Chris Campbell used to worry about the wayward drives and the missed putts. Now he spends more time thinking about surfing than golf, which is why he's so relaxed ahead of his tournament comeback.
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The Canberra golfer will tee off in the NSW Open on Thursday, ending a four-year hiatus from the Australian circuit after transitioning to life away from the fairways.
The three-time professional winner spent years in Japan and played at the 2005 British Open, but life, family and injuries led to him walking away from his career in 2015.
His love of the game, however, never disappeared and a win at a NSW mid-amateur championships in March earned him a spot in the NSW Open field as an amateur.
If he finishes high enough on the leaderboard, he'll book a ticket to the Australian Open next week.
"A lot of people stop playing golf [professionally] because they can no longer afford to and that is probably when you're bitter about it," Campbell said.
"But because I wasn't playing in Japan any more ... floating around Australia and drifting backwards wasn't for me.
"I still enjoy golf. I still play every second weekend. But if I don't get through to the weekend, I'll be happy if the surf is good. I don't mind too much.
"If I play the first two rounds well, I'll really enjoy the next two rounds. If I don't, I'll be surfing. So I can't lose."
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Campbell is one of three players in the NSW Open field, joining Matt Millar and young gun Josh Armstrong.
Armstrong is rated as one of Australia's best juniors, playing at amateur championships in the United States, New Zealand and Europe this year.
Millar will be using the NSW Open as a launching pad for his hopes to qualify for the Japan Tour next week.
Campbell, 44, turned professional in 2003 and spent most of his career in Japan before he decided to take a break in 2015.
He broke his elbow after a skateboarding accident and was ruled out for six months. He then broke his finger and missed a further three months.
That's when he decided to put family first, change careers and play golf casually rather than professionally. He spends more time on the beach at the sand these days than he does in bunkers.
He also spends his weekends watching his children play sport or compete in surfing competition.
But the NSW Open is a chance to step back, even if he is now classified as an amateur because of his lack of golf over the past two years.
That means he won't get a share of the $400,000 of prizemoney up for grabs. Amateurs are instead playing for a voucher, and if they finish high enough a chance to play for the Stonehaven Cup.
"I'm way more relaxed about it all now. If I play well it's a bonus," Campbell said.
"If I ever get grumpy ... I find it frustrating at times but then I realise you get out of it what you put into it. It will be tough just to make the cut this week ... to do that I'll need my best rounds of the last six months.
"Then again, I've played more golf in the last three weeks than I have in the last six months so you never know."