Khan takes early lead

Tournament outsider Simon Khan took an early two-hole lead over holder and top seed Michael Campbell when the HSBC World Match Play Championship began at Wentworth today.

Khan, for whom a guaranteed £60,000 (€88,900) is more than he earned in his first full season on the European tour, went ahead when the New Zealander three-putted the 465-yard third.

A par was sufficient on the 212-yard fifth as well to double the advantage.

Campbell had looked set to draw first blood on the second when Khan’s tee shot spun off the green, but the Essex golfer, ranked only 82nd in the world, got away with a half when his putt up the hill struck the flagstick and stopped at the side of the hole.

Behind them Ryder Cup team-mates David Howell and Colin Montgomerie, seeded eighth and ninth respectively, shared the first three holes, but then the Scot produced an eagle three on the 552-yard fourth.

Montgomerie, winner of the title in 1999, had missed the green at the short second, but saved his par and then both bogeyed the next.

Paul Casey, another member of Ian Woosnam’s side at the K Club next week, fell behind when South African Retief Goosen birdied the second, while Australian Adam Scott’s opening par four was good enough to give him the advantage against Canadian left-hander Mike Weir.

Tiger Woods is, of the course, the favourite for the £1m (€1.5m) first prize, the biggest in golf, but with the defending champion given the number-one seed by tradition the American was seeded second and was therefore involved in the last game of the day.

Woods was up against compatriot Shaun Micheel, runner-up to him at the US PGA last month, with the winner taking on either England’s Luke Donald or South African Tim Clark.

Six-time winner Ernie Els, unable to defend last year because of knee surgery, returned against Argentina’s Angel Cabrera and in the other match American Jim Furyk, up to second in the world thanks to his victory in the Canadian Open on Sunday, met Ryder Cup Swede Robert Karlsson.