Whats Chad Campbells Deal

Chad Campbell dropped from No. 7 on the PGA Tour money list in 2003 to No. 24 last year. After winning at Bay Hill last March and finishing second at the Bank of America Colonial, he didnt post another top 10 all year.

At the Ryder Cup, Campbell lost both matches he played the first two days of what turned out to be a rout of the Americans by the Euros.

So far this year the 30-year-old Campbell has a tie for 17th at the limited field Mercedes Championships and a tie for 47th at the Sony Open.

Last month people started whispering about the fact that his bag was blank and his club deal had ended.

They neednt have worried. Campbell is too good a ball striker to stay down for very long. The endorsers know this. Hartford has signed Campbell to a deal and Sharpie recently purchased space on his bag.

The fact of the matter is Chad Campbell is looking for golf clubs with the exact specifications for his swing. This takes time. It doesnt mean he doesnt like the Cleveland stuff he used to be under contract to play. He still uses a Cleveland driver.

Were still on good terms with Cleveland, says Dennis Harrington, Campbells agent.

Its just that Campbell wanted to be a free agent, at least for now, when it came time to selecting the implements that would help determine how well he played the game he has chosen for a living.

Northern Irelands Darren Clarke did the same thing a few years ago. And it worked out quite nicely. Justin Leonard, who won last week at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and jumped to No. 16 in the world rankings, spent much of 2004 testing equipment before settling on Nike full time.

The golf landscape is littered with players who have signed lucrative deals with different equipment companies only to find out that they couldnt play the clubs. Campbell has chosen to find the right clubs before affixing his name to any new contracts.

According to Harrington, Campbell has more than just a few offers on the table from equipment makers. A total of nine companies have expressed an interest.

He might decide in two weeks, he might not decide until the middle of the year, it might not be until 2006, Harrington says. What needs to be known is Chad Campbell would never switch just for the money. Youve got to look at the long term. Everybody wants to jump to the conclusion that Chad couldnt get an equipment deal. Thats ridiculous. Its silly.

The real deal Campbell is looking for is the one that gets the right clubs in his hands to produce the right shots at the right time.

It seems like a simple enough concept. But so many players before him have succumbed to too many contracts that have compromised their futures.

Let the record show that Chad Campbell is more concerned about lie and loft on the golf course than he is about size and heft in his bank account.

Seems like a simple enough concept.

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