no one's inside. So, it's compounded now because if you think
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about it, I'm leaning the open by three shots, the biggest tournament in the
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world, and I've got no way to get there. And I'm thinking to myself, I'm going to
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miss my my tea time. First time ever, you know, so I was panicking. It turned up probably about 45 minutes late, about
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quart 1. I'm thinking it's not going to work cuz it's 10 minutes to there.
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That's 1:30. And the helipad was like 20 minutes away from the actual golf course. And the
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driving range is away from the first tea. So I got to the driving range and I had about 15 minutes before my tea time.
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I probably four or five shots. My coach Mel Tong was there at the time. My dad was there. Um, yeah, it was it was
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weird. And then I rushed to the first TE. I think I had one practice putt, that was it. So, you imagine that, you
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know, leading the open, hitting four or five shots in your warm up before you play, one practice putt on the first te.
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So, my heart was went from, you know, 140 to 180 nearly uh beats per minute. And I nearly missed I nearly missed the
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uh first uh first fairway. It's nearly impossible, right? It's like 150 m wide.
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I nearly missed it left. >> So, it was a rough day from the very beginning. And it's my fault. Uh I take
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full responsibility of that. No one else's. So, >> how is how is it your fault for for
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going for the chopper option? >> Yeah, I could I mean that that taught me a big lesson for me. Do not change your
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routine. if I went through the uh my normal routine of you know it was it was a nice journey with you know my team had
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a couple of friends there Williams and Jonathan Ywood um Mel Tong my coach and my girlfriend at the time Julie and my
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dad so it was a nice kind of like you know hour together just to think about the day um I didn't have that I was
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rushing around the whole time on that day so bad start and then as you know I I finished third so um disappointed but
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if someone said to me, you know, Michael, you're going to finish third in the open in 95 at St. Andrews. Of
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course, you'll take that, right? But, uh, what I learned is, um, you know, you
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always learn from your losses, >> and I failed, you could say, um, it's a very harsh word to use, I
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think. Um, but I learned a lot that day. >> I had Sir Steve Hansen on the podcast
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earlier this year, and he he had a saying it's like we we don't lose, we
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learn. >> Exactly. I mean, I remember having a conversation with Steve Hansen about
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that. I was lucky enough to get invited a few times on the uh captain's run on the Friday and met some of the boys
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and you know, they were great and spoke to Steve Hansen, lovely guy. I really admire him, what he's done for the
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blacks and for for New Zealand and we had a few conversations about that, you know, and that that subject came up with
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Steve and I and um and I totally agree with him. >> Oh, this is going to be so good, mate.
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already already so good. Is it Do you feel like um Yeah, you you could have potentially won that day had it not been
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for for this. Um I mean, hindsight, eh, you never know. >> Yeah. Ask ask Chris uh Crystal Bull. I
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don't know. Maybe. Yes. Um but maybe fate stepped in and said, "Okay, you're
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not ready yet. >> I made a big mistake." So, >> you know, uh I would love to win the
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Open, of course, don't get me wrong. I mean to win the Open and the US Open together would have been nice but um
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>> but I learned a lot from that day. So you know in in reflection now I look
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back and go okay it was a stupid mistake Michael >> but I'll tell you a story about uh um
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the US Open what I did then but uh right now let's focus on the 95 but yeah it
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was it was um it was a nice um nice way to look at it I think more of a positive
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way to look at it. >> Yeah. I said this cat in the book here. How Apparently your sister used to um
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get copies of that and sell it to girls at school. >> How'd you know that story?
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>> Come on. How'd you do that? Research. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh,
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yeah. I was um >> Yeah. Oh, this embarrassing. >> Why? Just just cuz all the girls at
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school loved you. >> Well, I thought they I I don't know. Maybe I was >> Was it cheek charm? You got You glitched
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in your eye in that photo. >> I can't remember. I think I was a little
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bit cheeky and they like um in a bit of a rabble I think. And >> I can't believe he put that up. This is
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this is embarrassing. >> If someone if someone said to that kid in the photo, how old were you then? Do
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you re were you playing golf? >> I was and I know the exact picture was like 11 years old.
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>> Okay. So you were playing golf then you and you were really quite >> just started playing golf. Yeah. And so
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if someone said to you back then um that you're going to go on to win um you know
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US Open, play the Masters 10 times, third in the British Open, New Zealand Open, etc. Um what would you what would
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you have thought at that age? Would you have thought, "Yep, that that sounds
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about right." Or would you be, "No, no [ __ ] way. This is >> Oh, no. No. For me, for me it was like I
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had those dreams at that age." >> So if someone told you that was going to
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happen, you wouldn't have been surprised. You'd be like, "Yep, that's
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the part." Yeah, that's that was my um my plan from the very very start.
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Obviously, every kid is important to have those dreams, you know, and um >> I just wanted to be different. Uh I'm
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not sure if you saw my documentary dear to be different, but it it gives you an insight to um
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my thought process and how I got there, my pathway to uh a major championship. >> But um yeah, as a kid that age, I wanted
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to do that. I remember getting up early. It's my dad. My dad uh got me into it
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into golf at a very young age. I was probably six, seven years old. Didn't really play golf that much. I played
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rugby. Of course, rugby was I wanted to be an all black. >> I I heard your mom was um anti you
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playing rugby. >> Yeah. She didn't like me. She didn't like like playing playing rugby, but I
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loved it. Dad loved it. But I kind of found out very quickly I wasn't good enough, strong enough, fast enough to
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play for the All Blacks. I kind of knew that. So I thought, okay, what's another
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sport? Because I wasn't very good at school, uh to be honest with you. I mean, um, and so, uh, I tried softball
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and there's not much money in softball. So, from that age, I thought I think
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golf is is the way to go. Uh, cuz I remember getting up early in the mornings with dad watching cuz dad was a
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golf fanatic. Still is. >> Pretty handy. E, a single handicapper. >> Yeah.
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>> And your and your uncle Roger was good as well. >> Uncle Roger was was was the man. Yeah.
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Uncle Roger was off scratch handicap. >> Wow. >> Um, he taught me a lot as well. Uncle
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Roger. Uh and uh yeah, so I remember getting up early hours of the morning watching the
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last nine holes of Augusta and um back in those days we just had color TV and I remember watching I think
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Jack Nicholas winning player or Arnold Palmer winning and sitting down with dad cuz I think the
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time difference was like like 4 in the morning, 5 in the morning before school and um I thought wow that'd be pretty
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cool to play walk in those fairways one day and as he mentioned before I 10 times
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>> yeah 10 times or whatever it was I don't know um and I said to dad there's
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there's no moldy people there no moldy golfers cuz oh no there's no moldy
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professional golfers on tour I thought I want to change that so that was around that age I want I wanted to to um you
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know break the mold and and and um turn professional one day so I had that dream
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from a very early age, you know, of winning a major championship. Uh, for me it was the Open, the British Open. Um,
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and obviously winning the US Open was a bonus, but um, that was my goal. I think
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when you have tour dreams like that, which I did, anything's possible. It may
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seem impossible at the time. If you think about it, you know, I'm 11 years old playing golf on a sheep farm, fences
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around the greens. I got one club, probably two or three golf balls. I used to tear it up on sheep [ __ ]
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you know. Went from that to winning one of the biggest tournaments in the world and having along the way being the best
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player in the world ever to play this game, Tiger. Standing next to me on on the prize presentation
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>> that's gone from that back in the 70s to 2005. It's pretty cool story, isn't it,
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>> mate? It's so I've got goosebumps just hearing it. And also as you're peeling
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off some of those names about uh the people you were watching at Augusta as a as a little boy on color TV. Um yeah,
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Arnold Palmer. He played his last uh British Open the year that you finished third. Yeah.
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>> Uh >> I remember that. He he was playing in front of me. Yeah. >> Jack Nicholas Golden Beer. He he he sent
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you a handwritten letter after 2005. There's so much to get into, but it's
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just like a complete full circle moment. Did it make it Yeah. What does being moldy mean to you? Did did it make your
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success even more special? >> Strength. Um that's one word comes to mind. Um
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I think um being different is is powerful. Um I wanted to prove to the world that Moldi can play golf
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>> and I have >> well yeah I was I was the first Moldi to win lots of things, you know. uh firsts
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on the Australasian tour, European tour, first major, first uh Moldi to win a world match play, uh first lots of
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firsts and I'm proud of that really. Um I'm proud that I've, you know,
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blazed a way for uh other other young kids to fulfill their dreams. Um that's my purpose on
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what in this on this planet. I was taught that from a very young age when I was younger growing up in on the farm. I
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was very close to my grandmother. Uh she was a huge influence in my in my um my dreams and
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>> as a person she told me that um and imagine I'm trying to paint a picture
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here for you guys. I was sitting down on the couch cuz I used to smoke rolies and
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um so I used to help her prepare her smoke. So she would sit down and we just talk about life and she was a very wise
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woman and I was probably about 10 9 10 years old at the time and she would just say look Michael you know I can see that
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you can do something special in your life I can see it I can see the future I'm thinking you're a little bit loopy
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uh grandma but okay whatever it was like was off duck ducks back you know I didn't really think much of it
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and then um uh she goes yeah once to receive. I know you're born with two hands. I use this phrase before, born
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with two hands. One to receive, one to give back. And we do receive a lot, which you will. Um it's you've been in a
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position to give back uh to the world. And um yeah, so that was that always stuck with me. She planted that seed
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all those years ago and now now I get it. >> You lost her quite young age when you
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were you were 16. >> 16. >> Yeah. 16. Um that was devastating for me
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and but it's amazing when I turned 16 and sorry when she passed away my golf
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just went skyrocketed. I don't know what is some spiritual moment where I thought to myself okay
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it's time to shine time to get up there and and work hard and and do what you
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know what you can do and um yeah it gave me more power. So so the word moldy to me means that um we're very proud of our
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culture. uh has given me strength over during the hard times especially >> you know I remember when I sunk that
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last put on the last hole at the US Open I raise my hands towards the heavens and
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thank my tupa you know the people who passed on before me um for their um strength and courage and
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uh to make make it possible because I I couldn't do by myself out there although
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I'm I'm the one hitting the golf ball it goes beyond that you know it goes beyond
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um your own being. Um and my this is my what I believe. Yes, you yes you work hard for it. You train hard for it. You
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mentally, physically, swing coaches, you know, psychologists, um personal trainers, nutritionists, and I had a
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great team around me, but it was you need more than that, you know, and uh so I managed to nudge off target by a
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couple of shots towards the end. >> Yeah, it's incredible. So I I actually
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had your your your nana's name written down on a card to in case it came up in
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conversation. But you know the fact that you brought it up 40 years or whatever after she's passed. Um it speaks volumes
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about the impact she had on you. I think that's powerful. >> I mean that's when I kind of learned
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about the whole mentoring part of it. You know that's where it's important
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right now. I think um because I've been into this whole it's called a talent
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pyramid. A talent pyramid is basically you got the grassroots of any sports um it's going to be thousands of kids right
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start playing golf and then and when they get to age from age from 10 to 13 14 is when the mentoring part kicks in
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and I had a lot of mentors Ken Douglas for example uh obviously my dad and I had um other people around me who guided
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me and mentoring is the most important that's when you go either one way or the
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other um so So she was big part of that and then the so that's the middle middle
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part of the uh the pyramid and the top part is obviously when you the elite part of it you know and the training and
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that sort of stuff. So yeah I've got a good understanding on how you if you want to do something how to to develop
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kids in that sort of manner. Um I've been giving back a lot to the game of golf that's given me so much with my
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golf academy in in Maya in Spain. I've really enjoyed that um passing on my knowledge and experiences to these kids.
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You know, uh I do teach them a little bit um about the golf swing, but my my role which I've I found out more so
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actually um playing Chasing the Fox last week. I spent a lot of time with uh for
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what two or three hours with Dan Hillier and and and Foxy and and they were telling me stories I mentioned before
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about how they met me for the first time and the stories behind that and they looked up to me and and that sort of
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stuff. So >> yeah, this is when they were kids. >> Yeah, exactly. I mean I think Foxy just
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turned pro. when I played with him at Christ Church and um when I I heard about this guy Foxy right about Ryan and
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um I remember the first T-shot you hit I'm thinking whoa this guy's good but he
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had a shocking short game. So I said to him, I'll never forget uh and he mentioned it to me actually last week.
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He said to me, "Oh Cambo, it was great to play with you and blah blah blah."
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And I said, "Okay, mate. We need to I need to give you a tripping lesson, mate, cuz you you're you're crap.
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I'm very direct. Okay. So, uh I said, "You're you're correct, mate." So, after
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the round, I think it was the first or second round, we spent hours together and then Grant Fox was there, his dad,
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and and all of a sudden there was like a 20 20 players around, you know, and um that's when it started for me. I thought
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Jeepers, you know, this is back in 2007, I think it is. I can't remember. >> Maybe earlier, I can't remember. around
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that same area as the uh time as the US Open. >> It was the peak Michael Campbell.
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>> Yeah. And then and there was more like a clinic now of chipping and and that's
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when I thought, "Yeah, okay." And now this is my role now, you know. And then
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and then Dan Hillier came up to me last week and said, "Oh yeah, Michael, I won
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your tournament. I was 9 years old at the Michael Campbell Junior Championships at Tahib Bay." And and
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then uh I met him when he was 14 years old about to he wanted to turn pros. So, I sat down with him for 2 hours. Well, I
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can't really remember that, but um it's nice to hear that cuz now it's like a um
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a rocking chair moment, you know, watching these guys. I'm sitting in my rocking chair. I'm not quite that old,
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but I'm 56 and having my my glass of red wine. Um, and watching these guys play,
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watching Foxy win the Canadian Open, uh, watching Dan win the British Masters last year and Foxy winning, you know, he
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won twice this year and he won obviously the biggest tournament in the BW Championship and Wentworth. So I I just
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I'm so proud of them. Um, and both of them were kindly they kindly said to me, you know, um,
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you you inspired us and stuff like that. So, I've taken on a different role now,
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I think, as a player. You know, I can't compete against these guys. Don't hurt
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long enough. Uh, I still play on Legends Tour, which is a European version of the
00:21:42
Champions Tour. Uh, Stevie Ala is killing it on the Champions Tour. Uh, it's amazing. Great to see. He's a good
00:21:47
friend of mine. Um, but yeah, now I've realized, I mean, it's my first trip
00:21:51
back home. um playing in front of, you know, local people and it was it was it was amazing. I mean, there was
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like 4,000 5,000 people with that Fox News tournament and what really got me was um these
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young kids, kids everywhere playing golf now. >> And it was um heartwarming to see. And I
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was thinking to myself, uh, maybe I've got something to do with this, you know,
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maybe 1%. But, uh, this is this is why I was born on this planet, you know, to to
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make a difference. >> Uh, I think I think you Yeah. 1% is being um incredibly modest. Like I think
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you you inspired a whole generation. >> Yeah, that's what I got from it. I mean,
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um, you know, two two generations um with with Foxy and and Dan. Um, >> and even I remember walking the fairways
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with these young moldy kids. There's about six of them, you know, walking around asking me questions and
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and yeah, it's such a amazing feeling. Um, and I thought, okay, this is this is
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this is where I supposed to be. >> Although, you're making it sound like
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you're a really old man, like the rock, you're painting a picture of the rocking
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chair and the glass of pino or Merlo. I don't know. Maybe like a heavier body.
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>> South Australian. >> Yeah, South Australian. >> Yeah. Yeah. Um, but you're playing
00:23:15
really well on the Legends Tour. Um, I I want to know what what's your why now?
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Is it is it the the just the thrill of I mean, you've got enough money to last a
00:23:22
lifetime, right? Money's not an issue. Is it is is it still that like burning
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competitive desire? >> Oh, yeah. Yeah, definitely. Um, that's why that's why I'm still playing. Maybe
00:23:31
give another four years, I'm done. But, I love competing against the boys. Um,
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it's fun. It's more fun now because, you know, play three rounds of golf. We we
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socialize together all the time. And it's just fun to be with them. If you think about it, you know, they've been
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in my lives for 30 years. >> We know each other. We know the wives, the girlfriends, the their kids, what
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they're doing, you know, and that sort of stuff. It's a nice family to be
00:23:53
involved in. And when I retired from um playing on the main tours in 2012, I kind of missed it a little bit. And um I
00:24:03
had to wait, I think, uh seven years to turn 50. And during those seven years, that's when I started my golf academy to
00:24:09
keep me busy. I thought, it's quite funny. I thought I would I'll be uh enjoying time off, but
00:24:18
I was bored after about, you know, 2 months cuz I'm so used to be on the road traveling, doing things, you know,
00:24:26
I didn't have a purpose to get up in the mornings >> and I thought this is not good. That's
00:24:31
why I started the golf academy to keep me busy, my mind busy and and I got the buzz in a different way now. I was
00:24:36
giving, you know, I was there seeing a lot of progress with these these kids and that was the adrenaline rush rather
00:24:43
than me being out there playing and winning golf tournaments. It was basically, you know, giving back to the
00:24:48
game. >> So, what does life look like now for Michael Campbell in Spain? You're
00:24:52
married again, eh? Second wife, Ganell. >> Gor, how do you say it? >> Gunnor.
00:24:57
>> Goro. Where is she from? >> Sweden. >> Sweden. And you got two um adult sons,
00:25:01
Thomas and Jordan, both in their 20s. >> Yeah. 26 and 24. >> Yeah. Um, one one is in um going to
00:25:07
America and the other one's in England. They're kind of like spread out. It's
00:25:11
quite funny because we uh they've had a crazy upbringing. Um um um >> Well, it's all it's all they it is a
00:25:19
crazy upbringing like especially I suppose compared to yours, but it's all they know.
00:25:22
>> Yeah, exactly. They always know that the the world is their home, you know,
00:25:26
because we sat down one one night um talking about houses, right? And uh we lived in 12 different houses. That's
00:25:32
crazy. and they went to school um in Australia, Switzerland, England, Spain, you know, so it's not very it's not
00:25:44
normal. >> Um but yeah, they're they're doing well and u it's um well, I'm an empty neester,
00:25:53
you know, all the kids gone now, which is kind of nice and so I'm just enjoying
00:25:57
my time with Gunnel. So, uh it it's been a it's been different. It's different.
00:26:02
I've um you know I'm pretty relaxed now and I actually had a bit of a a health issue.
00:26:09
U you had a heart operation a few months ago. >> I had a heart operation about 3 months
00:26:14
ago. Uh I feel so much better now. Uh before then it was it's called atrial fibrillation. So in other words beating
00:26:20
fast. My heart was beating fast and out of rhythm. And I put it off for like 3 years because there obviously with an
00:26:26
operation there's a risk involved. And um there I was very irritable, impatient, no energy. I would go to bed
00:26:36
for 9 hours, sleep for 9 hours and get up and still tired and I thought this is not the quality of life. There was none.
00:26:42
So I thought I got to do this operation. >> What caused that on is it is it a
00:26:47
genetic thing or is it just a random? >> Look, I'll probably get canceled here,
00:26:50
but um it all started for me personally since I had the jab, the co jab. I'll
00:26:56
never forget after the second one I I was sitting down on the couch watching TV um and all of a sudden my heart was
00:27:04
racing like it was jumping out of my chest and it happened probably about six days
00:27:10
six times a day or maybe six times a week and I thought this is not good. >> Um ignored it and went away for a little
00:27:19
bit and started coming back again and went on for like probably two and a half years.
00:27:26
So I got a big checkup and uh health checkup and they found that yeah my heart was um not my resting heart rate
00:27:32
was 120. >> Jeez. >> Yeah. So so my my heart was working so hard with no results. So that's when I
00:27:40
decided to I needed to do something about it. >> But now now I feel great. I mean I feel
00:27:45
like um 40 or 30 or 35 or something. Well, I suppose after feeling so bad for so long, it must feel amazing just to be
00:27:54
your old self again. >> And then and then straight away there was a correlation to my my performances,
00:27:59
you know. Uh I knew you wanted It's funny because I was on the on the operating table. Um and then my doctor
00:28:07
said to me, "Michael, you got to take at least two or three months off." I
00:28:11
thought, "No, that's way too long." So I actually started playing golf um 6 weeks
00:28:17
after the operation and I nearly won it won the tournament on the legends tour in Spain and then I played in Maitius uh
00:28:25
two week two two weeks ago and finished uh 66 65 in the last two rounds. So I mean to me it's it's
00:28:33
obvious what happened. You know I just didn't have the f the focus or I was fuzzy on the golf course but now it's
00:28:39
more clear and more clarity on the golf course now. So, I'm pretty excited for
00:28:43
next year. >> I appreciate you sharing that. No one no one can cancel you for you speaking your
00:28:49
truth. >> Well, you know, you never know. Maybe hope maybe you can in England and other
00:28:53
places in the world. Jeepers, I'm not sure they've let me in the country again
00:28:56
after saying that. But, um, that's my honest truth. You know, um, >> you know, uh, things have changed a
00:29:02
little bit now after what, 5 years since the co jave came out and >> and, uh, all this research and stuff
00:29:09
like that, you know. So anyway, I don't want to talk about too much, but yeah,
00:29:13
>> there was definitely a thing here in New Zealand where anyone that um had an
00:29:16
adverse effect to it, the the media just wouldn't touch the story. So these stories weren't getting the light of
00:29:21
day. Um yeah, and anyone here that was sort of antivax and this is coming, I'm
00:29:25
a sheeple, so if Ashley Bloomfield and just doing tell me to get a third jab, I'll go and roll my sleeve up and get it
00:29:31
done. Um but anyone in New Zealand at that time that didn't uh was reluctant
00:29:35
to get the vaccine, they were sort of painted as being a little bit crazy, like a tinfoil hat wearer. And you look
00:29:40
back now with recent sort of hindsight and it's like actually they they had a
00:29:43
point and um they should have been respected. I don't know. You're not you're not contributing to
00:29:50
this. May end up cutting this bit out. What what um what other jobs have you had?
00:29:55
You worked in the meat works for a while, eh? No, I had a I had had a real job. Um
00:30:02
this is a funny uh episode of my life. Final funny I'll start again. This is a
00:30:09
funny um chapter in my life. Um I wanted to get a a job to save up money to travel. So my dad organized
00:30:19
through the back door um a little bit to uh work for telecom and uh so age of 16 I think it was. It
00:30:29
was like a 5y year process to get fully qualified. They said, "Okay, Michael,
00:30:33
we'll fully support you, but we need um cuz he obviously mom and dad knew I wanted to be a professional golfer, but
00:30:41
you need a plan B, which I didn't really think it was right because if you have a
00:30:45
plan B, you're not focused on plan A, but anyway, >> you're more a burn the boats type of
00:30:50
guy." >> Yeah. So, to just to please my mom and dad, sorry, Dad, I know you. Um I said,
00:30:56
"Okay, I'll do it then." Um, which was great because it it got me opportunity to save a bit of money. Um,
00:31:04
I brought a car and so I could travel around New Zealand and play all these tournaments. And I remember my boss, uh,
00:31:12
Rod Tindle didn't like me. Uh, a couple of stories is that I used to take sickies, you know, on Fridays and
00:31:19
Mondays. And the reason why I did that cuz I had to travel on Friday say to Oakuckland or
00:31:26
Hamilton or or wherever I'm playing and play two rounds of golf then come back
00:31:29
on Monday kind of thing and um I would say to him, "Oh, yeah. Uh you know, I'll
00:31:35
go go to work on the Monday or Tuesday and go see, oh, Michael." So, and there's a little folded kind of
00:31:41
newspaper on the corner of his desk and he goes, "Hey, Michael, you feeling better?" Oh, yeah. I feel
00:31:48
much better now. And he opens up this newspaper and this picture of me holding a trophy
00:31:55
somewhere in Hamilton. You go, you go, "You sure?" I said, "Yeah, I um yeah,
00:32:03
>> busted." >> Busted so many times. And and Gordon McIntyre uh who was Rod's boss.
00:32:12
Unfortunately, he passed away. Gordon Mack golfer uh he supported me so much. He helped me. He bailed me out so many
00:32:20
times. Bailed me out cuz he knew that he understood about my passion for golf. And then another another story I want to
00:32:27
share with you is that I had a job where I would work in remote satellite exchanges. So um Wellington was the main
00:32:34
mother exchange and we had Kil Bernie, we have Kelson, we had uh all different um Pooker Bay you know all those
00:32:43
satellite stations around uh telephone exchanges around Wellington and so I used to drive my car to work then I used
00:32:54
to um pick up my pager cuz back in the day there was no cell phones a pager >> and uh my work car, drive around to my
00:33:04
car, put my golf clubs up, back of the car of the work car, and I drive to the nearest rugby field
00:33:11
and practice until I get paged. And so I was there for hours one day thinking, Jo, it's been 2 or three
00:33:19
hours, no no page. And I look at my pager, it's wasn't charged properly. It
00:33:24
was flat. And so, and all sudden, I see this telecom car come rushing around and it's
00:33:30
my boss, Rod Tindle. He goes, "Michael, where have you been?" I said, "Well, obviously I'm practicing
00:33:36
golf rod." He goes, "It was a major fault down uh a trunk line uh from
00:33:41
Oakland to Wellington. And all it took was a switch, you know, and uh and I was too busy following my dreams." So
00:33:50
>> just a one track mind, eh? >> Oh, I was I mean, you have to be >> Yeah. Just red hot focus, laser focus
00:33:55
>> all the time. All of it's a very selfish game. you have to be obsessed uh to be
00:34:02
the best you can be >> and I had to do those sort of things, you know, and yeah, it's and then I I
00:34:09
quit when I was 21 and >> you got to quit. They didn't fire you. >> No, cuz Gordon McIntyre kicked me on. Uh
00:34:17
he was he was a legend. So you you got to understand that you know part of my journey
00:34:23
you know is obviously the ultimate the the goal was winning winning a manager which I did but there's people along the
00:34:28
way like Gordon McIntyre uh my first coach ever was dad um my second coach was Dennis Slin
00:34:39
uh he passed away unfortunately >> lovely manel tongue came along >> Vic Perhe who looked who kind of like I
00:34:47
was a little little [ __ ] you to say a little rebel when I was growing up. I need a guidance. I need to be, you know,
00:34:53
put in the corner sometimes and punished. Um Jonathan Ywood, you know, all these
00:35:00
people help you. I mean, people like used to pick me up uh at 7:30 in the morning and take me to a club match, you
00:35:08
know, Bruce Shand, Graham Vestie, Ken Douglas, who I mentioned before. there's so many so many people you know
00:35:19
who looked after me who gave me golf balls who you know would play with me and and teach me and you know so
00:35:27
you can't do by yourself and obviously the end result is winning the US Open
00:35:31
but there's there's so many thank yous you know um I wish I wish I could just
00:35:37
melt down the US Open trophy and give a piece to every single one you helped me along the way that's how I felt
00:35:43
>> and I'm sure there's a lot of stories like that u from a lot of athletes
00:35:47
around the world. You see us up there and doing our thing, but it's a it's
00:35:53
hard work, man. >> Yeah. And there's the the sacrifice as well. You you told me just before, so
00:35:58
you're back here for uh Ryan's Chasing the Fox event, and the last time you
00:36:01
were back here was a couple of years ago for um less than desirable circumstances.
00:36:07
>> Yeah, mom passed away two years ago. Um >> yeah, tell us about Maria Campbell. Um
00:36:12
well um hard worker. >> That's where I get it from. I think mom was a hard worker. She um
00:36:23
>> didn't want you playing rugby. >> Didn't want you to play rugby.
00:36:25
>> But didn't mind you dressing up like Prince and MJ. >> Oh, come on. You bring these stories
00:36:30
out. Yeah. I was a big um Michael Jackson fan in Prince. Yeah. I used to have the hair do these pictures of me on
00:36:36
the internet. It was embarrassing. >> A skunks young man. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um, but one thing that
00:36:42
mom did for me, and funny enough, I actually found it was my journal, my diary when I was a kid.
00:36:48
>> Wow. >> When I was 13 years old. It's her writing. Um, cuz she got a friend who helped me to
00:36:55
help me out. I told her when I was 12 years old, I want to be a golf professional. She go, "Okay, Michael,
00:37:02
you need to do this. You know, this is the pathway." And um so it's her writing writing down
00:37:08
goals and then be things like I don't know um when I break a 100 I'll get a half set of golf clubs. When
00:37:19
I break 80 I'll get a full set of golf clubs. You know break 70 I'll get a new driver
00:37:26
kind of thing. So I've always been goal orientated through mom and she taught me
00:37:31
that from a very young age and I can't thank her enough for it really. I still
00:37:35
do it and >> you still still do it how >> um >> just by thinking about her or
00:37:42
>> uh no I always write it down still. >> Okay. Um uh there's one one uh one story I want
00:37:49
to share with you was I've said it before but um so it started from that when I was 13
00:37:56
years old and I found it at home um and and it's quite funny making the New Zealand team
00:38:05
making the the Wellington team first New Zealand team the boys team junior team men's team went in the Eisenhower
00:38:14
which is the world championship of amateur golf in ' 92 and I saw it and I saw these ticks achieved all the goals.
00:38:21
Yeah. So it's my writing of ticking. Uh it was it was so wonderful to go back
00:38:27
to that that time and see those those moments when I was young young. And so that's when I started keeping a back in
00:38:34
the day it was uh once again no phones it was a fileax you know that I had a little black book
00:38:41
you uh if you see the documentary you'll see it u I still got I found it um and
00:38:48
all my goals written down there things like um get your card on the European tour win on the European tour and the
00:38:56
last one was always winning a major but you can't just say winning a major you
00:39:00
need to have like a stepping stones towards that like I don't know uh train harder, work harder, you know, I can't
00:39:07
remember what I've written in this thing, but uh the one time you know well every week I had like a like a like a
00:39:13
goal uh could be break 30 putts per round or run extra five minutes on the treadmill or extra 10 sit-ups or oh
00:39:23
could be anything, right? Not necessarily golf related but some some weeks yes, some weeks not.
00:39:30
I remember I remember flying from London to Pinehurst uh with Adam Scott. Scott is a good friend of mine. Scott and I
00:39:38
were there and we're talking about um you know expectations this this week and
00:39:43
I said well yep um I I'm paying pretty well. Um got a bit of momentum, bit of confidence. I
00:39:52
think top 10 I'll be happy. So what I did um I wrote down my goal for that week. top 10 a secondhand Porsche um cuz
00:40:01
I love my cars and you know like 25,000 miles on the clock £25,000 that was the start of the week. So what
00:40:11
I did you know normally um when you play play golf you need to have a marker a dash or dot or your initials or whatever
00:40:18
and I wrote 99 99 sorry >> 997 >> 997 um >> iconic. >> Yeah. Yeah, it is. Yeah. 997.
00:40:30
And so uh on my golf ball that whole week was 997. And then after three rounds, I saw
00:40:37
myself uh I think I was third uh four shots behind goose retent. And I changed my cross out the uh top 10
00:40:48
to top three brand new Porsche. And then uh in the last round after six holes I'm leading. I'm thinking okay
00:40:59
this is different. Um so to distract my mind what I did was I was visualizing my
00:41:06
Porsche. You know the color what size wheels the interior the color of the brake pillars the shape
00:41:17
of the exhaust engine upgrade. the last 12 holes. So I was playing a game within a game. So obviously the my
00:41:28
game for myself was just visualizing that Porsche because if I get distracted and think about the US Open, which is
00:41:34
the bigger picture of the whole day, you know, maybe it wasn't good for me. So
00:41:40
>> in hindsight, is that something you got from like a sports psychologist or
00:41:43
>> No one taught me that. No one No one taught me that. >> Did Did you know at the time what you
00:41:47
were doing or >> No, far out. You do wonder if it's like your nana or someone.
00:41:52
>> Well, that's why I think, you know, sometimes um they're talking to me in a
00:41:56
very spiritual way. So, maybe it was, you know, maybe it was. I don't know. >> And that that winning ball with um the
00:42:02
997 still got it. >> Do you? >> Yeah. It's in my office. Yeah. Still got
00:42:06
it. Mounted or anything? >> Well, the funny thing is that um when I uh you'll see me on TV if you do see the
00:42:13
uh highlights is that I I threw it away as I was throwing the ball thinking, "Oh, you got to keep that ball.
00:42:20
So what I did um my man my managers organized I don't know how they did it um
00:42:26
they found the person who caught it and they well basically they said look um whoever um
00:42:33
uh has Michael's golf ball um please return it and we'll give you a brand new
00:42:38
set of Callaway golf clubs and it came back so that's why I got it back. Um yeah
00:42:46
>> that'd be worth so much money on eBay, wouldn't it? I don't know. I don't know.
00:42:49
>> But it just means more to you than any amount of money. >> Yeah, absolutely. So that's uh very
00:42:54
it's, you know, it's sitting on my my uh my desk, my office. >> There's so much more. Oh, I'm going to
00:43:01
have to drop some car. How much time do you have today? >> I've got plenty of time. I'm going have
00:43:05
to drop some. >> I actually I I actually uh allocated two hours for you, mate.
00:43:09
>> Okay. Oh, this is amazing. >> Cuz I have to go to um um other things as well.
00:43:14
>> Yeah. So um yeah, we were chatting about your mom before. Do you remember your
00:43:17
last conversation with your mom? Um, yeah, I do. Um, you're going through cancer and
00:43:49
Yeah, it wasn't nice. Yeah, I just said to it that um give me a minute, Tom. That um
00:44:11
she was the wind beneath my wings. Yeah, >> you miss her every day. >> Yeah, every day. Yeah, of course.
00:44:24
>> It's still raw. You know, it's been 2 years, so yeah, it's still raw.
00:44:30
>> I don't know if with grief, I I don't know if you ever get over these things.
00:44:33
>> No, they say time will heal, but >> I don't believe in it to be honest with
00:44:38
you. It's been 2 years for me and I still, you know, think of her pretty much every day. and the way she she
00:44:43
guided me. Um, obviously with dad as well, she was very very tough on me, but um yeah um
00:44:52
yeah, she was uh definitely the wind >> beneath my wings so I could uh soar
00:44:57
above the others. >> And you um your dad Tom, he's 80 now. You're seeing him after he's he's 78.
00:45:05
>> 78. >> Um uh he he was great. He was very encouraging, very positive.
00:45:11
He um he obviously that's the reason why I started playing golf was because of
00:45:16
him. And yeah, I used to dislike golf. He used to drag me out early hours in the morning in those cold winter
00:45:23
mornings and Chitahi Bay was playing about 20 knots. It's freezing. Um watching old men, you know, h on the
00:45:31
ground and playing golf for 4 hours. I thought this is a stupid game. >> It was an old man's sport back then. E
00:45:38
>> definitely was. Yeah, it was. It's um a sport played by old men and uncles and
00:45:45
granddads. But um the biggest thing for me was um was my payment. It was it was a meat pie
00:45:54
and a strawberry milkshake. So every Sunday >> that good me >> I get a knock on the door at 7:00 in the
00:46:02
morning. Come on, son. Time to c for me. Yeah. >> Yeah. How's he coping without your mom?
00:46:10
>> Yeah, he's he's struggling a little bit. I think he's struggling a little bit.
00:46:13
Um, of course they're very close and when you have your best friend pass away, your loved one pass away, of
00:46:20
course it's going to, you know, you're going to find uh find it hard to carry
00:46:23
on. And >> but yeah, I flew him over to uh to Europe to watch me play for a couple
00:46:30
weeks. He really enjoyed that meeting his heroes. He met uh who was it? He met um Gary Player for the first time. Wow.
00:46:38
>> So, he was buzzing from that and uh cuz I know all the guys obviously and and
00:46:43
yeah, a few other legends. So, he was uh Ernie Owls he met for the first time and
00:46:48
Ret and uh yeah, it's uh so it's nice that I could, you know, do things like
00:46:52
that for him. But, um still playing golf. Yeah, still playing golf. I'm going to play golf with him um when I
00:46:59
get back to uh to Wellington. I >> I had uh Lori Mains on the podcast um a
00:47:03
few months ago. He's 79. Still shoots his age. Does he dare? >> Does he really? Yeah.
00:47:07
>> Wow, that's impressive. >> What does your dad do these days? >> Uh, no, he's he's uh he's probably the
00:47:14
mid80s now. >> Yeah, that's that's good though. >> Yeah, I suppose he
00:47:19
>> um So, you're one of two? It's just you and your sister Michelle.
00:47:23
>> Mhm. >> Yeah. How's it been How's it been for her being Michael Campbell's sister?
00:47:26
like I'm I'm sure she's immensely proud of you, but there's a story I heard that
00:47:29
she she gave birth to her son who's called Michael and um no one came to visit her because they were all watching
00:47:34
you play the third round of the British Open. >> It was it was it was the same cuz uh
00:47:39
yeah, cuz dad was there too. Mom was home, but yeah, she um she gave birth to Michael on the on the sad day after
00:47:46
shooting 65. So that's why she called him Michael. Um yeah, it's quite a funny
00:47:52
story. I mean, Michelle, I love it a bit. Um, she treats me like her her brother, nothing else. I'm not this
00:47:58
golfing superstar to her. I'm just Michael. >> Mhm. >> Trust me, when I get home, when I get
00:48:03
home, uh, when I'm going home for five, six days, she'll treat me like a normal
00:48:08
person, which I really, really love, you know, I'm not this, you know, every time
00:48:12
I go home to New Zealand, even after my victory. I remember coming home, where was it? Uh, the homecoming tour
00:48:20
back in '05, you know, it was wild. I came home for 10 days. >> Oh, that's when there was the ticket
00:48:26
tape parade and >> Yeah, it was it was mad. But I remember my management group
00:48:33
um I rang them up said, "Look, I want to go home." And this is probably a month
00:48:38
after winning the US Open. And they said, "Um, there's no time, Michael." I said, "I
00:48:47
don't care. Clear everything. I'm going home." But but I said, "No, there's no
00:48:50
butts. I'm I'm coming home. Organize it. And I did. And it wasn't for me. It was
00:48:58
for the whole of New Zealand, you know, to share my success with them and to inspire these young kids. Once again,
00:49:07
that's my grandmother. >> Yeah. Uh you got to thank her. I wanted to inspire these kids and and
00:49:16
say that, you know, your dreams may be impossible, but it can be achievable. M >> and
00:49:22
you know I visited different schools around Oakland, Wellington, Queenstown. Hung out with my friend Greg Turner. It
00:49:32
was fun cuz Greg Turner looked after me when I first turned pro in 93. I stayed with him for a week. Ended up probably
00:49:40
be three or four months I was on this couch. So you know to have people like that for
00:49:46
example. So that's why it's all about payback, you know, pay it um you got
00:49:49
pass it on. >> Pay it forward. >> Pay it forward. Thank you. >> Pay it forward. And cuz when I went over
00:49:54
to Europe, Frank Nobly was still playing then. Frank Nobly, Greg Turner, the two
00:49:59
Kiwis there. And it I felt like it felt like a second home to me. You know, I was very welcome to the house and Jane
00:50:07
uh the wife now was there looking after, cooking for me and and stuff like that.
00:50:11
And because if you think about it, I'm 24 years old, >> going to a big city, London, flying from
00:50:18
here to there. I remember saying to myself, am I am I doing the right thing here? Is is this right, Michael? Am I
00:50:25
is this is this the pathway to, you know, my my career? I mean, I had all these doubts
00:50:32
because it's a long way to fly. You got time to think. >> Mhm. And then I kind of
00:50:39
uh said to myself, no, this is this is the right way. You know, you need to be here and this is the right place to be
00:50:45
for you right now uh to fly over to England to Europe to test your skills against the best European players. But
00:50:51
back in those days in 93 there was I think top seven players in the world uh top 10 players in the world were no
00:51:00
top seven players in the world were um Europeans. >> Mhm. So they had Sandy Langanger Woo
00:51:09
Lazabel Sevy Fo um Norman Norman Greg Norman played on Europe Nikki Price so you know the best
00:51:18
players in the world played on the European tour back in 93 94 and so I decided to test my skills
00:51:25
against these guys and I had no chance I got my butt kicked and I thought I'm not
00:51:30
good enough so I came back terrible my legs. I thought I need to work harder. So I did and that's when 95
00:51:40
came along, you know. So it's amazing when once again I failed, you know. I it
00:51:45
was a big loss for me and I mean you can take do two different two different pathways. You can go okay I'm
00:51:53
not good enough or I need to work harder. >> Mhm. >> So I chose the the obvious one, worked
00:51:59
harder and then came back even better. >> Yes. Yes. So, the 95 Open. Um, I've
00:52:04
heard you said that that week changed your life even without winning. Yeah. What was it that shifted internally?
00:52:11
>> Um, confirmation that I could um, you know, play with >> mix it with the Yeah.
00:52:18
>> big boys. Uh, mix it with the big boys. Best players in the world were there
00:52:24
>> and I had the chance to win the major. >> So, I thought, okay, >> I'm in the right place here. uh I'm in
00:52:29
the right place to do do great things. So that's when it really kicked on for
00:52:36
me >> that third. Yes. So if you go through like the leaderboard day by day, day
00:52:40
one, no Michael Campbell, day two, no no Michael Campbell, day three, oh [ __ ] New Zealand flag at the very top. Um
00:52:46
when you when you when you watch video of that third round where you where you scored 65 like on YouTube or whatever,
00:52:51
what do you feel? flow, carefree, fun, not worrying about consequences, just I saw it recently actually, funny
00:53:09
enough, cuz my one of my friends sends me videos all the time and and um I was just having fun, you know, like a a
00:53:18
child in the in the playground, just out there having fun. And then you see me on the last round.
00:53:26
Um I had this seriousness and this uh not darkness but uh just doubt. I saw um there's a picture of me a video of me um
00:53:37
on the first tea and I'm just standing there and and like a little lost boy,
00:53:41
you know. It's like what have I done here? >> But you told us before the helicopter
00:53:47
story, so there was there was a lot going on behind the scenes. a lot going on. I was I was very pissed off with
00:53:53
what happened. >> Yeah. Flustered. >> Flustered. Frustrated. And uh I knew I wasn't going to win that
00:53:59
day. >> I came close, you know, but th those demons always pop up >> and unfortunately I got a bit power
00:54:07
those u those thoughts because I was angry the whole time >> at myself. No one else.
00:54:15
>> Who were you paired with in the final round? Were you playing with John D?
00:54:18
>> Constantino Rocker. >> Right. And I was there when he chipped in on the last hole. That was amazing. I
00:54:23
mean I mean if you think about I mean you you play the biggest tournament in the world on the last group. So in the
00:54:27
last group they rope off around you right? So these I don't know 60,000 people there 50,000 people there and
00:54:37
walking down the last hole at St. Andrews was one of my my best experiences in my
00:54:44
life as a golfer and I having a chance to win cuz I had to hold a 40footer on the last hole for
00:54:51
Eagle to tie John and Rocker. So that was a good story. >> That's a great story. Did you have you
00:54:58
ever been paired with John Daily? You >> Oh, many times. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What's that like?
00:55:01
What's it like playing around with him? How many How many Diet Cokes did he go
00:55:04
through? >> Yeah. Well, yeah. I've played with John a lot over the time. Um,
00:55:10
he's uh he's so talented. It's a waste. You know what? He's he's only won two
00:55:16
majors. He could have won 10 at least >> if he was more serious and and dedicated
00:55:21
to his to his golf because wow, you ask anybody who played with John, he was so good. Mhm.
00:55:27
>> But just his work work ethic, the way he um goes about things, you know, is a little bit different to any
00:55:35
other professional, but that's just John. >> He's unique. He's like so I don't know
00:55:41
if anti-establishment is the term, but >> you know, does he does he smoke as many
00:55:46
cigies as people? >> I mean, he he stopped drinking now. Well, now he started again. He's always
00:55:52
off and on alcohol and and cigarettes. still smoking a lot. >> And um I said to him, he said to me one
00:55:59
day, he said to me u he goes I said, "John, you you could have won more more
00:56:04
majors, you know, and that sort of stuff." He goes, "Oh, I'm just What do
00:56:06
you say?" He said, "I'm just trailer trash." >> Ah, >> well, that's his upbringing.
00:56:10
>> Yeah. >> You know, he's from the trailer trailer park. >> Well, he's best mates with Kid Rock now.
00:56:15
>> Yeah, I know. I know. But he's a true character. You know, everyone loves
00:56:18
John. >> Um he has a real appeal to certain demographic of people. He brought along
00:56:25
a lot more louder people uh to the game. >> But yeah, he's he's fun. He's
00:56:31
>> some energy and excitement. What What's it like for you when you watch Have you
00:56:34
seen the the Happy Gilmore sequel? >> No. >> No. Cuz a lot of these guys that you
00:56:39
know personally are in it. You know, Jack's in it. John Dy's got a big role
00:56:43
in it. >> Why haven't you seen it? >> I don't like golf movies.
00:56:46
>> It's not really a golf movie. >> I know, but they they it's a golf themed
00:56:51
movie. I never watch it like in a tin cup. >> Yeah. I never watched it. >> Oh, the Kevin Cost one. Oh, that's a
00:56:56
great movie. >> Happy Gilmore. No. >> Yeah, >> the first one. I never watched it.
00:56:59
>> Yeah. So, so you finished third in that British Open. Um Oh, by the way, you've
00:57:03
got to watch the Happy Iconic. Great movie. >> Okay. >> Promise me you'll watch it.
00:57:09
>> I got to watch the first one, please. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's what I
00:57:11
mean. The second one's It's But the first one's iconic. It's But so you
00:57:16
finished third in that British Open um as a like a young Maldi boy from Tatah Bay, New Zealand. Um Yeah. Are you are
00:57:23
you are you excited? Are you disappointed? Are you underwhelmed? >> Um I think I was excited
00:57:33
um that I sent a message to the golfing world that I was I'm here. >> That was pretty exciting. And that was
00:57:42
that was um once again uh an experience because I was flying everywhere, you know. Uh, I played
00:57:53
like seven weeks in a row in six different countries. The last week was actually New Zealand Open at at the
00:57:59
Graange. Played that and I had a wrist injury. Had to pull out from New Zealand Open.
00:58:07
It was overwhelming a little bit and um so the first impact I made I think in the in the sense of the world
00:58:15
golfing world was the definitely that um finishing third at the open and what happens afterwards is uh is kind of
00:58:22
crazy but it's it's a good crazy cuz I'm a I'm I'm a kid you know I'm running around
00:58:28
yeah Michael just fly to fly to I don't know some country and they're going to
00:58:31
pay you x amount of money and play some golf and then fly to another country and
00:58:35
and pay some money And I thought, "Wow, this is got all this money now." I was
00:58:39
like, "What the hell's happening here?" And um it just got too much for me, you
00:58:45
know? I was on the plane pretty much the whole seven weeks in a row, seven different six different countries.
00:58:52
It was tough. Um and then I had an injury. I was out for like 6 months. Enjoyable. Tough or just not not
00:59:00
enjoyable? Definitely not sustainable, eh? >> Not sustainable. No. Um but enjoyable.
00:59:05
Yes. because um I met a lot of wonderful people along the way, played these great
00:59:10
tournaments, met other famous golfers as well for the first time. They kind of recognized me now.
00:59:16
>> Um yeah, it was it was different. I really enjoyed that part. But once again, I learned a lot
00:59:24
um because what caused the injury was um playing too much, dehydrated in the plane. You know, I'm I'm talking
00:59:31
literally not just a short trip, 15 hours flying, playing one tournament, and then 15 hours the other way, 15
00:59:39
hours the other way, 10 hours this way, 6 hours that way, everywhere. And my body just broke down and said, "I can't
00:59:46
handle this." So once again, I learned a lot from that. So >> you played um the um Masters at Augusta
00:59:55
10 times. Um you've been there as a spectator as well. You've been invited
00:59:58
to watch. What's is it better to go there as a spectator or a player? >> Yes, much easier.
01:00:04
>> Is it more enjoyable? Yeah. >> Absolutely. Absolutely. >> Are you full of like butterflies before
01:00:10
>> before these events? >> Um yeah, I think it's important to have
01:00:13
anxiety. That means you care. >> Um funny enough, I was talking to Foxy about that. The first tier jitters, you
01:00:19
know, you always get that. Um I spoke to other people as well, sports people. your first serve in tennis or whe it's
01:00:25
getting run over the white line when it comes to the abs, you know, the all blacks, it's um it's important to have
01:00:30
that kind of nervousness um excitement. Uh that means it means something to you.
01:00:37
>> So yeah, I always had that and um spoke to Grant uh to uh to Foxy about that and
01:00:44
he said, "Yeah, he feels the same now." Um that that never goes away. I don't
01:00:49
think as an athlete. I think it's important part of the of the process. >> And then after the first t-shot, you're
01:00:56
away. And same with, you know, after the first kickoff at a test match, they're
01:01:01
away. But the first, you know, build up to it, you know, 15 minutes before the first first T-shot or
01:01:09
uh when the whistle blows for the first half, whatever's going to be, you know,
01:01:12
there's always going to be, you know, jitters or or nerves. >> Is it amazing being there, though, as a
01:01:17
player? It's iconic, eh? Such an iconic course, especially, you know, you told the story
01:01:23
before about when TV just moved from black and white to color and, you know, you're getting up early before school,
01:01:28
watching it with your dad, >> then you're there. >> Oh, it's it was it was such a cool
01:01:32
experience because my and I remember seeing the draw. So, my first US Masters was in 1996,
01:01:42
and I just came off an injury from a wrist injury. I was out for like 3 months. I didn't practice, but I was
01:01:51
building up to my first US Masters at Augusta and the the draw came out. I'm playing with Jack Nicholas
01:02:01
and it was like, oh my goodness, you know, but he was wonderful. He knew it was my first one and he looked after
01:02:11
me and I thought, wow, the best best golfer in the world. Don't this is before Tiger in 96 looking after me you
01:02:19
know he's you know he was guiding me and not guiding me but he was just you know
01:02:23
what I mean he's such a lovey man. >> How did he look after you? >> He would he would tell the the crowds to
01:02:29
be quiet. Oh, you know, things like that cuz I stand on the first tea, a big, you know, standing ovation for
01:02:39
him. Both tea off. And as we walked down the fairway down and up again on the first hole, everyone stood up and
01:02:46
started clapping. And they only stopped when he played or I played. So we both hit our second
01:02:53
shots on the green. Everyone stands up clapping until we get to green. And that that happened every single hole. I'm
01:03:02
thinking, "Holy [ __ ] a little moldy boy from Tahib Bay is playing with one of
01:03:06
the best players in the world. First round of Augusta and I'm I'm witnessing
01:03:10
this witnessing this amazing experience of adgulation. It was it was incredible experience.
01:03:21
>> It's almost like the organizers were trolling you. How can we make this kid
01:03:24
even more nervous?" >> Yeah, I know. I don't know what it was, but I don't know how I got that gig, but
01:03:28
uh yeah, I was completely blown away. And he shot 70 that day. I never forget it. And he
01:03:35
made like five birdies. >> And every time he made a birdie, it was like like the whole world exploded. It
01:03:41
was incredible. >> Just the crowd rooting for him. >> Yeah. And then back in the day, there
01:03:44
was like a redraw after each round. And so I shot like I don't know two or three
01:03:48
over. Wasn't great. And the second day I played with Gary Gary Player. I'm
01:03:54
freaking Oh my goodness. I think they've won like 10 jackets between them. I was so exhausted because I'm I'm just
01:04:02
thinking about how is how how is this happening? You know, >> how do you how do you remain chill in
01:04:07
that? Do you get photos with them or anything or do you do you >> express how much of a
01:04:12
>> That's not cool. >> I know it's not cool. But >> but no, I didn't ask cuz you're not
01:04:17
allowed any um cameras. Yeah. on the other side of you can you can do it on the practice range and stuff like that
01:04:23
once you reach go past the clubhouse onto the >> ping green and the oak tree you can't
01:04:28
there's no cameras allowed so >> but yeah I was I was chuffed I mean more
01:04:32
than chuffed >> uh to play with those two legends you know my first first Augusta
01:04:38
>> man in that mind of yours there's just so many good memories >> oh yeah I mean so so good memories so
01:04:43
many so many memories >> you've given a lot uh to the sport but the sport's given a lot back as well
01:04:47
>> of course it has I And another story uh back in ' 93 94 um I I made the it was like a teams
01:04:59
event. So it was Southern Africa versus Australasia and in my team there was Greg Norman,
01:05:05
Baker Finch, Craig Perry, Lucas Parsons, myself, um BJ Singh >> and on the Southern African team was
01:05:14
Ernie Retif, David Frost, Nick Price and they had this event, a team's event,
01:05:21
right? Um so it's us versus them in Johannesburg and this is just when Nelson Mandela uh was the prime minister
01:05:31
>> president of of South Africa. So we're invited to his house um and security tough security you know
01:05:41
this is the year after he got gone to office and amazing night you know he spoke about
01:05:47
his you know his his um his life and his presence was incredible um and we all went outside and
01:05:58
he was there and two teams were there lined up and I'll never forget get the
01:06:04
I'm trying to paint a picture for you guys. There's a these steps and over
01:06:08
these steps came these Zulu warriors with um shields and spears and and they're challenging us, you know, like
01:06:17
it was scary. I mean there, you know, it was a scary experience. And I'm standing
01:06:22
there next to uh I forget this uh to Norman. Greg being a captain said, "Kambo, you got to respond." I said,
01:06:32
"What?" He goes, "You got to do the hucker." And I said, "What?" "By myself?" He
01:06:38
goes, "Yep." He goes, "I'm the captain respond." I thought, "Oh my goodness."
01:06:44
And obviously we had jacket and tie. So I took my shirt off, my jacket off, tie off, whatever, and did the hacker in
01:06:50
front of Nelson Mandela. And he loved it. Um, so that's a really cool story.
01:06:56
And not many people have done the hacker by themselves, by the way. Obviously you
01:07:00
seen the hucker in the World Cup 95 or the abs but uh by yourself in front of Nelson Mandela in front of
01:07:08
the Zulu Warriors in front of the other um players I actually did okay cuz I was I brought
01:07:16
up I was brought up that way you know to do the haka >> come >> yeah come y
01:07:21
>> so yeah that's a cool story >> that is a that is that's one of the
01:07:25
coolest stories ever on the podcast thank you so much for sharing that were you nervous or you didn't have time to
01:07:28
get nervous had enough time. I got into the mode of being a warrior, you know, the moldy warrior that that I can be and
01:07:35
um I did it and then he loved it, you know, everyone loved it, but um in the moment you just just do it and uh yeah,
01:07:43
it was uh wellreceived. >> Is Greg a good dude, >> Norman? Oh, yeah. He was he was so good
01:07:49
to me. He was so good to me. >> Yeah. >> In that book, Rookie on Tour, like he
01:07:52
there's there's like a preamble that he writes. So, he's been in your corner
01:07:56
since >> Yeah. I mean, he he was incredible. I mean, I don't know why he took me on. He
01:08:00
under his wing and looked after me and, you know, flew in his jet, his private jet. He sat at his place a couple of
01:08:06
times. Um, he we had practice rounds together. I don't know why. Maybe >> saw something in you.
01:08:13
>> Maybe cuz I think what happened was um someone told me uh reminded me of a
01:08:17
story. I think I broke the ice cuz obviously when Greg goes to a tournament, this is when he was number
01:08:22
one in the world. No one talks to him and no players come up to him. And I said, "My first tournament
01:08:29
as a pro, I saw him. I went up to him." Oh, Greg, can I have a practice round
01:08:32
with you? He's like, "Who are you?" You know, he goes, "Yeah, sure."
01:08:39
And um >> it's so Kiwi, by the way. >> Yeah, I know. >> Just rock on up.
01:08:44
>> I was pretty confident, but um I thought, you know, let's break the ice.
01:08:49
And I played great that day and in the practice round practice round but still playing with Greg Norman you know it was
01:08:55
pretty cool and ever since that day um he he he's really looked after me so um
01:09:01
I think that's the reason why um he saw he saw something in me and and uh yeah
01:09:07
he was he was great to me. >> He's one of the goats. >> Mhm. Mhm.
01:09:12
>> All right. Um the 2005 US Open. Um I want to start with an impossible question and you you can pass on this
01:09:18
one. Um, but what was better? Uh, winning the US Open or the birth of your kids?
01:09:25
>> Dom, that's so unfair. >> That is so unfair. >> Are we going to pass on that one?
01:09:37
>> That's a mean-spirited question. >> That's [ __ ] horrible.
01:09:40
>> Um, yeah, it seemed like >> Cut it. Cut it. >> It just seemed It seemed like everything
01:09:45
clicked. I've been watching highlights this week. Um yeah, when you look back
01:09:49
Yeah. What happened? What happened that week? >> Um there's a saying that I've heard that
01:09:55
you can, you know, you can fluke a hole, but you can't fluke 72 holes. So, so no
01:09:59
one no one wins a major as as like a lucky accident. >> No, no, it's not not wasn't an accident.
01:10:05
It was meant to be, you know. Um >> well, it's a combination of a lot of
01:10:09
things. As said before, it's a result of what I've of 40 years of, you know,
01:10:16
all the help I've had along the way. But going into the US Open, I was feeling
01:10:20
pretty confident. I mean, I mean, it was the first time and once again, it's kind
01:10:25
of funny how things kind of pan out or the the fate of of of how it pans out cuz it was the first time that USGA had
01:10:33
qualifying outside America of America. So the qualifying um course was like a half an hour 45minut drive from my house
01:10:42
in Brighton and it's called Walton Heath and I actually only went because it was
01:10:48
convenient you know I was living in Brighton in England and um Walton Heath up the road 45 minutes away so I thought
01:10:56
why must I go I'm playing well and 36 holes qualifying and I'm playing the last hole and I knew
01:11:09
I had better do the last hole to qualify and I'm playing with my playing partner Steve Webster. Yeah,
01:11:18
Stevie and last hole is a short path for we hit close. He's 10 ft away. I'm 9 ft away
01:11:25
from the hole and my marker is right in line of his his ball. So I had to move my marker
01:11:33
and as you do it he hits it and I kind of peaked to see where what the ball did and it went straight.
01:11:40
So I aimed straight in the hole and went in the hole. So I buried the last hole and I was the last one to qualify.
01:11:47
So, it's meant to be. >> Exactly. I said before, the very very beginning of this was meant to be. And
01:11:53
so, I hold that part and now I'm on my way to uh the US Open. >> And going into that event, I was playing
01:12:00
great. >> But once again, you know, I I played practice rounds with friends of mine and
01:12:06
there's a story about VJ Singh and I I'm on the first team waiting for the guys
01:12:11
to clear in front of me and VJ's on the ping green. He goes, "Oh, Cambo, can I
01:12:15
join you?" I said, "Yeah, come join me." See, he comes over, you know, you play.
01:12:21
And I struggled with my bunker shots that week. And I watching I was watching VJ
01:12:26
cuz my bunker shots were coming out top spinny, no spin. He's playing his bunker
01:12:32
shots as we're playing the practice round. He's coming out spinny and holding.
01:12:36
I said, V, how you doing that? He go, I'll keep it simple. basically keep be
01:12:44
more steeper and and you know uh a few adjustments in your in your setup kind of thing. There's more to that than
01:12:50
that, but I just want to keep it nice and simple. And I said, "Oh, that's
01:12:54
cool. Okay, great." So, I did that. I practiced that. Perfect. And that week I
01:13:00
hit it in eight bunkers, I think, up and down seven times and hold one. >> Wow.
01:13:06
>> Yeah. So if I didn't ask V I know if you know how to play bunker shots because
01:13:11
that wig the the sand was quite a heavy sand wasn't powdery sand. So you need to have
01:13:19
a different angle of attack of the ball and more more loft and yeah it's it's
01:13:24
hard to explain but basically that yeah so once again you know things like that holding the putt
01:13:31
uh to qualify last person to qualify at Warton Heath and asking VJ about bunker play
01:13:39
>> you know and then I'm out there and yeah found myself holding the US Open trophy.
01:13:45
So, when you turn up to Pinehurst, um, whole one, day one, what are your goals? What are your expectations?
01:13:51
>> Top top 10. >> Okay. >> Second secondhand, um, Porsche. >> Yeah. 25 grand
01:13:58
pounds. >> Um, and, you know, 20,000 miles on the clock. So, that was my goal.
01:14:04
>> And when did you believe you could win? Was it going to the final round?
01:14:07
>> Well, I had lunch cuz Goose and I, Ret Goose and I are very, very good mates.
01:14:12
One of my best mates on tour. And it was the Sunday and he's last off. I'm second to last
01:14:22
off. So we had lunch together. Just him and I and a few other people sitting down there having lunch and
01:14:30
chatting away about normal things. Not about golf really, about cars. How's your kids? How how's my kids?
01:14:37
How's the wife? You know, that's just a chitchat. And I walked away. I thought, you know
01:14:43
what? Tell you what, he he's he looks like he's in control of his emotions, I
01:14:47
think. Yep. I'm going to finish third definitely. He's going to win this cuz he won twice
01:14:53
before >> and um and after six holes, uh he fell away and then I was I think I was one one under
01:15:04
he was like four over or something. Now I'm leading and everyone else Jason Gore fell away.
01:15:10
Olen Brown, VJ, Sergio, and the only two guys left. It was me and Tiger. So, I'm thinking, "Wow, this
01:15:18
is going to be fun, you know. I'm going to really enjoy this." >> Is that really what you were thinking?
01:15:22
>> Oh, yeah. Um, >> you weren't nervous. >> I think this must be like peak Tiger
01:15:26
Mania, right? Like he he was he was intimidated. Even though it's like a non-cont sport, he was very intimidating
01:15:31
at that time. >> Oh, yeah. It's like going to a boxing ring, you know, with a heavyweight
01:15:34
champion. >> Like Mike Tyson at the peak of his powers. >> Yeah, exactly. It's like that. And then
01:15:38
I but you know once again you can you can choose your thoughts and you can go down the road of I'm not good
01:15:45
enough or see it as a there was one sentence actually uh let me think of what I said to myself. Um
01:15:54
yeah see this as an opportunity not a threat. See this as your playground. So I I was visualizing I remember reading a
01:16:02
book on uh from Bruce Lee. I love reading books and Bruce Lee said that you know
01:16:14
energy is like water flowing flow flowing through your body and if the water is flowing that means energy will
01:16:21
flow. >> As soon as it starts freezing that means you're in trouble. So I was I was
01:16:26
thinking about empty cup filling my cup up with these thoughts about you know see it as a playground um see this as an
01:16:35
opportunity not a threat you know I worked I worked hard for this um I'm deserving you know all the I can't
01:16:43
there's so many things I I was constantly filling my cup up with until it was overflowing
01:16:48
>> in between thinking about that Porsche. >> Yeah. In between that. Yeah.
01:16:50
>> Yeah. What other what other um books or like psychological tools have you found
01:16:54
helpful? Have you had a sports psychologist over the years? >> Yeah. Yeah, I have. Yeah. But also I
01:16:58
worked on myself. Um Louise Haye was a big thing for me. Uh I got that back in 2000. Louise Haye is more of like um
01:17:06
more spiritual kind of reading. Nothing to do with golf at all is but but you as a person. Uh that that helped
01:17:13
me a lot. >> Can you remember the name of the book off the top of your head or
01:17:16
>> you can how to heal yourself? >> I think I've got that at home. It's a
01:17:20
real color colorful cover. >> Amazing. That that changed everything for me.
01:17:25
Um >> what did you get from that? >> That um how thoughts can thoughts can be
01:17:35
powerful and you have a choice. M >> your feelings can uh and your thoughts
01:17:42
can dictate how you're going to perform and and law of attraction, >> you know, what you give out, you get
01:17:53
back. >> Um Oh, there's so many things. >> Yeah. >> Wonderful things in that book. And that
01:17:59
that changed my life because I knew there was something missing. But don't forget these other
01:18:04
things, too. Not just Louis Haye. Yeah. I I I mentioned her in an interview somewhere on TV and she wanted to meet
01:18:11
me. I met her personally, had dinner with her. She was a amazing person. Amazing person. What she went through
01:18:17
and gratitude. Um >> I I m we've been going for like an hour 20 now and I've got that just from
01:18:24
speaking with you. Like I can tell how grateful you are. There is just so much gratitude. Yeah.
01:18:28
>> With everything you say. >> Yeah. Yeah, there is. Um and you know
01:18:33
Yeah. It was a very powerful book for me to read. >> Yeah, I'm a big reader as well, but um
01:18:39
yeah, one thing I've learned, you can read all the books in the world, but you
01:18:42
you have to do the work yourself. You know, you're reading a book's great.
01:18:47
It's wonderful, but then you have to implement the plan. >> Well, there is a lot of um she calls it
01:18:51
mirror mirror work. You know, you got to kind of look in look in your eyes and and tell yourself that you know these
01:18:56
because anybody can write things down, right? >> But you look in the mirror,
01:19:01
>> man in the mirror like Michael Jackson. Yeah. >> Uh, you know, it's
01:19:05
>> Yeah. >> What do you see when you look in the mirror now? You like you like the Yeah.
01:19:10
When when you stand in front of the mirror shaving in the morning, you like you like the guy looking back at you
01:19:14
>> at the moment? Yeah. >> Yeah. At the moment. >> Yeah. Uh, obviously I went through some
01:19:18
dark times. Um, as we all do, >> uh, I'm I'm satisfied what I've done
01:19:25
uh for the game, >> especially now. Yeah. Yeah. >> Coming back home for, you know, first
01:19:29
time for a long time and seeing what I saw at Chasing the Fox, that's I thought, yeah,
01:19:38
>> you've got so much mana. There's so much love for you here in New Zealand.
01:19:41
>> Yeah. I mean the thing is that unfortunately is that tor po puppy syndrome a little bit cuz you know
01:19:47
you've soon forgotten you know >> um once you're not in the limelight
01:19:55
anymore you get forgotten very quickly here. >> Yeah things move on. Yeah I was going to
01:19:59
ask you about to tall poppy. Um, this isn't particularly a New Zealand thing,
01:20:03
but yeah, there was an article in um, uh, 20 2018 Golf Digest um, which called your win uh, at the US Open
01:20:11
underwhelming. Um, yeah. Did and you clapped back on Twitter with a really good response, but did did that did that
01:20:19
[ __ ] you off? >> Oh, can you swear on this podcast? >> Yeah. Yep. >> No, no, you can't.
01:20:24
>> Yeah. Yeah, it's Yeah, it's a podcast. Yeah. >> Um, no. Uh, that would that would I I
01:20:30
suppose I'm just projecting if that if I was you that that would have really
01:20:33
pissed me off. >> I don't care what people think about me. Um, I had some fun with it. I mean, you
01:20:38
see, you can respond in different ways, right? You can you can respond with anger, which I never done. I I responded
01:20:45
with humor and and it made the guy look silly. >> Yeah. What was your response? Something
01:20:49
like um, oh, the at least the trophy still loves me. >> Yeah, I think I think what I did uh, I
01:20:55
can't remember. I think I wrote um I put a post-it note and then wrote tears on
01:20:59
the on the trophy and put on the trophy and I said, "Oh, I just told um the
01:21:04
trophy that what been written about you and he was you can see he's pretty upset, you know." It was fun to me. It
01:21:10
was fun. I mean, cuz it's one thing that I once again um I learned from Louise
01:21:17
Haye is that is how you respond to things. M >> and uh if I responded angrily, I think
01:21:23
I'll probably get more more [ __ ] back. >> Yeah. >> As soon as I responded, everyone loved
01:21:28
it. I mean, the feedback and u and um all the golfers uh all my friends who play on tour loved the whole thing, my
01:21:37
response and >> and it was the right one, I think, >> cuz what did they mean an underwhelming
01:21:41
win? Like to me, it was it was just iconic. Like it was a jewel between two great golf one, you know, the greatest
01:21:46
golfer of all time. Well, don't forget I think that's written by a a a US um
01:21:53
reporter reporter, right? So, they don't really I didn't know my my achievements before then. I mean, if I
01:22:02
played on the PGA tour full-time, it'd be different, but because I came from
01:22:06
New Zealand, played on the European tour mainly and Australasian tour, it must have been a fluke. But if you ask all my
01:22:14
my peers who are the most important ones um when it comes to to to a uh opinion >> um it's hard to win a major.
01:22:26
>> It's hard especially having I I didn't understand where he was coming from. I
01:22:30
didn't really read the article cuz it didn't really matter. Um but uh I had
01:22:35
great support from my my peers all the other players saying you know forget it. No doesn't bother me. M um but you know
01:22:42
if you think about it I to win a major on that golf course it's the golf course is so hard
01:22:50
>> and to have the best player that we'll probably ever see um to beat him because don't forget he
01:22:58
just won Augusta 3 months before >> he comes second at the US Open he wins
01:23:03
the open a month later >> so he's on his best form ever and I beat Yeah. And at that time almost any other
01:23:15
player in your position was almost like giving way to him even subconsciously. >> But but once again once again it all
01:23:20
depends on your attitude. And as soon as I started saying those things to me to myself during the last round of of the
01:23:26
US Open I knew that um you know I was in control of my emotions and and trust me
01:23:32
it was hard work man. I just continuously say it to me to myself every single second
01:23:41
>> because I could either I can go the other way easily because always have that guy chirping on
01:23:47
your shoulder. You're going to have that. >> And Tiger uh famously waited around
01:23:51
afterwards for the prize giving. Um >> yeah. What did that mean to you? >> Oh, that was massive. Um
01:23:57
>> why did he why did he do that? It was sort of out of character for him. Eh,
01:24:00
>> yeah. I think it was um obviously an amazing gesture and I found out um about 6 weeks later I
01:24:09
was talking to Steve Williams uh about it and Steve said to me that you know he explained to Tiger my
01:24:15
upbringing humble beginnings from from Titah Bay sheep fences around the greens sheep [ __ ] you know that sort of stuff
01:24:25
and so there there's a nice correlation between him and him and I a little bit
01:24:28
because he came from the very similar background grounds. So for him to stand next to me uh
01:24:34
winning the US Open, I mean winning the US Open was is was absolutely enough for me
01:24:41
>> as a player. But to have the best player in the world right there side by side, sharing sharing my success
01:24:51
is the biggest compliment you can ever ever get for for a golf player. >> I thought, "Wow, this is this is pretty
01:24:58
cool." you know, this is cool. Um, and you showed that picture before of me 11
01:25:04
years old, you know, going from that to standing next to the best player on the wall with the US
01:25:10
trophy, >> having conquered him. >> Having conquered him. Yeah. >> Yeah. Like being a photo of you and
01:25:15
Tiger Woods when you're the you're the guy in the you're the main guy in the
01:25:18
photo. >> He's in the background. >> For once. >> Yeah. Yeah. A very very rare occasion
01:25:24
that he's the guy in the background. >> Yeah. Exactly. Did that win change you
01:25:27
as a person? Um, as a person or as a golfer? >> As a person, >> as a golfer, I'd imagine it gives you
01:25:41
more confidence. As a person, I just wonder if >> um, as a person, not really. No,
01:25:48
>> I was still, as I said before, when I came home for those uh 10 days, I walked into the house and I was just
01:25:58
their son, you know, or or their brother. >> Yeah. Michelle still throws you a tea
01:26:02
towel. >> Oh, yeah. I wash you wash up, Michael. Oh, yeah, sure. Sweep the floor, you
01:26:07
know, make your bed. I love that, you know. No, it didn't change me in person
01:26:11
at all. No, but it changed >> how people perceived me. I was the same person
01:26:16
>> but it's >> the perception of other people changed >> who yeah how's that for you being in
01:26:22
that position where you see people change around you or people weird is it? Yeah.
01:26:26
>> Yeah. I didn't like it. >> I mean >> do you develop trust issues like you
01:26:30
don't know who to who big time. Yeah. Big time. That's that's normal. You know
01:26:35
any anytime you do something great people will come all of a sudden um appear. I mean there's a great quote
01:26:44
from my friend uh Mel Tong my coach he coached me from like 15 to about 23 24 no longer than that 25 26 Mel Mel always
01:26:53
comes up with these brilliant quotes and he said to uh said to me um I know uh there's more it more klingongs uh in
01:27:02
golf in Star Trek. It's brilliant. It's true. And I saw that especially after
01:27:06
the US Open with >> everyone >> and um thank God I had a buffer you know
01:27:12
I had my management group to deal with the whole I had three managers at one stage. I mean the the busyiness I got
01:27:19
from >> he used to Adrian Mitchell my manager used to come to my house and we used to
01:27:26
go through the uh requests and he had a big A4 book four pages of requests could be
01:27:36
interviews TV magazines podcast no it wasn't podcast back in the day uh you know tournaments to play in get paid
01:27:43
that you know you go who and there was a time when I said I've had enough. >> I was invited
01:27:53
uh my wife at the time wasn't happy with me. Um I was invited to the raw box at
01:27:59
Wimbledon finals. This is a month after I won. And I said no. And the reason why cuz I just had enough
01:28:10
of people. I I I just you know me. I'm a quiet little moldy boy from Titi Bay and
01:28:16
I I was it's it's hard to comprehend sometimes just looking back now and thinking all
01:28:22
the stuff I I did and and said no to cuz at first I was saying yes to everything
01:28:28
and I said to my wife at the time I said I can't I've had enough >> just burnt out maybe.
01:28:33
>> So that's when I hired her >> I'm on team Julie on this one.
01:28:38
And uh so she I remember she she um rented a boat for two weeks and we stayed in the somewhere. We uh we were
01:28:45
back in Australia at the time and stayed on the boat for two weeks away from people.
01:28:49
>> I needed a break. >> Whose boat? Gregs. >> No, it wasn't Greg. I just I just rented
01:28:53
one. >> Yeah. Um yes, after that open win, you get a call from Greg Norman. Um and a
01:28:59
letter from Jack Nicholas. Unbelievable. What does what does Greg say on the phone?
01:29:04
>> Well, he I mean uh >> congrats. >> Yeah, congrats. and we organized a
01:29:08
practice round for the open at St. Andrews in 2005 like a month later and met up with him. So he was um I was
01:29:16
busy, he was busy kind of thing. So it was like quick chitchat >> and organizing a around a practice
01:29:21
round. So we had practice round together and we had a wonderful time and you know
01:29:25
we went through the stories how we met and um so I said to him on that day actually I said so why did you look
01:29:31
after me Michael uh Greg? He said, "Oh, the reason why cuz you um" He liked my
01:29:36
what was it? Um cheekiness. Cuz he said to me, "No one comes up to me, you know, ask for a practice round,
01:29:44
especially a rookie." >> It's quite funny. It's like that photo
01:29:47
that we showed before. I suppose that cheekiness just never leaves you. >> Even
01:29:52
look, that's a that's a cheeky kid. >> Are there still times where where you
01:29:59
feel like that little boy? >> Oh, yeah. All the time. Yeah. All the time. If you ask all my friends um who
01:30:04
grew up with me playing golf with me, uh they'll probably say the same thing. And
01:30:08
uh after watching the uh the documentary Dare to Be Different, my documentary, um
01:30:14
Vick Purhei, who I love to death, um he he straightened me out. I he was a hard man on me and I actually needed that as
01:30:22
a teenager growing up cuz I was mischievous. >> Uh I was a bit of a rebel and
01:30:28
>> Well, yeah. In what way? Oh, >> what was the most trouble you got into?
01:30:31
>> I thought it had difficult to believe like you had really good grounding,
01:30:35
really good parents. >> Yeah, but I just was that cheekiness in there. Um cuz obviously we when we uh
01:30:42
went away, it was like a like a junior event, a moldi development squad. There about six of us and we used to go away
01:30:49
and to all these different events around um New Zealand and and Vic was the manager and we had a strict uh curfew of
01:30:56
11:00. Well, I didn't like that. Uh, so I just sneak out of the hotel window and go and
01:31:04
party and come back again. And one time I uh I brought back a few friends and started drinking in the in the hotel
01:31:14
room and he came in. He said, "What are you doing?" I said, "Yeah, PPY bags are
01:31:17
out." So he kicked me out of the squad. And um cuz I had long hair and earring
01:31:27
and that sort of stuff. And he said, "You're out, Michael. You're not not
01:31:31
invited back again." I was begging him and I said, "I won't do it won't do it
01:31:36
again." And I didn't. Um so that was a good learning lesson for me, you know.
01:31:39
>> Big lesson. >> Big lesson. >> Um these are great stories, by the way.
01:31:45
>> On Jack Nicholas, do you still have have that letter that he wrote you?
01:31:49
Yep. >> Yeah, that's that's a really kind gesture. >> Yeah, it was. Um and then I got Franny
01:31:53
with his son Gary Nicholas. So Gary and I traveled together on the uh on the challenge tour. Can't remember
01:32:04
when. Jeez, late 90s. So Gary and I become very very good friends. Gary Nicholas and
01:32:12
there was a time so it was the president's cup in 2005. I won the US Open. Month later I won the world match play
01:32:24
and week after that was the President's Cup and Jack Nicholas was the US captain
01:32:35
and our captain was Gary Player uh the international team. So, I just won the won the um world
01:32:43
match play Monday, flew straight to Washington DC. Now we're on Tuesday night, black tie function. Both teams
01:32:52
are there. All these important people are there. The president was there. Clinton I think it was then. No. Uh it
01:32:58
was uh Bush, George W. Bush. >> Yeah, he was there. Sat at his table, had a nice conversation with him.
01:33:07
And so we're in the in the uh in the White House. That's pretty cool. Imagine a little moldy boy in the White
01:33:15
House. You know, >> it's crazy, isn't it? Um so anyway, >> this podcast is filled with moments like
01:33:22
that. >> Um so where was I? Yeah. So I see Jack coming over because I I'm known him quite a
01:33:32
long time now, but not a long time, you know, 10 years or so because I have his son Gary.
01:33:37
comes coming over to me. He's got this. I thought he's got these eyes. I
01:33:43
thought, "Oh no, what have I done? What have I done? What have I done?" He goes,
01:33:45
"Market, well done for winning the US Open. I watch every single shot. Well
01:33:48
done. Well done." And the world match play. You know, your form right now, you're one of the best players in the
01:33:53
world right now. I thought, "Wo, okay, that's that's pretty cool. Big
01:33:57
statement." You know, you got Tiger here. Goes, "No, no, your form right
01:34:01
now." because I just finished like fifth in the open, sixth in the USPGA, won the US Open and
01:34:07
so I had three months of probably being one of the best players in the world >> and the world match player.
01:34:14
Um, also top five player in the world for those three or four months through my results, right? And he goes,
01:34:25
he points at me, he goes, "So, Michael, since you're this major winner,
01:34:31
you are responsible to grow this game." And he walked off. I thought, "What's that mean?"
01:34:43
So, I stood there thinking for like, I don't know, 15, 20 seconds thinking, "What does he mean by that?"
01:34:50
Then I kind of got it and I thought, okay, maybe I need to grow the game in the sense of
01:34:56
start up my own golf academy, >> you know, giving back to the game. So that's when So you planted that seed
01:35:04
back in 2005. >> So and here I am, you know, what's 20 years later. >> Yeah. Yeah. Well, you've done it. You've
01:35:14
definitely grown the game. Um Yeah. especially here in New Zealand just through your actions really.
01:35:21
You've been really open um over the years about dealing with self-doubt and anxiety and your mental health. What's
01:35:27
been the toughest period do you think for you mentally? um to continue I think cuz yeah I mean I've
01:35:42
I've always been that player if you ask any from an amateur you ask all my mates from when I was
01:35:50
playing on the New Zealand teams to professional ranks I had this switch that turns off
01:36:01
Um because I don't like attention. As a kid growing up in New Zealand, all I thought about was winning the triumphs
01:36:12
and victories. That's all I thought about, >> not the other stuff, not the fame and
01:36:16
fortune. Couldn't care less about that. So I'll have some sort of success,
01:36:26
you know, be on TV, interviewed, magazines, newspapers, you know, you name it. >> I didn't like it. So I thought to
01:36:35
myself, okay, if I just My coach, my coach calls it self-sabotage. >> Wow.
01:36:41
>> Yeah. If I do that, it'll go away. It did. Then I kind of miss playing role
01:36:48
again. So I try a little bit harder and and be more determined and more motivated and that sort of stuff and
01:36:53
start winning again and all the attention was coming back to me. Switch, turn it on again, self-sabotage,
01:37:04
go away. And and that's when I think now in hindsight and and and thinking about
01:37:10
it, that's what happened to me in 2005. It was so overwhelming. I thought I'm done.
01:37:19
you know, I've I've done what I wanted to do. You know, I achieved my goal. Um,
01:37:28
uh, I climbed my Everest, I say, uh, the highest mountain in the world. I'm done
01:37:34
because what happened there after winning the US, no, no one, no one prepares you for that. No one prepares
01:37:39
you of the responsibility, the consequences, and I didn't like it. Is this what you were
01:37:50
talking about before, the four pages of jobs, including, you know, the opportunity to go to Wimbledon? Yeah,
01:37:54
it's it's overwhelming. >> It's over. I don't I don't know how
01:37:57
these guys do it. I mean, I don't know how Tiger does it. You know, he has a a
01:38:02
really tight team around him. I think that's how he does it. Um, >> I suppose it's learning to say no and
01:38:08
just learning about boundaries and things. >> Yeah. No boundaries, but also when you
01:38:12
say no to to people, you feel guilty. For me, you know, I said no a lot to to charities
01:38:18
because I didn't have time and I was exhausted. I knew if I go to this charity event, I wouldn't give it my
01:38:23
all. So, there's no no point me going there in the first place. >> And then the reason you're there, which
01:38:28
is being a good golfer, that suffers. >> Exactly. And I spent more time doing I
01:38:33
trained less. I practiced less. I spent more time away from the golf course. I spent more time, you know, raising funds
01:38:40
and going to charity balls and stuff like that and which I really enjoyed. But it was hard. It's a hard balance
01:38:45
between the two. >> Yeah. I saw a clip where um one of your boys was recalling seeing you break down
01:38:53
after poor form. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. I mean, it's hard to see. >> Yeah. But um it's just every every
01:39:03
sports person goes through that that um that cycle of disappointment whether it's going to be you know to
01:39:12
ever play the game again uh to give it up. I mean I thought about giving up the game probably about I don't know 10
01:39:17
times. >> M so it sort of becomes like a lovehate relationship. >> Yeah. And then then you miss it.
01:39:23
>> You miss competing. Um you miss the um the fan base. You know, the fans are
01:39:30
great. Uh what they give you. Um just the energy they give you when you start doing well and play well and win.
01:39:39
I miss that more than anything else. >> Yeah. I've heard you say you no longer knew
01:39:45
who you were once the winning stopped. >> I read that. That was a quote from you.
01:39:48
I read somewhere. Who are you now? >> It's getting quite deep here, Tom.
01:39:54
What's going on? >> Home stretch. Home stretch. um >> like are you are you um yeah I mean at
01:40:01
this age and stage of life at 56 you know you're not just Michael the golfer
01:40:06
are you? No, I think I'm I'm more like a person now that um that understands
01:40:15
what happens after >> you know what happens after success and some people find it I mean I spoke to a
01:40:23
lot of people I won't mention who um sports people who are had amazing incredible careers
01:40:30
uh they go through depression >> I'm not that >> easy to understand how
01:40:35
>> yeah I think cuz cuz you miss that you miss that buzz. You miss that uh the
01:40:41
acceptance maybe I don't know what the word of of people to me. I doesn't
01:40:47
bother me. I mean I I really enjoy um walking down the street now and not being recognized. I I feel really really
01:40:55
safe. Before like I couldn't go anywhere, you know, especially in New Zealand. Uh but
01:41:01
now I feel okay 20 years ago different generation of people here now. Yeah, I I feel safe.
01:41:07
>> Well, you walked here today from um the Intercontinental Hotel, but did anyone
01:41:11
yell out a window like Cambo? >> Surely you can't walk from like your hotel to here, which is maybe a
01:41:16
kilometer without at least one person. >> Yeah, there was one person here. Um I
01:41:21
tried to, you know, be incognito with my glasses and that didn't work. Yeah, I
01:41:26
mean I went to have lunch with my friend of mine from school, Darren Prada, and uh took like two selfies or something
01:41:32
like that. So, you know, I know it's still >> manageable. >> It's manageable. But before, forget it.
01:41:38
>> I would stay home. I wouldn't go out. But now, I can go out and be normal.
01:41:42
>> Yeah. What does success look like to you now? >> Uh success to me for me or or for
01:41:49
>> for you? For you personally. >> Um I haven't really thought about that.
01:41:57
>> Yeah. >> Uh >> just like being happy and content or >> Yeah. I I think uh for me it's just
01:42:05
enjoying life and and having a different kind of life away from golf if I can. I
01:42:10
know golf will be always be a big part of my life. >> M >> that will never end.
01:42:15
um to to still help in some sort of way. Um to I still get requests to help kids out
01:42:28
on my social media advice. You know, it's always nice to do that. >> You're great on social media, by the
01:42:35
way. >> I don't like it. >> Yeah. >> Don't you? >> No.
01:42:39
>> Sorry all these influencers, whoever watching, but I'm sorry. I don't like uh
01:42:43
social media. I mean, once again, I'm a shy boy, you know? I don't like doing
01:42:46
stuff and and uh it's it's like pulling teeth. >> Yeah. >> Well, you and I were both in our 50s.
01:42:53
Like, we we weren't brought up with this. >> No, no, no, no, no. But but you're very
01:42:57
good at it, though. >> Yeah. Oh, out of necessity. Also, I've I've got a team that do a lot of the
01:43:01
stuff as well. If you get a DM, it'll be from me, but yeah, a lot of the posting
01:43:05
is done by the team. Um, when was the last time you cried? >> Just now. >> Oh, of course. Yeah. Reflecting on your
01:43:12
mom. >> Yeah. It's shows how much you care that um just like talking about that even
01:43:18
without getting too deep on it. Um yeah, it just brings the emotions straight to
01:43:21
the forefront. >> Yeah, I mean as I said before that time never heals I think well for me right
01:43:26
now it's only been two years but still you know I think it's uh it's going to
01:43:29
take a a long process >> but I think the the the day that you stop getting emotional about it you know
01:43:35
it means it's I don't know her memories you're further away potentially.
01:43:38
>> Well the thing is I think we stop caring. That's the thing, you know. Um
01:43:44
she's a big part of my life and >> um and she helped me along the way with
01:43:49
um so many things, you know. >> She was very tough on me. She knew uh I was a little, you know, sneak out the
01:43:55
door and sneak out of my bedroom window and cause trouble and come back and Yeah, I was I was a Yeah, I wasn't uh
01:44:03
easy the easiest uh teenager. >> Tough on you. And and and what was she the disciplinarian?
01:44:07
>> Oh, yeah. Was she? Oh, yeah. It's the opposite in my house. Like we we we'd
01:44:11
get up to [ __ ] during the day and my mom would be like, "Wait until your dad gets
01:44:14
home and 5 hours later we'd be getting the belt for something that happened so
01:44:19
long in the past that we couldn't even remember what we were >> No, no. My my dad's a big softy. I love
01:44:24
my dad." Um but my mom Yeah. >> Was it What was it for you? Was it a belt or a jander or
01:44:31
>> um combination of both really? Soap down my down my mouth. >> I got that too. Only when we swore
01:44:37
though. That's old now, isn't it? I mean, >> no one's doing that.
01:44:40
>> No. Yeah. As a kid now, you could probably call um children young, you know, call the authorities
01:44:47
and you get >> Well, the thing is I used to get strapped all the time at school, you
01:44:51
know, cuz I was always when playing up always I was always in the back of the classroom causing trouble and and the
01:44:57
six of the best. So, you got put your hand out big thick leather strap. >> Yeah. Getting your That's so funny that
01:45:05
you got your mouth washed out with soap as well. It was a big thing in the 70s. >> Of course it was. Yeah, of course it
01:45:09
was. >> Cake of pal of gold down the of gold. Yeah. >> Do do you have any regrets?
01:45:17
>> Um regrets as in what? Uh in my golfing career or just uh in life? >> Anything really.
01:45:25
>> Um >> both. >> Yeah. Um I've won really. I think um for
01:45:30
me, well two really personally um not seeing my parents that often um because I obviously left I
01:45:41
was 23 years old uh to overseas and never came back. You know, I came home probably once every
01:45:48
two or three years, sometimes four years. So time you know you lose time with your loved ones but I had to uh to
01:45:58
achieve what I wanted to achieve in life. Um so that's the biggest thing for me is
01:46:05
that is that my job was not a job my sport took me away from but I actually knew
01:46:12
that from the very beginning >> when I jumped on that plane when I was 23 years old I'll be I'll see less and
01:46:19
less of my my family. Yeah, it's just the way it is. And uh golfing wise is not to because after winning the US
01:46:31
Open, you're exempt on the PGA Tour for five years and I said no to it. So from a golf golfing point of view,
01:46:44
uh yeah, that's my only regret really. >> Why did you say no to it? Well, I wanted
01:46:48
to bring up my kids in England rather than America for obvious reasons. Um, and myself and my wife at the time,
01:46:55
Julie, we agreed. And but now looking back in hindsight, uh, it would have kicked on, I think, my
01:47:03
career. But, you know, >> it is what it is right now. And, um, I'm happy where my kids are and how they
01:47:12
are. Um, so the most important thing right now is, you know, is your health and they say health is your wealth and
01:47:20
um, yeah, so that's where I'm at. >> That that personal regret you you you
01:47:27
can't beat yourself up too much about that because I mean, if you had your time again, you you probably wouldn't do
01:47:31
anything differently, right? >> Exactly. No. >> Yeah. >> No. Exactly.
01:47:35
>> I'm um, acutely aware of that, too. Like my dad lives in we're not a particularly
01:47:38
close family, but my dad lives in Wellington. He's in his late 70s now. probably the same age as your dad. And I
01:47:42
I'll see him maybe once or twice a year and you start to do the sums in your
01:47:46
head. I'm like, "Okay, if he lives to 90, it's like we're down to like the
01:47:49
last 15 or 20 visits." >> Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. There you go. Yeah. >> I mean I mean we
01:47:56
you got to realize that I'm from a very big family. So on my mom's side,
01:48:03
don't crucify me here. Uh don't crucify me here. I think eight eight or eight um sorry
01:48:12
she had seven seven brothers and sisters >> my dad's side 14 brothers and sisters.
01:48:19
>> Wow. >> So at one one time I had 65 first cousins and it was the best the best
01:48:27
time of my life. I mean, the best time of my life was when we used to get all together
01:48:33
for Christmas or Easter or whatever gathering and hang out with my cousins. That's the
01:48:40
best memories of my whole life. If you take away what I achieved in golf, that question because um obviously we go
01:48:48
on the farm. Um it was a small three-bedroom house and we used to go to the uh Mai to stay there or even like camp
01:48:58
around the house and and just obviously back in the day there was no electronics so we had to do something.
01:49:04
So get a ball and golf or whatever you know and just do that. That's those memories I'll never forget.
01:49:13
Man, there's so many parallels. Yeah. My my mom big Catholic family from Levin,
01:49:16
which is she's one of 14. So there's always always cousins your own age. So
01:49:21
many cousins. And yeah, same sort of thing. You just found fun. >> Um yeah, the the rotary clothes line,
01:49:27
that was always a lot of fun. >> Yeah, I used to play Bull Rush back in the day.
01:49:33
>> Having that many cousins, that must have been niggly for you when you're back
01:49:35
home for the NZ Open or something. That's a lot of cousins. Well, the funny thing about it was that every time I go
01:49:40
back home, the tournament tournament director, right, or the organizers knew I needed like 12 150 tickets.
01:49:49
That was that was part of the contract for me to play, you know, um this and that, but I need 150 tickets.
01:49:59
>> Unbelievable. They came through. >> Oh, yeah. Of course. >> Yeah, of course.
01:50:04
>> What are your what are your biggest flaws? stubborn. >> Um, >> it's funny, I mentioned before I had
01:50:11
Steve Hansen on, and he said a person's greatest flaw is usually their greatest
01:50:15
strength as well. So, I wonder if for you that's being stubborn, like being stubborn, it served you pretty well in
01:50:20
your career. >> I suppose it has cuz um, you know, people were telling me that, you know,
01:50:23
to to actually think about, you know, turning pro was a stupid idea. >> I had that a lot. Not so much from my
01:50:32
close family, >> but people around me. I mean, that's why I didn't tell my my my mates from school
01:50:38
I played golf. You know, you imagine at 15 years old, also 84 in the 80s, mid 80s,
01:50:47
I didn't tell my friends to play golf because back in the day it was rub your
01:50:51
rub your leg. >> That's it. No other option. And because it's it's quite a tough
01:50:57
culture if you think about it. back in the day, you know, golf was meant for old people,
01:51:05
>> not for young kids. >> So, yeah, I I was I was very stubborn in that way and thinking, "No, this is the
01:51:10
right pathway. I'm going to do this. I don't care what you guys say. I'm doing
01:51:14
it." >> What about future goals? Where do you see yourself at? 60, 65, 70.
01:51:21
>> Um, I haven't gone that far. I think I want to still play. I mean, I still want to
01:51:28
play on the Legends Tour. Um, if I knew if I feel that I can't win anymore, I'll
01:51:33
definitely throw the towel cuz, you know, deep down inside that hell, you know, if you're not good enough. Um,
01:51:39
besides that, just enjoy life really, >> you know. Um, just enjoy being out there
01:51:44
and and um, you know, seeing the success, you know. Of course, you got Lydia Co as well. Lydia is doing
01:51:52
fantastically and seeing Ryan Ryan and and Dan and Kaburi as well uh do well. It's kind of cool to sit back and have a
01:52:02
glass of red wine and watch you guys guys play and and just um think, okay, I've got I have something to do with it.
01:52:11
>> You just mentioned Lydia Co. then I I put into um chat GPT on AI like who are
01:52:15
the who's the greatest New Zealand golfer of all time. >> Now, what do you think the top three
01:52:20
would be? You You're putting Lydia at number one. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Number two,
01:52:24
>> above Charles >> number three. >> Me. >> According to AI, you're number one.
01:52:31
Lydia is number two. Charles is number three. But they had a little asterisk next to Lydia saying depends what
01:52:36
happens. But you know, >> moving forward in her career. >> Yeah. >> You're disputing AI.
01:52:42
>> Yeah, I am. Yeah. >> You're calling [ __ ] on that. >> Yeah, I was calling [ __ ] AI. Sorry,
01:52:46
man. But definitely definitely Lydia what she's done. Absolutely. number one
01:52:50
in the world. Come on. >> Um, so Bob Charles in front of me. Definitely he his career has been in the
01:52:55
mind. So AI, you're completely wrong there. Sorry. You got to change that. >> Have you Bob's still alive? E um you
01:53:01
have you had much to do with him over the years? >> No, I haven't actually cuz um he doesn't
01:53:06
do much uh you know uh social media stuff or or I don't haven't got his number. Um
01:53:11
>> I tried to get him on the the podcast, but he politely declined. But I think
01:53:14
he's still quite sharp. still travels to the UK, still plays golf, >> but he's he's what must be 80 something
01:53:19
now. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Um it's not his type of thing to do, you know. Um I mean I remember playing the
01:53:24
practice round with him actually. You probably can't remember this back in 93.
01:53:27
It was at uh Tbury. I play played with him then. He's still playing. Um I'm I'm
01:53:34
a big fan of Bob what he's done for the game here in New Zealand. and and um
01:53:38
obviously I think he needs more credit because you know what he's done for uh
01:53:42
back in the 60s and 70s is different now. He's more of a social present media
01:53:46
present here of platforms. Um you know he should be more revered I think as as a player and as a ambassador
01:53:55
of the game. Um he he started the whole thing you know if you think about it and
01:54:00
I came came along and took over but now it's time to pass on the to the next
01:54:05
guy. Yeah. Say, say your two sons were in the next room, uh, talking about you behind your
01:54:12
back. What three words would you like them to use to describe you? >> Oh my god,
01:54:17
this is really getting deep here, mate. Um, >> are you are you comfortable with the
01:54:23
deeper stuff or >> Oh, yeah, of course. >> Yeah. >> You've always been quite an open book,
01:54:27
haven't you? >> Yeah, I have. Yeah, somehow too open. Um, uh, I think,
01:54:33
uh, they probably be pr proud of me. >> Yeah. >> Um, fun >> and honest.
01:54:41
>> Great words. Yeah. Are you proud of yourself? >> Yeah, I suppose.
01:54:46
>> Yeah, >> a little bit. >> Just a little bit. Come on. Are you um Yeah. What's your inner
01:54:54
monologue like? Like what's your inner voice like? Are you are you like are you
01:54:57
quite kind to yourself or are you quite hard on yourself? >> I'm both. I think all depends on the
01:55:01
situation. >> Yeah, >> I think I'm both. Um I think I'm the type of person who who um if I need a
01:55:07
bit of a you know a giddy up I I tell myself to do that >> and >> if I get too loud I tell myself to be
01:55:15
quiet kind of thing. So I think in my internal monologue is pretty good. >> Yeah.
01:55:19
>> Um once again I I learned it from you know from reading books and other people
01:55:24
and asking questions. That's one thing I've I did u as a as um trying to learn
01:55:31
this game, trying to learn this beautiful game is asking questions to the to the right people,
01:55:38
>> you know, and not just golfers, but also other people as well of of influence.
01:55:44
>> Thanks, Hans. I just noticed your Panama. What's the story behind that?
01:55:48
Who's that from? >> Um it's it's from my family. Um, cheapest. It's like 20 years old, I
01:55:56
think. 15 years old. >> Yeah, I broke my previous one. So, >> yeah, obviously it means good luck. It's
01:56:02
one of those. >> Jeez, you're so connected with family and culture, aren't you?
01:56:06
>> It's one of my strengths, you know. I think um as I said before, you can't do
01:56:09
by yourself. You got to have a a team around you. What um part of my team is my family and my culture. And um uh as I
01:56:18
mentioned before earlier in the podcast that you know uh I said as a it gives me mana as well I think and
01:56:26
yeah it's a combination a lot of things. >> Well Michael Campbell this has been an
01:56:31
incredible podcast. >> It's gone to places that I didn't expect. >> Yeah me too. Me too.
01:56:36
>> Is there is there anything that we've left uncovered that you were hoping we'd
01:56:40
touch upon today? >> Um [ __ ] I think we've covered everything really. Yeah, I mean there's so much to
01:56:46
your story that I missed out. I was like dropping cards on the floor as we went,
01:56:49
but uh I just captivated by the stories and I'm so it's such an honor to have
01:56:53
you here. I'm so pleased we can mate. >> Um yeah, it means a lot and I really
01:56:57
appreciate it. >> Good. I'm glad you enjoyed it. >> Loved it. >> I actually enjoyed it, too. I enjoyed
01:57:03
cuz you know, obviously you do a lot of these podcasts and things like that and interviews, but you know, you you
01:57:09
actually dig a little bit deeper than than the surface of of how you feel. Oh, I try. So, if someone like yourself is
01:57:15
going to give me a couple of hours of your time on a Sunday, the least I can do is um you know, thoroughly prepare
01:57:20
for it and hopefully ask you a couple of things that you've never been asked
01:57:23
before. >> Yeah. >> Cool. >> Legend, mate. Keep in touch. >> Cheers, mate.