Golf: GARCIA TEES UP ELS CLASH

SERGIA Garcia, Europe's last hope in the Cisco World Match Play Championship, had to prove himself the Comeback Kid for the second day running if he wanted to reach his first Wentworth final.

With a sensational 30-yard pitch-in for an eagle three at the 71st hole, beaming Sergio finally saw off the challenge of weary Michael Campbell by 2 and 1, the New Zealander having played 112 holes in the last three days.

In today's 36-hole final, Garcia meets triple champion Ernie Els, who wore down old rival Vijay Singh by 3 and 2 in the second semi- final.

On Friday, the cocky Garcia had to haul himself back from four down after 16 holes to edge home from self-destructing Dubliner Padraig Harrington.

Yesterday he found himself three behind after just six holes against fast-starting Maori warrior Michael Campbell.

But the 22-year-old Ryder Cup hero blitzed back to square the 36- hole match by the half-time break delayed an hour by early-morning frost.

In a top-quality duel played out in autumn sunshine on a packed Burma Road, Garcia and Campbell shared birdies and eagles with the eagerness of youth. They even halved the 497-yard fourth in eagle threes.

"That was how tough it was," exclaimed Garcia. "When I make an eagle, I expect to win the hole. But Michael started unbelievable. He was four under par after six holes and I had to work hard to stay with him."

Garcia produced the shot of the morning, a 228-yard three-wood sliced around the trees at the 18th.

Even that only gave him a half in birdie fours in a game where he was round in an approximate 66 to the New Zealander's 67, with Campbell marring his card by driving into the trees at the notorious long 17th and running up a bogey six.

Campbell quickly regained the advantage in the second session when Garcia bogeyed the first hole for the second time in the day.

The Spaniard hit back by birdieing the short second. Yet the stubborn Kiwi would not lie down.

An eight-iron second shot to less than yard at the sixth, their 24th hole, put him ahead but he snap-hooked into the trees at the eighth and had to take a penalty before conceding the hole.

At the next Garcia's drive ended in a spectator's pocket. The fan dropped the ball and after a look at the rules book, Garcia himself then had to redrop it before playing on.

Despite being in two bunkers on the 29th, Campbell clung for a half but then he snap-hooked again at the next.

That 43-hole marathon with Nick Faldo was catching up with him and, with a birdie four to Campbell's ugly six, Garcia finally hit the front for the first time after 30 holes.

Another mistake off the tee from Campbell enabled Garcia to go two ahead with just a par at the next and it was looking for all the world like Viva Espana.

The second semi-final, between triple champion Ernie Els and Fiji's elegant Vijay Singh, never reached the expected heights.

No one expected the Big Easy to emulate the fantastic golf he produced to humilate Monty but he did not need to to overcome Singh 3 and 2, who kicked off with a hat-trick of bogeys which left him three down and up against it. And although he managed to cut the deficit to one when Els bogeyed the 15th, it was only a temporary reprieve as Singh made a total shambles of the 16th, driving into the trees and taking five more to get down.

When Els won the first hole of the afternoon session with a par, he had a lock on his fifth Match Play final on his final European appearance of the year.

He turned the screw further by holing out spectacularly from a bunker at the fifth to extend his lead to five.RESULTSSEMI-FINALS

Sergio Garcia (Spain) beat Michael Campbell (New Zealand) 2 & 1

Ernie Els (South Africa) beat Vijay Singh (Fiji) 3 & 2

TODAY'S FINAL

Garcia v Els

9.20am and 1.45pm

Copyright 2002 MGN LTD
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.