Padraig Harrington gained the distinction yesterday of becoming only the second Irishman to reach the semi-finals of the Cisco World Matchplay Championship. With a wonderfully courageous victory over Ernie Els at the second tie hole, the Dubliner advanced to a meeting this morning with Europe's number one, Colin Montgomerie.

It's a prospect he finds not especially pleasing, given their last matchplay meeting. "The hardest thing about playing Colin is the figures he shoots," said Harrington. "I played him in the Dunhill Cup two years ago and he trounced me." In fact the scores on that occasion were 72-76 in the Scot's favour.

In the other semi-final, defending champion Mark O'Meara, who had a chip-in birdie to beat Australia's Craig Parry on the 39th, meets fellow USPGA Tour player Nick Price, a beaten finalist here in 1991 against Seve Ballesteros.

Meanwhile, before looking ahead, Harrington had reason to look back with considerable pride on a milestone win over Els, who became the only player to gain three successive triumphs in this event, from 1994 to 1996. And he was US Open champion in 1994 and 1997.

"I was probably the last man in, but I'm happy with that," he said, in reference to the fact that his invitation arrived less than two weeks ago. In the event, he has now responded to the chance by emulating the 1989 achievement of Ronan Rafferty, while assuring himself a minimum cheque of £50,000.

On that occasion, Rafferty beat Mike Reid of the US by 3 and 2 in the opening round and went on to beat the 1988 champion, Sandy Lyle, on the 36th. But he lost by 2 and 1 to Ian Woosnam in the semi-finals.

"I'm suffering badly," Harrington went on. "I'm physically very tired and need a massage. And when it's physically demanding it makes you mentally tired."

Els played rather moderately by his standards to be three down at lunchtime, but Harrington had the good sense to be prepared for a fight-back. "I knew Ernie would get back at me," he said. In fact the South African swept to the turn in 31 strokes in the afternoon, by which stage Harrington's prospects looked decidedly precarious.

However, from a position of one down with three to play, the Dubliner pitched to eight feet and sank the putt for a winning birdie on the 34th to square the match. But just when Harrington appeared set to secure victory down the last, Els showed his renowned fighting qualities. A blocked drive into the right rough forced him to lay up in two and after sending a 62-yard pitch 10 feet past the hole, he proceeded to sink the putt for a most improbable half in birdie.

Harrington then suffered the further disappointment of seeing his opponent make a magnificent up and down from the second tee, for a half in par at the 37th. But when Els failed with a 12-foot downhill birdie effort at the next, Harrington grabbed the chance to hole a 10-footer for the match.

"I'm really delighted, but it was very hard work, especially midway through this afternoon's round," he said. "I made some poor swings at that stage but I managed to get myself back on track when it really mattered over the finishing holes."

Harrington's semi-final opponent earlier overcame the discomfort of a tooth infection to beat Native American Notah Begay two and one.

Montgomerie is taking so many pain-killers and antibiotics that he describes himself as "rattling down the fairways".

That did not prevent him, however, opening with a seven-under-par 65 against Begay - only one more than the closing round he produced to win the Volvo PGA Championship on the same course in May.

Begay, having beaten Masters champion and 'flu victim Jose Maria Olazabal in the first round, again tried not to concern himself with how his opponent was feeling and came back to only one down with three to play.

But after missing a 12-footer to draw level on the 34th he opened the door at the next. He missed from 15 feet and Montgomerie, from the same line, holed from six for victory.

"I would have missed too if I hadn't seen his putt," said the 36-year-old Scot.

Price's 13-under aggregate was the third-best performance in the event's history. Round in 64 and five up at lunch, the 42-year-old then went to the turn in 30 to Goosen's 31 and cruised in.

"There's a bit of life left in the old dog yet. That's as well as I've putted for a long time - I made some bombs," said Price.

"I've been in the doldrums with my putting since 1994, but I'd like to putt like this for two more years. Then I would hang my clubs up!"