Faldo, Campbell’s marathon effort
In what is already the longest match in Cisco World Match Play championship history, the pair will resume at 8.15 tomorrow morning to see who plays defending champion Ian Woosnam in the quarter-finals straight afterwards.
Having started at 9am they called it a day in the gathering gloom at 6.05pm just after Faldo had lipped out from eight feet on their fourth visit of the day to the short second.
"We both decided that was going to be the last hole," said Campbell.
"I couldn't read my putt properly. I've never played a match as long as this, but it was fun. I just want to go and eat now, then have a couple of hours' sleep, then get up again."
The 45-year-old Faldo was so keen to do the same he declined a press conference, pausing only to say: "That was an honest day's work and I'm just pleased I came back into it and started putting better."
He had been two down with three to play.
In the other first round matches Colin Montgomerie beat American Fred Funk three and two and Padraig Harrington overcame Canadian Mike Weir four and three. Debutant Justin Rose lost on the last to Vijay Singh.
Montgomerie now plays Open champion Ernie Els, the second seed, while Singh meets third seed Retief Goosen. Harrington is up against Ryder Cup team-mate and fourth seed Sergio Garcia.
Two years ago Faldo found himself in the joint longest match when he went 40 holes with Darren Clarke before losing. The two other previous marathon affairs were Gary Player against Tony Lema in 1965 and Isao Aoki against Seve Ballesteros in 1979.
There seemed little prospect of their records being broken when Campbell stood over a five-foot putt for victory on the 34th green.
Even when he missed that and Faldo holed from four for a half Faldo had to win the last two holes to stay alive.
But he did just that. Campbell missed a 12-footer for the win at the next, then failed from six feet on the 36th, Faldo's par five proving good enough after he must have feared his drive into sand would cost him dear.
Faldo had putts to win at the first two extra holes, but missed from 12 and 20 feet, but he saved himself on the next two.
Then Campbell missed the green as they went into fresh territory for the event at the 41st, but chipped dead.
There was just time left for Faldo to triumph, but after a fine tee shot he just failed to pull it off and will now try again on the 43rd actually the long 17th after a night's rest.
Montgomerie's delight at winning had nothing to do with what Funk called him five years ago.
The Maryland golfer described the Scot as "the jerk of the world" for comments he made about members of the American Ryder Cup team at Valderrama.
There is no lasting ill-feeling, though. Funk said: "I thought his remarks were disrespectful, but after talking things over with him I realised I read too much into them.
"He was just trying to build his own team up by saying the opposition was not unbeatable.
"I apologised, he accepted and we have become good friends," he said.
Montgomerie, never behind from the moment he birdied the fifth, added: "That was history a long time ago. We get on very well.
"It was not the prettiest game in the world, but it's a win. I played pretty well in the morning round (both scored 67s, but Montgomerie led by two), but then it got cold and damp."
Funk got back to level at the start of the afternoon, but Funk then had two three-putts and Montgomerie never gave him the chance to recover.
Fatigue is a worry for those with money on Montgomerie to capture his first title of the season.
"It's been a long year and I am tired. It makes a huge difference being seeded in this," he said.
That normally becomes a factor over the weekend and Montgomerie is hoping he will be as sharp as he know he probably needs to be against Els.
Their history is well documented, Montgomerie twice finishing second to Els in US Opens and being beaten in their only previous Match Play clash, the 1994 final.
"He is up in our matches, but I did beat him at Sun City (in the 1996 Million Dollar Challenge).
"That was my only play-off win and I just managed to get out of the country alive.
"I'm confident with what I am doing at the moment and hopefully he fears me as much as I fear him."
Els does indeed hold Montgomerie in high regard and adds that their match ought to worth watching because they tend to bring out the best in each other.
Harrington against Garcia, two of the Belfry heroes, has the makings of another thriller, but the Irishman will not expect to play as he did against Weir and progress further.
Harrington said: "I don't think either of us played that well, but there's one thing better than playing well and that's having luck on your side.
"I could easily have bogeyed the eighth and ninth this afternoon and I birdied them both. After that I felt I was feeling very positive about winning things were going my way."
At the eighth, the Dubliner thought his nine-iron approach was going to finish short of the green, but it skipped up to five feet, while on the next he was way over the green in two, but chipped in.
Rose did not win a hole until the 21st against Singh, but refused to let the former Masters and US PGA champion get away from him.
At two down with two to play things looked grim for the Hampshire youngster, who used to come and watch the championship. He won the 35th with a birdie four, but then took three from just off the final green, lipping out from four feet.
"I actually hit a good putt," he said. "I hit it with quite a bit of speed and I thought it would hold its line better.
"I was pretty focused and I seem to enjoy the situation when it gets at its toughest. I was thinking of getting down in one from the edge, not three."
Singh was full of praise for him, though. "Justin has got everything. His swing has developed into a beautiful one and if he doesn't change it, he's got a great future."
Both Singh and Harrington overcame problems with their shoulder and neck respectively to go through. But as Harrington said: "It always feels better when you are holing putts."
(8) Michael Campbell (New Zealand) level with Nick Faldo (England) after 42 holes. Match will resume today at 8.15am on the 17th tee.
(5) Padraig Harrington (Ireland) bt Mike Weir (Canada) 4 and 3.
(6) Vijay Singh (Fiji) bt Justin Rose (England) 1 hole.
(7) Colin Montgomerie (Scotland) bt Fred Funk (USA) 3 and 2.
0900 and 1315 (1) Ian Woosnam (Wales) v (8) Michael Campbell or Nick Faldo.
0915 and 1330 (4) Sergio Garcia (Spain) v (5) Padraig Harrington.
0930 and 1345 (3) Retief Goosen (South Africa) v (6) Vijay Singh.
0945 and 1400 (2) Ernie Els (South Africa) v (7) Colin Montgomerie.
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