Westwood scrapes through to meet Els

Lee Westwood, the only man to beat Ernie Els twice in the World Match Play championship, is now the only man who can prevent him lifting the trophy for a record-breaking sixth time.

The pair will meet again in the 36-hole final at Wentworth tomorrow, Els’s 35th birthday, with £1million – golf’s biggest cheque – for the winner and £400,000 for the runner-up on the line as well as the title.

But while Els cruised into the showdown, beating a thumb-struck Padraig Harrington five and four, Westwood breathed a huge sigh of relief after overcoming Ryder Cup teammate Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Five-up with eight to play became one-up with two to go. Jimenez then had a 10-foot chance to level on the 35th, but missed it and in the gathering gloom he drove into sand on the par five last and Westwood, on in two, scraped through.

World number two Els, trying to repeat the hat-trick of wins with which he began his Match Play career in 1994-96, never looked like losing his semi-final with Harrington from the moment the Dubliner arrived for the contest.

That was because of the bruised and battered right thumb Harrington injured smashing it into a tree playing Thomas Levet on Friday.

“There isn’t any feeling – it isn’t there – and in fairness I don’t feel like I have the game to do anything,” he said, admitting that when he started practising it was 50-50 whether he even teed off.

“I can’t make things happen. I’m doing well for a man with one hand – or rather one thumb!”

Doing well, though, meant going into lunch only three down and that was largely because Els missed six putts of under 10 feet.

After the interval Harrington felt better, but Els steered away from trouble.

The Irishman appeared to have a chance to go only two down with seven to play, but Els holed from 15 feet and he missed from 12. That effectively was that, the end coming at the short 32nd after the Irishman found a horrid spot in the greenside bunker.

Els, through to a record seventh final, first met Westwood in the 1998 quarter-finals, losing two and one after being two-up with eight to play.

Two years later the 31-year-old Worksop golfer was two down with only three to play, but birdied them all to go through to a final with Colin Montgomerie which he won at the second extra hole.

Between then and now Westwood slumped outside the game’s top 250 – he was fourth at one point – but began a comeback began late last season.

Westwood has not won a tournament this year, but he was fourth in the Open and joint top-scorer with Sergio Garcia in Europe’s fabulous record-busting victory in Detroit last month.

Jimenez’s scalp was added to those of Open champion Todd Hamilton and US Open champion Retief Goosen, re-inforcing the 31-year-old’s love of match play.

“I’ve always enjoyed it,” he said. “I played it a lot as an amateur for my club, Nottinghamshire and England. It was something I always had a pretty good record in and as a pro I’ve got a pretty good record too.”

Els, however, has now won 21 out of 25 games at Match Play and will start favourite, even though he is being tested like never before.

For all his previous five victories he had a bye into the quarter-finals, but this year the field was increased from 12 to 16.

“It’s been a long week and it’s a good thing I have a week off next week. I think I’ll need it,” he said. “It’s quite a battle, but it’s worth it.”

While Els knew he would be playing from the moment he lifted the trophy last October Harrington was not going to be part of the action until 10 days ago. Thirteen players ahead of him in the pecking order – Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Garcia amongst them – all turned down their invitations.

In the circumstances then £120,000 was not a bad return for a week he expected to be taking off. Yet he will never know what might have happened but for that tree.

“It’s awkward chipping and putting and the short game has cost me more than the long game,” added Harrington. “I’ve had to adapt and I can’t believe how well I’ve hit it.”

Jimenez’s work began earlier than the other three. First he had to finish off his Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer.

Three-up with eight to play overnight he had to withstand an attack from Langer, conqueror of world number one Vijay Singh in the first round, but birdied the 35th to go through two and one.