March 14, 2006

WARREN, PA — The road to the Carl Spackler Open Championship usually starts with both rusty and limbered swings. It always ends with a camoflauge fishing hat and golden jacket. Jim Campbell hopes he can stay on top of things and return to Warren with his first jacket.

Campbell, a.k.a. Little Buddy, signs as the 58th player and the 16th player to represent the state of Pennsylvania. Campbell returned to Warren last year as a member of the winning 4-man Scramble team. He also carded his first Top 5 finish with 117 points at a difficult Mountain Valley.

Campbell is considering himself a strong contender in 2006. "Put it this way," Campbell said. "If I hit a couple of bad shots, I feel like it's not the end of the world. I can still post a really good number against these guys. When I was a rookie, it seemed like my inexperience translated into damage control and I struggled to shoot 40-over par each day. But that's not the case anymore. It is amazing what a little tournament planning can do."

Campbell opened his rookie tournament with 123 strokes on a very easy North Carolina course. He dropped 7 strokes in Round 2 and dropped another 10 strokes in the final round at Tanglewood Park.

"My initial goal in Winston-Salem was beating up on Munksgard," acknowledged Campbell, who became the 22nd player to successfully beat Munksgard for two straight years. "That does not appear to be a problem. I have increased my focus towards the jacket and making the right decisions on and off the course. I'm going to tame my left-handed slice throughout the entire tournament. That should give me a shot at glory."

There are 85 days left before the major championship. Golfer options are available online until April 8.