Reuters - US Open Champion Michael Campbell turned the form book upside down when he beat top seed Retief Goosen 7 and 6 to reach the HSBC World Match Play Championship final at Wentworth Club.
The 36 year old New Zealander will meet Ireland's Paul McGinley in Sunday's battle for the richest first prize in golf, the Irishman having held off a late surge by Argentina's Angel Cabrera before winning their semi-final 4 and 3.
World Number Five Goosen arrived in leafy Surrey having won successive tournaments in China and Germany. The South African's confidence soared when he followed an 8 and 7 first round win over England’s Kenneth Ferrie with a record-equalling 12 and 11 rout of Australia's Mark Hensby in the quarter-finals.
However, Campbell shrugged aside his underdog's tag with a spectacular run of three birdies and an eagle at the start of their 36-hole encounter. 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 five17th 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 £1,000,000 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.
"I played terrible," said Goosen. "I think I was over par this morning and much the same this afternoon so I deserved to lose. I just didn't make a putt, was wayward off the tee and missed a lot of fairways."
Campbell, however, proved his physical and mental strength over a four day marathon which involves the two finalists playing eight rounds of golf.
The Kiwi, who overhauled Goosen in the final round of the US Open at Pinehurst No.2 in June to lift his first Major crown, said: “I can’t believe I’ve played 103 holes in three days. That’s ridiculous! I remember watching this tournament when I was a youngster and wanting to be part of it. Now I am a finalist. It’s always been one of my dreams to fulfil.
“It was rewarding to play the way I did. The most important thing was I couldn’t let up and take my foot off the accelerator. “
Campbell, who uses yoga and standing on his head to re-energise his fatigued body after such long matches, knows he can’t take things any easier against McGinley.
He added: “Paul may be small in stature but he’s got a big heart. He’s a great player, a good ball striker and a great putter. I am looking forward to playing someone who is very competitive and who also is a very, very good player whose Ryder Cup record is second to none.”
McGinley, watched by a sizeable Irish contingent including former Celtic manager Martin O'Neill, seized the initiative against second seed Cabrera with four consecutive birdies from the ninth hole of their morning round.
The Irishman sank a monster 57 footer at the ninth before chipping in for a two at the short tenth. Two four foot putts on the next two greens gave him a three hole advantage.
Cabrera's hopes lifted when his opponent bogeyed the 13th and 16th but McGinley hit back in stunning style, collecting a birdie at the 17th and eagling the long 18th to card a six under par 66 against Cabrera's 71.
The thought of reaching the final on his HSBC World Match Play debut continued to drive on McGinley and five more birdies in 11 holes of the afternoon round put paid to the Argentine's challenge.
"It means a lot to me to reach the final," said McGinley, who holed the winning putt for Europe at The 2002 Ryder Cup.
"But just getting into the final isn't something I'm interested in...it's winning it that I'm interested in. I'm going to go out there to win it."
Victory over Cabrera was sweet revenge for McGinley, beaten into second place by the Argentine in the BMW Championship over the same course in May. Cabrera swallowed his frustration and said: “It was just one of those days. I played well enough but he holed more putts than I did. That’s golf – it happens.
“Of course I am very disappointed as I felt very confident but I knew Paul was a fighter. He never gives up and I was always struggling when he birdied four holes in a row from the ninth in the morning round.”
