If the rest of this year's Cisco World Match Play Championship is to better what has gone on so far, it will have to go some. The first two days of the event have produced some sensational golf, spectacular scoring and even the odd walk or two down memory lane. As the semi-finals get under way this morning, more of the same is promised, and then some.
Far from making up the numbers in the unavoidable absence of American players this year, the veteran Britons who were brought into the 38th World Match Play have been outstanding successes. Ian Woosnam was tipped to do well against Colin Montgomerie and did better than that with a wonderful 4 and 3 victory.
Woosnam always had the better of an out-of-sorts Montgomerie in their quarter-final yesterday, but as each round progresses, he will get more fatigued and the opposition will become stronger. However, if he could have chosen one of the other three to be playing, he would probably have plumped for the one he's got - Lee Westwood.
Westwood, the defending champion, has not been in prime form this season and when he defeated Thomas Bjorn on the 36th hole, it was the first time he
had led in the entire match. Bjorn was one up from the 27th hole to the 33rd and could do little about Westwood's birdie from eight feet on the 15th.
When the denouement came, it was hard to tell who was the more surprised. Although Westwood did the business when it mattered, it was hard not to feel
a grain of sympathy for the Dane, who had done almost everything he could possibly have done.
Woosnam was happy to admit last night that his 43-year-old legs were getting tired - he said he intended to spend the evening having a massage and a few relaxing drinks and couldn't make up his mind which was the more
important. We'll find out today.
Sam Torrance pulled off the result of the week when he completed victory over tournament favourite Vijay Singh on the 36th hole, but will have his work cut out today to overcome Padraig Harrington, the 5 and 4 victor over
Darren Clarke.
The Dubliner has been in superlative form - 21 under for the 60 holes he has played tells its own story - and Torrance will probably have to play his best golf of the week to stand a chance of victory. But whatever happens over the long slog over the course they call the Burma Road, the gallant Sam has handsomely done his bit to make this year's championship one of the most
memorable in its distinguished history.
