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Campbell to face Curtis in World Match Play quarters

Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson plays out of the rough on the 15th hole, during the first round of the HSBC World Matchplay Championship at the Wentworth Golf Club, Virginia Water, on Thursday. PHOTO: REUTERS

Remember Chad Campbell?

He was the American who lost out on the 72nd hole of the PGA Championship in August when Shaun Micheel unleashed a 7-iron, landing his ball two inches from the pin.

Now he's up against Ben Curtis, another surprise American who won the British Open three months ago.

The two were to face off yesterday on the West Course at Wentworth in the quarterfinals of the World Match Play Championship.

"I haven't played with Ben before," Campbell said after defeating Fredrik Jacobson 6 and 5. In the other first-round matches on Thursday: Vijay Singh defeated Alex Cejka 8 and 7; Tim Clark beat Stephen Leaney 3 and 2; Thomas Bjorn overcame Len Mattiace 4 and 3.

Campbell was five ahead of Jacobson going into the second 18. The Texan wasted little time and was nine holes ahead after No. 5 (the 23rd). They halved the next three, which included Campbell's 58-foot putt for birdie on No. 7.

Jacobson hung in and won back three holes before Campbell closed out the match on No. 13 when they both made par.

"This course seems so much like the courses in America, it seems to me," he said. "So it wasn't that tough to adjust.

"The greens just seemed faster today that they were yesterday or the day before."

Swirling winds and unusually slick greens held the scores in check on a perfect autumn day.

Singh, who is ranked No. 3 in the world behind Tiger Woods and Ernie Els, had Cejka beaten in the first 30 minutes.

He chipped in to birdie the first hole, dropped a 36-foot putt for another at No. 2, and was 3 up when the German three-putted No. 3.

"All of a sudden I was very comfortable with the match," Singh said. "A three-hole lead, I knew I'd be OK."

Besides four-time champion Els, Singh is the only former winner in this quirky, 36-holes-daily event.

The tournament invites players based on a ranking system that takes into account performances in the four majors. The defending champion and No. 1-ranked player qualify automatically.

Top-ranked Tiger Woods, though, passed up the US$1.67 million event, as did Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Davis Love, David Toms and Kenny Perry.

Singh trails Woods by just over US$170,000 on the American money list coming into the final weeks.

"I still have three left to play," Singh said, 40, who still aspires to be the world No. 1.

"I have high expectations of playing well. I'm not going to think as much about the money list as playing well in each event.

"If I play like I'm doing right now for the next two or three years, I'm going to contend for the world No. 1 spot. That's my goal."

Mattiace blew a lead with too many missed putts.

He was three holes up after the first 18, but lost the first two holes of the second 18 with bogeys. Bjorn squared the match with a par on No. 6 as Mattiace took another bogey.

Bjorn won four of the next seven holes -- Mattiace had three more bogeys in that stretch -- and then closed it out when the American took his eighth bogey in 15 holes.

"I missed a lot of putts from four feet to 10 feet. All those missed putts added up to a big handicap for me."

Bjorn got help from his psychologist Jos Vanstiphout after the first 18.

Asked how much Vanstiphout charged, Bjorn replied: "It's worth every penny -- every word."
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