Thomas Björn and Vijay Singh emerged with The European Tour standard intact after the end of an enthralling first round’s play in the HSBC World Match Play Championship at Wentworth Club.
Björn recovered from being three down at lunch to American Len Mattiace to win 4 and 3 while Singh was in imperious form against Germany’s Alex Cejka, cruising six up at lunch before closing out a hugely impressive 8 and 7 victory.
Björn gave the credit for the turn around to a heart-to-heart chat he and caddie Billy Foster had with psychologist Jos Vanstiphout in the lunch time interval, a session which helped the Dane refocus his thoughts after he had lost the last two holes of the morning’s round.
“I went in at lunch and I just sat down with Jos and Billy for five minutes and we just talked through the way I was playing,” said Björn. “All I needed to do was just be a little bit more focused on my own game than what was going on around me.
“I then got off to a good start this afternoon and Len helped me a little bit too. That got me going and after that I felt like I was always on top.”
Two down after the fourth hole of the afternoon, Björn began the process of turning the match in his favour. The Dane took the fifth and sixth holes when Mattiace found trouble, to level the match and when he won the eighth and ninth as well, he found himself two up and ahead for the first time in the day.
With the bit between his teeth, the European Ryder Cup player was not going to let his advantage slip and when he won the 12th and 13th as well to move four ahead, the end was in sight for the runner-up in this year’s Masters Tournament, and it came two holes later.
Björn will now face the second seed, Canada’s Mike Weir, in the second round and although it was suggested to the Dane that he has the easiest half of the draw, he was quick to refute any such suggestion.
“I am playing an awfully good player tomorrow,” he said. “I’d like to focus on that first of all before I start thinking about anything else. I’m playing one of the finest players in the world at the moment and it is important to stay focused on that.”
While Björn had to turn his match around, the opposite was the case for Singh who was in total control against Cejka from the word go. The Fijian won four of the first five holes to establish a lead the German was unable to reduce the rest of the day.
“I had a great start,” admitted Singh. “I was kind of worried about this match because I knew that Alex was playing quite well and he also drives the ball very straight. He doesn’t make many mistakes but I just told myself that if I go out there and do what I’ve been doing for the last three months, I should be okay.”
Singh now comes up against Shaun Micheel, the number four seed and winner of this year’s US PGA Championship. “I wasn’t even thinking about Shaun when I was playing today, but now I can look ahead and think what I have to do tomorrow because it will be a tough match.”
In the other first round matches, South Africa’s Tim Clark beat European Tour Member Stephen Leaney 3 and 2 while America’s Chad Campbell beat another European Tour contender, Fredrik Jacobson of Sweden, by 6 and 5.
The Clark/Leaney encounter proved to be the closest of the opening round matches, all square after the morning round and still level after nine holes of the afternoon round, before Clark gradually pulled ahead to end the match on the 16th green.
The diminutive South African will now meet his towering compatriot and Number One seed Ernie Els in round two in what will be a Springbok version of the Little and Large show.
“I think that is going to be more fun than anything,” said Clark. “Obviously Ernie knows this place and he’s playing really well. But I will go out and try and enjoy myself and maybe learn a little bit from him. I think I can put up a good match though.”
In the final match, Campbell, like Singh, was always in control of his tie with Jacobson after winning four of the first six holes. Indeed, Campbell was nine up with nine to play before Jacobson mounted a mini-revival, but could not take the match any further than the 13th, losing 6 and 5.
“I knew Fredrik had played well this year in the States and we’ve gotten to know each other this year,” said Campbell. “It was a good match but I was able to make a lot of putts where he didn’t and I think that is what won it for me.”
Campbell will now face his fellow American and the number three seed, Ben Curtis, who won the 132nd Open Golf Championship at Royal St George’s in July.
