No one is happier to be at this week's South Pacific Open Golf Championship in Noumea than Ben Campbell.
The 24-year-old from Masterton has missed most of the year's golf due to an unexplained injury.
The Masterton golfer Ben Campbell Photo: PHOTOSPORT
"It's pretty much been happening over the last year and a half. My chest keeps flaring up," said Campbell who was also suffering from a severe lack of energy.
"I would go play in the morning and have to sleep the whole afternoon. I was going to bed at 7pm, just always feeling tired and then wouldn't be able to wake up."
"I had about five MRI's, x-rays and ultra sounds. They have cut me open and taken a biopsy of my chest and everything keeps coming back fine, they can't really figure out what causes it."
It was a long winter for Campbell back home, usually highly active; he has been forced onto the couch watching his friends pursue the career he wasn't sure he would ever have.
"They thought I had this muscle disease, it was pretty scary, they said to be prepared that I might never play golf again. That was a shock to the system and I was pretty happy that the biopsy came back fine and I don't have that," added Campbell.
"For a while there I was just sitting around, I would go out and spend a bit of time on the farm but there wasn't obviously that much I could do while I was out there."
"At times I thought about life after golf, but I have been very lucky to have some awesome sponsors, they cheered me up and kept me going," added Campbell who maintained his desire to compete.
"Watching golf and watching a lot of my friends doing well, getting some great results, it makes me pretty hungry."
No closer to answers, Campbell is feeling better due to eliminating gluten from his diet which is sure to pose a problem this week with local baguettes a popular option in New Caledonia.
