Phoenix Campbell is preparing to wave the amateur ranks goodbye, but not before an overdue crack at the tournament that wickedly triggered his golfing surge 12 months ago.
The Victorian will play his first Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) at Japan's Taiheiyo Club's Gotemba course, at the foot of Mount Fuji, from October 3-6.
A year ago Campbell, now 23, was the next reserve on the list but never had his named called for the event won by Australian teammate Jasper Stubbs at Royal Melbourne.
Stubbs, who will defend his title in Japan as one of seven Australians in the field including Campbell, earned a British Open and Masters invite for his troubles.
Campbell's response was a historic charge to the Queensland PGA Championship a week later, coming from eight strokes back to become the tournament's first amateur champion.
That victory came with two years of status on the PGA Tour of Australasia.
Campbell will also play next week's Japan Open in a field that includes Adam Scott, before he makes his professional debut at the WA Open at Mandurah Country Club from October 17.
So set on his path is Campbell that he'll forgo the opportunity to play at Augusta, or in a British Open at Royal Portrush next year, as an amateur if he wins in Gotemba this week.
"No matter the outcome I'm kind of set on where I'm going," he said.
"It sucks to be the first guy to miss out (on last year's AAC field) but I got lucky to get close and it made me want to work harder."
Campbell also won this year's Australian Master of the Amateurs and finished runner-up in the Australian Amateur Championship.
"Everything that happened afterwards was a direct result of just missing out," he said.
"It was meant to be."
Campbell is arranging a Japan Open practice round with Scott, while Cameron Smith will be in the field when he defends his Queensland PGA title at Nudgee in November.
Reigning Australian amateur champion Quinnton Croker from Royal Queensland, US college gun Tony Chen, Queensland 18-year-old Billy Dowling, Victorian Lukas Michel and WA lefty Connor Fewkes round out the team.
As well as Stubbs last year, fellow Australians Harrison Crowe in 2022 and Curtis Luck in 2016 have won the AAC.
