Hopes of a first all-European Tour Member final of the World Golf Championships – Accenture Match Play remained on course in California when Retief Goosen and Ian Poulter both progressed to the semi-finals at the La Costa Resort and Spa.
South African Goosen, who had never got past the second round in his five previous appearances in the event, exhibited his growing confidence in the match play format when he eased past Australian Robert Allenby 4 and 3 in a one sided quarter-final.
Moments later, he was joined in the last four by England’s Poulter, who reached the quarter-finals on his debut last year, and who again showed his love of the head-to-head action when he overpowered fellow European Tour Member Nick O’Hern 3 and 1.
In the semi-finals Goosen will come up against American Chris DiMarco, who ousted Stewart Cink 2 and 1, while Poulter will play the second American left in the tournament, David Toms, who beat the fourth European Tour Member in the last eight, Australia’s Adam Scott.
Goosen was quickly into his stride in his match, taking the second and third holes to immediately send Allenby onto the back foot. It was just the start the winner of The European Tour Order of Merit winner in 2001 and 2002 wanted, and he was never to be behind in the entire match.
The fourth and fifth were halved but when Allenby found trouble at the sixth and seventh holes, conceding both to his South African opponent, Goosen was four up and on easy street.
Allenby did reduce the deficit by one hole with a birdie three on the ninth, but it was to be the final hole he won all day, Goosen closing out the match on the 15th green when he rolled in an 18 foot birdie putt.
"I am very happy to have gone this far," he said. "In the past match play has never really been my strong point but what is happening for me this week is that I've had a few breaks, and that is what you need."
The 15th green looked like being the site of the end of Poulter’s match with O’Hern too when the Englishman, who like Goosen had never been behind all day, birdied the 14th from 12 feet to move four up with four to play.
But O’Hern, who yesterday ousted defending champion Tiger Woods and European Ryder Cup player Luke Donald, showed typical fighting spirit to extend the match with birdies at the 15th and 16th holes.
However, any hope the left-handed Australian harboured of taking the match down the final hole ended at the 17th when he pushed his drive into the deep rough to the left of the fairway.
From there he could not reach the green and although he hit a fine third shot to eight feet, he missed his par putt and immediately conceded the match to Poulter, who had been in the greenside bunker in two, but who had splashed out brilliantly to four feet.
"In match play it is never over until it is over and you can be out of the hole and then something will happen and all of a sudden you've won it.
"I've taken that attitude every day, assume your opponent is going to hole everything and if he does, you are not surprised. If he doesn't, it can only put you in a good mindset."
The Englishman will have to be on his game again in the afternoon to get the better of Toms, an American who is widely recognised to enjoy the match play format and who has the record to prove it, having been beaten in the final of this event in 2003 by Tiger Woods and having posted the best record of any American in The 35th Ryder Cup Match at The Belfry in 2002.
He was never behind against Scott and did what all good match play golfers do, namely dropped no shots in his 17 holes, five birdies elsewhere being good enough to shut the door on the Australian.
