Goosen struggles
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, but against New Zealander Michael Campbell he fell five down after just 11 holes.
In the other match, meanwhile, Ireland’s Paul McGinley was two-up after 10 on Argentinian 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 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. 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 are the current top two on the European Order of Merit, but Cabrera and McGinley still have hopes of winning that.
The pair lie third and seventh respectively, 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.
Even when Goosen birdied the long 12th Campbell matched him, but the gap did narrow to four on the 14th - somewhat unexpectedly.
Goosen was the one to miss the green on the par three, but he then chipped in and Campbell left his putt up the slope short.
McGinley went three up when Cabrera’s massive drive did him no good on the 509-yard 12th. He hit a wayward drive, ran up a bogey six and conceded without McGinley having to putt.
But the Ryder Cup star gave away the next, coming up well short of the green and bogeying to be only two ahead again.
After the bonus of his chip-in, Goosen promptly made a hash of the next to go five down again.
He leaked his drive right and when his second caught the branches and headed towards the luxury houses bordering the course he walked to the next tee.
McGinley pumped his fist when he escaped from the 14th with a half.
His tee shot was pulled and finished by a burger van, but after taking a free drop he chipped to eight feet and made it to remain two up.
