Campbell & Faldo locked after 42 holes

Twice champion Nick Faldo and New Zealand's Michael Campbell are still all square after a record 42 holes in the World Match Play Championship.

Their match, now set to finish on Friday, is already the longest in the 38-year history of the event.

Seeded players triumphed in the other three first-round matches at Wentworth.

Ireland's Padraig Harrington set up a second-round clash with Sergio Garcia after beating Canada's Mike Weir 4 & 3 in the second match out on Thursday.

Moments later, 1999 winner Colin Montgomerie triumphed 3 & 2 over American Fred Funk to earn a clash with three-times champion Ernie Els in Friday's second stage before Fiji's Vijay Singh triumphed over English debutant Justin Rose by a hole.

But Campbell, bidding to become the fourth seeded player to win on the opening day, was level with Faldo in fading light after the pair had squared the first six extra holes of sudden-death.

They will resume their opening-round tie at 0715 GMT on Friday at the 17th hole.

Irish Ryder Cup player Harrington, who lost 2 & 1 to Ian Woosnam in last year's final, had been all square with Weir after a scrappy first 18 holes but did enough in the afternoon to win his seventh World Match Play game in 10 starts.

"I got a few breaks out there today and I holed a few putts when I needed to," he said. "But I'd love to be playing a bit better for tomorrow -- I'm not striking it (the ball) very well at the moment."

Harrington, struggling a little with a shoulder strain, edged ahead in the afternoon when the left-handed Weir three-putted for a bogey-four at the 20th.

Although the Irishman surrendered his advantage with a dropped shot at the next hole, he rifled a nine-iron approach to just five feet at the par-four 26th to regain his one-hole cushion.

Harrington, who won the European Tour's Dunhill Links Championship 11 days ago, then moved three clear following a birdie three at the 29th and a Weir bogey at the par-five 31st.

The match ended when the Canadian three-putted for a bogey five at the 33rd.

Montgomerie, despite bogeying the last in the morning, had led Funk by two after the first 18 holes.

The 46-year-old American, playing in the event for the first time, squared the match after winning both the 19th and 20th holes but then dropped shots on 24 and 26 to allow the big Scot to get back to two ahead.

Funk two-putted from 10 feet for another bogey on 27, putting Montgomerie three clear and in charge for the rest of the match.

"I was lucky he happened to miss some crucial putts on six, eight and nine in the afternoon to give me the advantage," said the seven-times European number one.

"Luckily I was able to hang on. It's always nice to win in the first round."

Twice major champion Singh, three ahead of the 22-year-old Rose after the morning round, faltered when he lost the 21st hole with a bogey-five and also the 23rd, where the young Englishman collected a birdie two.

The tall Fijian, winner of the event in 1997, immediately recovered by claiming the next two holes and was three up with 10 holes remaining.

However Rose, one of four debutants in this week's event, won the 27th after Singh bogeyed and then holed a birdie putt from 38 feet at the par-three 28th to narrow the gap to just one.

Rose maintained his fightback with further birdies on 33 and 35 but Singh won the 34th hole with a birdie of his own before sealing the match at the last.

Campbell was battling to set up a second-round clash with defending champion Ian Woosnam, after his bogey-six at the last allowed Faldo to square a fluctuating match.

The 33-year-old Campbell, making his debut in the event on a crisp and sunny day at Wentworth's West Course, had completed the morning round three ahead of Faldo but came under pressure from the experienced Englishman in the afternoon.

Campbell bogeyed the 20th hole after missing the green with his approach, but got back to three ahead when six-times major champion Faldo three-putted the 497-yard 21st.

Faldo, winner of the event in 1989 and 1992, again cut the deficit to two with an eagle-three at the 22nd. Although he lost the par-three 23rd where Campbell nearly aced with a six-iron, he won the 27th with a par and the 28th with a birdie two.

The match was squared when Campbell bogeyed the par-four 31st but the New Zealander bounced back by winning the 32nd -- where Faldo two-putted from five feet -- and the 33rd with a birdie three.

Faldo, though, birdied the 35th and parred the last to take the contest into extra time.

The four top seeds in the event -- defending champion Woosnam, Els, Retief Goosen and Garcia -- receive byes into Friday's second round.

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