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| September 18, 2005 | Sunday | Sha'aban 13, 1426 |
Campbell takes on McGinley for richest first prize
VIRGINIA WATER (England), Sept 17: U.S. Open winner Michael Campbell turned the form book upside down when he hammered top seed Retief Goosen 7 and 6 on Saturday to reach the World Match Play Championship final.
The 36-year-old New Zealander will meet Ireland’s Paul McGinley in Sunday’s battle for the richest first prize in golf, McGinley having held off a late surge by Argentina’s Angel Cabrera before winning their semifinal 4 and 3.
World number five Goosen arrived at Wentworth having won successive tournaments in Germany and China.
The South African’s confidence soared when he followed an 8 and 7 first-round pounding of Briton Kenneth Ferrie with a record-equalling 12 and 11 rout of Australia’s Mark Hensby in the quarterfinals.
Playing under clear blue skies, the world number 16 struck a glorious four-iron second shot to within eight feet of the cup at the fourth and sank his eagle putt.
Buoyed by his eagle, Campbell raced four up through seven holes by rolling in birdie putts of six, 20 and seven feet.
Both players bogeyed the eighth before Campbell stretched his lead with another birdie at the 11th.
He also birdied the par-five 12th, although his four there was matched by Goosen.
The South African chipped in for a birdie at the 14th before Campbell drained a 25-footer for a birdie at the next.
Goosen, 36, was starting to find his range and a birdie at the par-five 17th reduced his arrears to four holes.
Campbell, though, registered his seventh birdie at the 18th to go five up at lunch with a sparkling eight-under-par 64 against Goosen’s 71.
The South African’s chances of scooping the one million pound winner’s cheque, the richest first prize in golf, were effectively ended when he made a costly mistake at the start of the afternoon round.
He took four strokes to reach the green at the third and a double bogey six meant he went six down.
Campbell then drove the final nail in Goosen’s coffin with another brilliant run of four birdies in seven holes.
Results: Michael Campbell bt Retief Goosen 7 and 6; Paul McGinley bt Angel Cabrera 4 and 3
Sunday’s final:
Michael Campbell v Paul McGinley.
NEW YORK: Australia’s Stuart Appleby fired a second round six-under 66 to rocket to the top of the leaderboard at the 84 Lumber Classic on Friday, one-shot clear of American journeymen Chris Smith and Cameron Beckman.
As great a day as it was for Appleby, it was an even better one for David Toms who was released from a Pittsburgh hospital vowing he will play in next week’s Presidents Cup despite being forced out of the 84 Lumber Classic with chest pains and rapid heartbeat.
Toms, ranked number 11 in the world and an 11-time winner on the PGA Tour, was taken to the hospital midway through his opening round suffering what appeared to be a heart attack.
He was later airlifted to Pittsburgh’s UPMC-Presbyterian University Hospital where he was admitted in critical condition.
The 38-year-old golfer remained in hospital overnight and was released on Friday, saying on his Web site he was returning to the 84 Lumber tournament.
Toms’s condition overshadowed second round play that included a near flawless performance from Appleby, who had looked headed toward an error-free round and a two stroke lead until a bogey at the last.
The stumble ruined a spectacular finish after closing with birdies on 15, 16 and 17 to send him rocketing up the leaderboard with a 36-hole total of 11-under 133.
After winning the season-opening Mercedes Championship in Hawaii, Appleby has struggled to find his best form, posting just one other top 10 result, a seventh place at the Booz Allen Classic.
Leading second round scores:
133 Stuart Appleby
134 Cameron Beckman, Chris Smith, 136 Craig Barlow, Joey Sindelar, Carl Pettersson
137 Ben Crane, Jonathan Byrd, Rod Pampling, Justin Leonard, Bob Burns, Jason Gore
138 Tim Herron, Carlos Franco, Charlie Wi 139 Shaun Micheel, Tag Ridings, Mark O’Meara
140 John Senden, Dean Wilson, Vijay Singh, Stewart Cink, Hunter Haas, Zach Johnson, Woody Austin, Chris DiMarco.—Agencies
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