Cambell stretches lead over Goosen

After two crushing victories, Retief Goosen suddenly found life a lot tougher in the HSBC World Match Play semi-finals at Wentworth today.

The top seed had seen off England’s Kenneth Ferrie and Australian Mark Hensby with a combined 18 holes to spare to reach the last four for the first time in six attempts, but in the glorious sunshine he went to lunch five down to New Zealander Michael Campbell.

In the other match, meanwhile, Ireland’s Paul McGinley was one-up after 16 on Argentine Angel Cabrera, the man who beat him to the BMW Championship title on the same course in May.

Goosen was hot favourite for the £1m (€1.47m) first prize – the biggest in golf - after finishing nine under par against Ferrie and eight under in his tournament record-equalling 12 and 11 success over Hensby.

The South African world number five has also won his last two tournaments, but what a difference a day made. He played the first 11 holes against Campbell in two over with bogeys at the eighth and 11th.

And the New Zealander, who succeeded Goosen as US Open champion in June, took full advantage to march five clear.

He was conceded an eagle at the fourth after a four-iron to eight feet, then birdied the next three holes from six, 20 and seven feet.

The eighth was a struggle for both and was shared in bogey fives before Goosen made a mess of the 403-yard 11th as well while his opponent pitched to four feet for another birdie.

They both birdied the 12th before Goosen finally had his first success of the match on the short 14th – chipping in from over the green.

He promptly made a hash of the next, pushing his drive and conceding when his second shot caught the branches and headed towards one of the luxury houses bordering the course, but almost chipped in again to win the 571-yard 17th.

However, he was bunkered down the last, only parred and Campbell, who had played 19 more holes to get to the same stage and was only two under for the week starting the match against Goosen’s 17 under, pitched to five feet and made it to stretch his advantage again.

As well as being the last two holders of the US Open they are the current top two on the European Order of Merit, but Goosen could lose top spot if he suffers defeat today.

Cabrera and McGinley are themselves third and seventh in that race and still have time to win it but it was the thought of capturing a prestigious trophy - and the seven-figure cheque that comes with it, of course – that was to the forefront of their minds.

McGinley struck first when his opponent bogeyed the second, Cabrera came back to win the third with a par and the short fifth with an eight-foot birdie.

But then things swung back the Dubliner’s way. He made an outrageous putt of nearly 60 feet at the ninth, chipped in at the next and then struck “against the head” on the 11th.

He hit his approach to four feet, but the big-hitting Cabrera followed him in to three feet and then missed after McGinley had holed his birdie putt.

The South American, by far the longer off the tee, made a mess of his drive down the long 12th and ran up a bogey six to fall three down, but McGinley bogeyed the next and did magnificently well not to lose the short 14th as well.

His pulled tee shot finished up against a burger van, but after taking a free drop he chipped to eight feet and when the putt dropped he gave a punch of delight with his fist.

A sloppy bogey on the 16th, though, brought the difference back down to one.

Once again Cabrera's power did him no good on the 571-yard 17th. He drove up against a tree this time and McGinley's 15-foot birdie putt took him two-up once more.

But better was to come. The 38-year-old, an underdog for the third game running and now up against the second seed, struck a majestic five-wood to 10 feet and sank the eagle putt.

McGinley reached the break three-up as a result and was round in 66, while Campbell’s approximate eight under 64 was the lowest score of the week so far.