PGATOUR.COM - Immelman, Campbell find positives in consolation

MARANA, Ariz. -- When he first realized he would be playing in a match Sunday to decide third place at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, Trevor Immelman thought it was the "oddest thing I've ever heard of."

Trevor Immelman was happy to scoop up more FedExCup points on Sunday. (Action Images/WireImage)

TREVOR IMMELMAN'S

ROUND TO THIRD PLACE

Round	Opponent
1	def. Thomas Bjorn, 6&5
2	def. Chris DiMarco, 3&1
3	def. Ian Poulter, 2&1
QF	def. Justin Rose, 5&4
SF	lost to Henrik Stenson, 3&2
Con	def. Chad Campbell, 4&2

• Trevor Immelman's Player Page

He'd come to The Gallery at Dove Mountain to win the tournament -- and that opportunity ended when he lost 3 and 2 to Henrik Stenson on Saturday afternoon. The more Immelman thought about it, though, the more he realized he had to gain.

The difference between third and fourth was $100,000 and 525 FedExCup points. Not to mention, Immelman would move up to 12th in the Official World Golf Ranking regardless of the outcome of his match with Chad Campbell.

"It feels pretty bizarre, really, because you feel like you've lost and you're putting everything into trying to win the tournament, and then you find out you've got to come back and play in a match for third place, which is the oddest thing I've ever heard of," Immelman admitted.

"But, you know, it was a lot of extra world ranking points up for grabs and FedExCup points and stuff like that, so I had to try and get my mind around it and try and come out here with a positive frame of mind."

The world ranking points were particularly dear to Immelman, who beat Campbell 4 and 1 Sunday afternoon. "I'm one of those with the massive task of trying to chase down Tiger, so every extra point that I can get is good for me," the South African said.

Campbell, who moved from No. 40 to 23rd in the world, came to a similar conclusion. The disappointment of Saturday's 3-and-2 loss to Geoff Ogilvy was more than tempered by his competitive nature when the bell rang at 1:50 p.m. ET.

"You get out there and you still want to win," the Texan explained. "Any time you're playing you want to win. Obviously we were both disappointed we weren't playing in the other match, but you're still out there trying your best and trying to win."

Campbell and Immelman traded holes early in the match, but the South African assumed control when he won four of five holes beginning at No. 7. Immelman made three birdies and won another with a conceded eagle to move from 1 down to 3 up.

"I birdied the first and then went a little bit quiet," Immelman recalled. "I expected a real challenge today. Chad is such a solid player. We play a pretty similar game actually.

"Then I made birdie -- two birdies in a row and then a par and then an eagle and then another birdie and then another birdie. I managed to get my nose ahead there, and we both made bogeys to halve (No. 13). That was a little bit ugly.

Immelman said he worked on trying to keep his left arm a little more connected through impact and in his follow-through this week. The 27-year-old, who plans to make his next start at the PODS Championship in two weeks, was pleased with the results.

"You know, it's something that (swing coach David Leadbetter) and I have worked on before," he said. "I just tried it yesterday morning and started hitting a few shots right up the middle and had the guts to take it to the course, and it's been feeling really good. So that one will probably be in my head come Tampa.

"I'm excited to find some form, that's for sure. I played well at Mercedes (where he finished third) and then I've been pretty awful since then. You know, I wasn't enjoying finishing 40th and 50th every week, so I was hoping to find some form.

"I was glad to come here and start playing a little better. You know, I'm really excited now. I get to go home and spend some time with the family and sharpen things up a little bit and hopefully come back with the same type of game for the Florida Swing."

Campbell, who upset the No. 2 player in the world, Jim Furyk, in the second round, and took out former Accenture Match Play Championship winner David Toms in the third, was also encouraged by his performance.

"Absolutely," said Campbell, who had not finished higher than 31st in five previous starts this year. "It's always nice to get out there and hit good shots and make some putts for a change. I haven't been doing much of that this year, so I'll definitely build off this and hopefully start playing good the next few events."