World Matchplay Championship: The important thing when grabbing a tiger by the tail is not to let go, advice which Chad Campbell adhered to in producing the upset of the tournament to date in defeating Tiger Woods. Campbell demonstrated great tenacity down the stretch to close out the match for a one-hole victory.
It wasn't as if his opponent played poorly as Woods was three under par for the 18 holes but Campbell was simply a shade better on the day and fully deserved his triumph. Nor is it a huge surprise as the 31-year-old Texan is the leading money winner on the US Tour this season, a major part of his earnings coming from a second place at the Sony Open in Hawaii and victory in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.
Campbell enthused: "It was a great day, starting out on the front nine where I was hitting good shots and making a lot of putts. He's definitely a guy you want to get up on; as you know that (even when you're ahead) he's going to do something."
The Texan demonstrated a sense of humour when asked how he felt prior to the contest. "I was excited to be playing the number one guy in the world. You want to play the best guys. Obviously I'd probably rather player a 12-year-old or something; you know what I mean? You want to play the best so see how good you are and see how you fare against the best."
Campbell then went on to recount the story of how Woods provided him with a place at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, when he opted to go to Stanford. "The coach then called me. I don't think he'd ever gotten a junior player before but I was glad he decided to then."
Campbell's next opponent is a man who will decide how he could spend his time next September. Tom Lehman's remarkable odyssey continued, his latest triumph a 4 and 3 thumping of defending champion David Toms. The American Ryder Cup captain offered another compelling exhibition of his excellent form that is fuelling conjecture with regard to him qualifying for the US team that heads for the K Club in a playing capacity.
One up at the turn he profited from a patchy run of holes from Toms, whose crown slipped perilously after successive bogeys on the 13th and 14th, his hopes finally extinguished when Lehman birdied the 15th.
"David hit some shots that were uncharacteristic of him, especially off the tee," Lehman observed. "He made some mistakes that opened the door for me. Even though I played steady golf and pretty solid, he played less than his best. My philosophy is to make the other guy win the hole; don't give it to him."
The technical improvement in Lehman's game has given him once again a flinty core mentally and that's underpinned his upturn in fortunes. "There was a time in my career when I didn't fear a single person because I felt so much confidence in my own game. I felt like I could get away with playing poorly because even my bad days tee-to-green were good. I've lost that. I'm in the process of regaining that confidence."
The American then put his other cap on, figuratively speaking, and offered an assessment to date of the tournament in the context of the Ryder Cup. "I counted eight Americans, three Europeans and five others. I feel like our guys are playing great golf. Our American players are showing they have an incredible amount of talent."
Unknown to him the only confrontation that could have been a reference point for the K Club was being decided in the Europeans' favour when David Howell claimed the notable scalp of Phil Mickelson with a 3 and 1 victory.
The unassuming Englishman produced a high quality performance, four under regulation figures for the 17 holes, to usurp Mickelson, a huge crowd favourite as he lives seven miles up the road.
The American will rue a brittle performance on the greens that ultimately undermined his ambition. In the latter stages of the match, the malaise spread to the driver, which he sprayed as he tried to force the issue in biding to rescue the game.
Australian Geoff Ogilvy conjured a miraculous escape against former US Masters champion Mike Weir. Four down with six to play he watched his Canadian opponent effect a mini-collapse while producing a couple of birdies of his own and then claimed the match in stunning fashion with a tap-in eagle at the third tie hole.
Davis Love 111 moved into the quarter-finals with a 3 and 2 victory over last year's beaten finalist Chris DiMarco while Retief Goosen beat England's Luke Donald by one hole a Zach Johnson finally ended the run of Shingo Katayama.
