Garcia facing uphill task

Sergio Garcia needed to come from behind for the third game running if he was to win the Cisco World Match Play championship at Wentworth today.

The 22-year-old Spaniard, by eight days the tournament’s youngest-ever finalist, recovered from four down against Padraig Harrington in the quarter-finals and from three down in his semi-final with Michael Campbell.

This morning he found himself three down after nine holes to Open champion Ernie Els, who went to the turn in a superb five under par 30.

That matched the South African’s start against Colin Montgomerie on Friday, when he went on to break the championship record with a 12-under-par round of 60.

Els birdied the second from 22 feet, the third four feet and, after losing the long fourth to Garcia’s 15-foot eagle putt, hit a nine iron to six feet on the seventh and eight iron to six feet at the ninth.