David Toms, who lost the 2003 final of the World Golf Championships – Accenture Match Play to Tiger Woods, took a big step towards going one better when he reached lunch in the 2005 final six holes to the good against his compatriot and US Ryder Cup team-mate Chris DiMarco.
One down after eight holes of the 36 hole final, Toms incredibly won eight of the next nine. The 38 year-old from Louisiana had already put on a spectacular display to beat European Tour Member Ian Poulter in the semi-finals and was in the same groove.
DiMarco covered that nine hole stretch in a dismal four over par before bringing his deficit back to six with a 12 foot birdie putt on the long 18th. Things started going badly for the New Yorker when he drove into the rough on the ninth and bogeyed.
Toms, two places higher in the world rankings at 16th and with a chance to go back into the top ten by winning, birdied three of the next four and went four up after his opponent missed another fairway on the 14th.
A pitch to 11 feet gave Toms the 15th as well before DiMarco three-putted the next and failed to get up and down from just short of the green at the 17th.
Ten minutes before the afternoon round of the final, the 18-hole third and fourth place play-off between European Tour Members Retief Goosen and Poulter will get underway, with the prize for the winner not only €428, 297 (£295,530), but also first place in The European Tour Order of Merit heading into March.
