Campbell & McGinley reach final

U.S. Open winner Michael Campbell turned the form book upside down when he hammered top seed Retief Goosen 7 and 6 on Saturday to reach the World Match Play Championship final.

The 36-year-old New Zealander will meet Paul McGinley in Sunday's battle for the richest first prize in golf, the Irishman having polished off Argentina's Angel Cabrera 4 and 3.

"To beat Retief in such a manner, I knew I needed to bring my 'A game' today, and I did," Campbell told a news conference.

"I remember watching this (event) when I was a youngster and I wanted to be a part of the World Match Play. And finally, I am a finalist. It's always been one of my dreams to fulfil."

World number five Goosen arrived at Wentworth having won successive tournaments in Germany and China.

The South African's confidence soared when he followed an 8 and 7 first-round pounding of Briton Kenneth Ferrie with a record-equalling 12 and 11 rout of Australia's Mark Hensby in the quarter-finals.

Campbell, a collective two under par for his opening two matches here compared to Goosen's 17 under, shrugged aside his underdog's tag with a spectacular run of three birdies and an eagle at the start of their 36-hole encounter.

Playing under clear blue skies, the world number 16 struck a glorious four-iron second shot to within eight feet of the cup at the fourth and sank his eagle putt.

Buoyed by his eagle, Campbell raced four up through seven holes by rolling in birdie putts of six, 20 and seven feet.

Both players bogeyed the eighth before Campbell stretched his lead with another birdie at the 11th.

He also birdied the par-five 12th, although his four there was matched by Goosen.

The South African chipped in for a birdie at the 14th before Campbell drained a 25-footer for a birdie at the next.

Goosen, 36, was starting to find his range and a birdie at the par-five 17th reduced his arrears to four holes.

Campbell, though, registered his seventh birdie at the 18th to go five up at lunch with a sparkling eight-under-par 64 against Goosen's 71.

The South African's chances of scooping the one million pound winner's cheque were effectively ended when he made a costly mistake at the start of the afternoon round.

The twice U.S. Open champion took four strokes to reach the green at the third and a double bogey six meant he went six down.

Campbell then drove the final nail in Goosen's coffin with another brilliant run of four birdies in seven holes.

"I played terrible," said Goosen. "I think I was over-par this morning and much the same this afternoon so I deserved to lose.

"I just didn't make a putt, was wayward off the tee and missed a lot of fairways."

McGinley, watched by a sizeable Irish contingent including former Celtic manager Martin O'Neill, seized the initiative against second seed Cabrera with four consecutive birdies from the ninth hole of their morning round.

The Irishman sank a monster 57-footer at the ninth before chipping in for a two at the short 10th. Two four-foot putts on the next two greens gave him a three-hole advantage.

Cabrera's hopes lifted when his opponent bogeyed the 13th and 16th but McGinley hit back in stunning style, collecting a birdie at the 17th and eagling the long 18th to card a six-under 66 against Cabrera's 71.

The thought of reaching the final in his World Match Play debut continued to drive on McGinley and five more birdies in 11 holes of the afternoon round put paid to the Argentine's challenge.

"It means a lot to me to reach the final," said McGinley, who holed the winning putt for Europe at the 2002 Ryder Cup.

"But just getting into the final isn't something I'm interested in...it's winning it that I'm interested in. I'm going to go out there to win it."

Email this page to a friend | Return to top of page