Never needing to rediscover the form which gave him a championship-record round of 60 against Colin Montgomerie yesterday, three-time winner Els was in the driving seat from the moment his opponent bogeyed the first three holes.

Singh did get back to only one behind after 15 holes. But he promptly hooked into a ditch on the next, missed a five-foot putt on the 17th and then hit a lady spectator on the head in bogeying the first hole after lunch.

That was bad enough for the Fijian, but the mountain he had to climb became even higher when Els dramatically holed a bunker shot to win the short 23rd.

Theirs was a battle between two players who between them have won all four titles – Els two US Opens in addition to his Open at Muirfield this July, Singh the US PGA championship and Masters.

They have also met in two Wentworth finals, Els winning in 1996 to complete a hat-trick of victories in the final and Singh gaining revenge 12 months later.

Els was going for his 14th win in 18 games and, remarkably, has never lost by more than two and one.

Singh, on the other hand, suffered the tournament’s biggest ever hammering when he lost 11 and 10 to Mark O’Meara four years ago.

Garcia is making only his third Match Play appearance and Campbell his first - but they provided a contest and real cut and thrust.

After the start of play was delayed for 30 minutes because of frost, the Kiwi - conqueror after a record-breaking 43 holes of Nick Faldo in the first round and of defending champion Ian Woosnam in the quarter-finals – charged into a three-hole lead after just six holes.

“Michael started unbelievably,” said Garcia.

“I had to work hard to stay with him – and it is not often you halve a hole in eagles.”

That was the 497-yard fourth, where Garcia holed from 10 feet and his opponent followed him in from nine.

Campbell had already birdied the second and had another on the sixth from 25 feet. But then the 22-year-old Spaniard, last surviving European in the tournament, reeled him in.

Garcia made a 27-footer on the seventh, almost pitched in at the 11th and - after losing the 12th to a birdie four – birdied the 14th and drew level when Campbell hooked into the trees off the 17th tee.

A brilliant three-wood sliced round the trees gave Garcia another birdie at the last. But Campbell matched it – they were round in 66 and 67 respectively - and took the lead again when the world number five bogeyed the 19th.

Garcia levelled once more from nine feet on the next and twice saved himself with putts from the same range at the 22nd and 23rd.

Campbell hit an eight-iron to two feet to get in front for the third time at the next. But they were locked together again after Campbell drove wildly at the 25th, had two hacks and conceded with Garcia still on the fairway.