There are, it is said, lies, damned lies and statistics. The implication is that numbers can be guilty of bigger fibs than mere words, but at Wentworth yesterday they told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Try this, for example. Lee Westwood had a bogey on the eleventh hole of his Cisco World Match Play semi-final against Ernie Els. It was the last time he dropped a shot for 43 holes.
Or this: Westwood played 42 holes in a long and gruelling day. Over that stretch he was an astounding 16 under par. Colin Montgomerie's big win over Vijay Singh in their semi-final meant that he played six holes fewer and was 12 under par himself.
Two factors have to be admitted, and they are important ones.
First, the West Course, although playing long after shipping countless thousands of gallons of water before and during the Championship, offered soft, holding greens, which allowed the players to have nothing more to worry about as they fired approach shots straight at pins than controlling the back-spin they would put on the ball.
And second, match play always produces more aggressive golf, no matter what the conditions. In stroke play, a bogey or worse is there on the card, indelible. In matchplay, if a player is going to lose a hole, it doesn't matter whether he has a six or a 16. It does make a difference to the way the course is tackled.
Even so, and in spite of the dampness that has been an ever-present visitor at Wentworth, there have been fireworks all week as red birdie figures have been scattered over the scoreboards like confetti at a wedding. The standard of play has been staggeringly good, and the even better news is that it is not over yet.
Westwood and Montgomerie have played some wonderful golf already, and there is nothing to suggest that they will not keep it up when they step onto the course bright and early this morning. Their eclectic score for the first 18 holes was 60, 12 under par. Expect more of the same today.
