Ben Campbell is ready for his first full year on the LIV circuit. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
No, the humble Queenstown golfer has not suddenly declared himself the greatest of all time; nor, thankfully, has he developed a personality on the stubborn, head-butty side.
Campbell has been invited to play for RangeGoats GC in the elite LIV league.
It is an objectively awful team name but it represents a thrilling opportunity for one of New Zealand golf's feelgood stories to rub shoulders with some of the best players in the world and cash some serious cheques.
Campbell, who has been in superb form on the Asian Tour and is now ranked 137th in the world, will get full LIV playing rights and appear in all 14 tournaments on the schedule, starting with Saudi Arabia on February 6.
``It's something I've been working on, so it was nice to get the phone call,'' he told the Otago Daily Times from Florida yesterday.
``I've played some really good golf in the last couple of years, and I went close to getting the automatic LIV spot for the top Asian player on the International Series, so it's nice.
``I got a bit of a taste as a reserve last year, and I definitely wanted to get the fulltime gig. It's nice to have that secured now.''
Campbell, 33, made three appearances as a LIV reserve in 2023, including one start, for Majesticks GC, at the Greenbrier tournament, where he shot 5-under to tie for 37th.
He soared on the Asian Tour's International Series last year, winning in Morocco, finishing second at the Hong Kong Open a year after winning that tournament, and posting four other top-10 finishes.
That form helped him finish second on the Asian Tour order of merit and caught the eye of the RangeGoats captain.
You might have heard of him: two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson.
``I played with Bubba a little bit at the end of last year, which definitely helped,'' Campbell said.
``We actually played together yesterday, and I managed to hole a putt on the last to get the win, which was nice.
``He's easy to get along with and pretty easygoing, and I'm looking forward to the year. It's always nice to have someone with that much experience to lean on if you need.''
The other players in the RangeGoats team are Peter Uihlein, the former world No 1 amateur who has five professional wins, and Matthew Wolff, runner-up at the US Open in 2020.
LIV, heading into its fourth season and seemingly poised for a formal merger with the PGA tour before too long, holds 54-hole, no-cut tournaments.
Their events boast US$25 million (NZ$44 million) purses, and even the bottom-placed golfer gets a decent cheque.
``If I can finish in the top 24 in the order of merit, that guarantees me another year,'' Campbell said.
``That would be a realistic goal. I've played with a lot of these guys, and I feel like my game is good enough to be out here.
``Playing a lot of international golf helps. My game is probably not perfectly suited to the American style _ I'm not the longest hitter.''
These should be prime years for Campbell, who has bounced back from some dark days and serious injury problems to really flourish at the top level.
After the Saudi opener, the LIV circuit has a southern swing (Adelaide, Hong Kong, Singapore) before April rounds in Miami and Mexico City.
Tournaments in Korea, Washington DC, Dallas, Spain, the UK, Chicago and Indianapolis follow before the LIV Team Championship at the St John's resort in Michigan.
The schedule means Campbell will be able to play in the New Zealand Open at Millbrook at the end of February.
He becomes the second New Zealander on the LIV tour. Danny Lee, part of the Iron Heads team alongside Kevin Na, finished 34th on the money list last year with over US$3 million.
