McGinley faces Cabrera in semi-final

The man who stopped Paul McGinley winning nearly £460,000 (€679,000)) in May now blocks his path to the £1m (€1.46m) first prize at the HSBC World Match Play championship.

Back on the same Wentworth course, McGinley crushed Ryder Cup team-mate Luke Donald 9&8 in today’s quarter-finals.

But next the 38-year-old Dubliner has to face second seed Angel Cabrera, the big-hitting Argentinian who pushed him into second place at the BMW Championship four months ago.

The other semi-final sees top seed Retief Goosen against New Zealand’s US Open champion Michael Campbell, Goosen equalling his own tournament record with a 12&11 demolition of Mark Hensby and Campbell coming from five down to beat Steve Elkington on the first extra hole.

Debutant McGinley has so far revelled in the role of underdog in the battle for the biggest cheque in golf.

Ranked 36th in the world against Donald’s 14th – it made them the 11th and third seeds respectively – the Irishman, who toppled sixth seed Thomas Bjorn on day one, quickly raced into a four-hole lead and made that six by lunch.

In the blustery conditions a six-under-par 66 represented superb play and Donald was the one who continued to make mistakes when they resumed.

He bogeyed the 21st to fall seven down, McGinley had the bonus of a 45-footer for birdie two holes later and Donald’s further bogeys at the 25th and 26th left him virtually resigned to a defeat which left him “only” £80,000 (€118,000) richer for his week’s work.

“Luke is a world-class player as everybody knows and he had a lot of support as a local boy,” said McGinley. “But I was able to keep them quiet – just as we did in Detroit last last year.” The pair were partners in the opening fourballs of Europe’s record-breaking win.

“I don’t take anything for granted in this game. I said to my dad that I’d hit him so many times he was on the ropes, but he wasn’t down.

“Hopefully I’ll have the support now (he is the only European left in) and all the Paddies will come out from London.

“I’ve got a chance of winning a huge tournament here.”

Donald, who had a chance this week to climb into the world’s top 10 for the first time, commented: “Paul got off to a great start and it was always going to be an uphill struggle from then.

“He didn’t give me much chance, definitely played the better and deserved to win.”

Hensby’s words came back to haunt him as he made the worst-ever start in the 42-year history of the event.

After beating Colin Montgomerie the Australian said of facing Goosen: “If I play well I’ll give him a match. If not I won’t have a chance.”

When he missed a six-foot putt on the 16th green Hensby was a nightmare seven over par – and 10 down.

Only two closing birdies prevented him registering the worst-ever round, but matching the worst-ever defeat could not be avoided as Goosen won three more holes in a row after the break.

Goosen, conqueror of England’s Kenneth Ferrie 8&7 on the opening day, set the record last year when he crushed Jeff Maggert 12&11.

“I played pretty solid and Mark struggled,” he said. “That’s pretty much what happened against Jeff.

“You always want to conserve energy, but you don’t always manage to do it. It’s only going to get tougher now, though, because the guys in the semis have got to be playing well.”

Surprisingly, it is the world number five’s first time in the last four in six attempts, but it will be no surprise if he goes on to capture his third tournament in a row and fourth since the start of last month.

Hensby’s entire game was ragged, but he really suffered on the greens, three-putting the first and fifth and then missing efforts of four, three, five, six and six feet around the turn.

He finished six over against Goosen’s eight under.

Elkington trailed Campbell by two early on, converted that into a five-hole lead after 17, then was hauled back to level with four to play.

The Brighton-based New Zealander then had a 15-footer to win the 33rd, but three-putted it.

However, Elkington three-putted the next and made a sloppy bogey six down the 35th.

After a half in birdies at the last – Elkington almost drove into the ditch and with an inward 41 matched the tournament’s worst-ever back nine with 41 - Elkington almost fittingly bogeyed again to go out.

Cabrera, looking for a double worth almost £1.46m (€2.15m) on the West Course, got the better of Jose Maria Olazabal 4&3.

The South American led from the time he birdied the third and was four-up with 10 to play, but Olazabal won the next two before pulling his approach to the 31st into the trees and conceding the hole before his opponent was even on the green.

Cabrera then made an eight-footer on the next to be four up with four to go and completed the job with a half on the next.