Double success for Westwood

Lee Westwood pulled off a notable double today to reach the semi-finals of the HSBC World Match Play championship at Wentworth.

After beating Open champion Todd Hamilton in one of seven first round games carried over from Thursday the Worksop golfer added the scalp of United States Open champion Retief Goosen.

Twenty four hours after Goosen had set a new tournament record with his 12 and 11 hammering of Jeff Maggert the South African was on the receiving end, falling five down before eventually losing two and one.

Westwood does not yet know who is next in his firing line, however, but it will not be world number one and reigning US PGA champion Vijay Singh as he might have expected.

“I thought I would have to work my way through the major champions,” he said.

But Singh was knocked out by European Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer at the 37th hole of a thrilling duel.

Because that went on so long Langer’s quarter-final with Miguel Angel Jimenez, another of his team in Detroit last month, was always likely to spill into Saturday. Jimenez will resume three up with eight to play.

The other semi-final is between defending champion Ernie Els, chasing a record-breaking sixth title, and yet another Ryder Cup man in Padraig Harrington.

Els overcame Scott Drummond two and one and then Angel Cabrera with a nine-foot putt on the last, while Harrington overcame a nasty-looking incident which required medical attention during his clash with Thomas Levet.

Having already broken a club hitting from beside a tree before lunch the Dubliner found himself in a similar spot on the 27th hole and this time hurt and cut his right thumb when it smashed into the trunk in his follow-through.

Harrington, three up at the time, took a time-out to receive treatment, was in pain for the remaining holes, yet hung on to win with a last-hole birdie.

Els went into lunch one down to Cabrera after pulling two drives out of bounds on the long 17th, but made amends at the hole on his return. He hit the perfect shot whereas the South American was in the trees.

The birdie four gave the world number two the lead and Cabrera’s closing birdie four was not enough to rescue the situation.

“I knew it was going to be tough and it was,” commented Els. “It was a see-saw battle all day. I hit a good one down the 17th after this morning’s fiasco. At least I had some practice.”

He has now won 20 out of 24 games in the event.

Langer’s victory over Singh inevitably took pride of place on the resumption of the first round at 8am.

The German was three up with four to play, lost the next three to birdies, but won at the first extra hole – the 571-yard 17th – by reaching the green in two and two-putting for birdie.

“It reminded me of that old Bible story when little David beat Goliath. That’s how I felt,” said Langer.

“Obviously he’s not happy. I wouldn’t be happy if I’d lost. He was the hot favourite, but I am always tremendously motivated and 100% professional. I knew my chances would be small, but wherever I play I play to win.”

Singh stated: “To be honest I didn’t play well enough to win. Bernhard didn’t make a mistake and I just left it too late.”

It was Langer’s second successive victory over the Fijian. They also met in the 1999 Andersen Consulting match play in California, but this will go down as much the greater achievement because of Singh’s remarkable season – eight wins, including five of his last six tournaments in America, and record earnings of nearly 10 million dollars.

Harrington did not have to work as hard as he might have expected to get past Chris Riley. The only member of America’s Ryder Cup team in the field was level with four to play overnight, but bogeyed the first two holes on the resumption.

Levet was also gifted a couple of holes as he beat Canada’s Mike Weir. Last year’s Masters champion, ahead for most of the first day, set off again level with five to go, but bogeyed the 34th and long 35th.

Els beat Drummond by the same two and one margin. But the tournament outsider will remember that he was two up four times on the opening day.

“It was fantastic experience for me obviously, but at the same time I’m disappointed,” commented Drummond, back on the course where he had his amazing victory in the Volvo PGA championship in May when 435th in the world.

A cheque for £60,000 – more than he had earned in his tour career prior to the PGA – helped ease that disappointment.