South Africans dominate on first day

Defending champion Ernie Els recovered from a sluggish start to lead Briton Scott Drummond by two holes with two to play after a rainswept opening day of the World Match Play Championship at Wentworth on Thursday.

The world number two, seeking a record sixth victory in the tournament, trailed Drummond by a hole at the halfway point but found his form to move to the brink of victory when bad light ended play.

The start of the tournament was delayed by two and a half hours due to overnight rain and only one of the eight first-round matches was completed, U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen romping to a record 12&11 victory over American Jeff Maggert.

World number one Vijay Singh was two down to European Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer after 26 of their scheduled 36 holes.

Drummond, who sprung to prominence by winning this year's Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth, fired four birdies to stay ahead throughout the opening 18 holes before Els found his range with birdies on the 20th and 21st greens and the South African chipped in at the 22nd to match his opponent's eagle.

Els moved three holes ahead with a birdie on the 27th but Drummond refused to lie down, sinking a 10-foot birdie putt to cut the deficit and making par at the 16th to take the contest into a second day.

Singh, who ended Tiger Woods's five-year reign as world number one last month, struggled to reproduce the form which has brought him eight tournament victories this year.

Langer led narrowly over the early holes before the Fijian's birdie at the 17th left them all square at the halfway point.

The 47-year-old German, playing his first World Match Play Championship since 1995, fired four birdies in quick succession to open up a three-hole advantage before Singh struck back with a par at the eighth to retain hope of a second triumph in the tournament.

Goosen surged into a healthy lead as Maggert bogeyed five of the opening seven holes and the South African led by a record-equalling 10 at the halfway point.

Maggert improved second time round, matching his opponent's birdies on the fourth and fifth holes, but the contest ended when Goosen birdied the seventh to complete a victory which beat the previous record margin held by American Mark O'Meara with an 11&10 success over Singh in 1998.

"It's nice to have that achievement," Goosen told reporters. "I played okay, putted well for a change and Jeff didn't play as well as he can."

Goosen will next play either British Open champion Todd Hamilton or Briton Lee Westwood.

The pair were locked in a tight, see-saw match before Westwood, a member of Europe's victorious Ryder Cup team last month, moved three ahead with seven holes to play.

Argentina's Angel Cabrera led Korean K.J.Choi by one hole with three to play, Ireland's Padraig Harrington and American Chris Riley were all square after 32 holes, Mike Weir of Canada and Frenchman Thomas Levet were also level after 32, and Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez and American Steve Flesch were locked together after 26.

The seven remaining first-round matches will be completed on Friday morning.

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