Montgomerie's fightback leaves Campbell crushed

A day after the day of shocks and normal service was largely resumed here at the World Match Play. Certainly, as far as Colin Montgomerie was concerned. The Scot was able to revel in the centre of attention once more after being only a bit-part player the previous day when Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk and Ernie Els all crashed out.

Monty, the winner in 1999, survived a terrific tussle with the defending champion Michael Campbell. The New Zealander had won seven of his eight previous matches in the event and was four-up after only six holes in the damp of the morning.

But at the seventh, Montgomerie summoned the inspiration to hole out from 15 feet for a birdie, while Campbell missed from inside him for the half. Monty also birdied the next and his comeback was complete when he got back to all square at lunch.

"I was four-down before most of you had woken up this morning," Monty cheerfully informed the media. "That makes for a long day. And, you have to get ahead not just level, so you are not four-down but five-down. I knew it would take every hole I had."

It did. For the second day running he won at the 36th hole. He never trailed in the afternoon, which was now blessed by sunshine, and he even survived hitting his drive at the ninth hole on to the railway line and conceding the hole on the spot rather than going back to the tee.

Campbell won the 17th to level and then both players ended up in one of Els's new bunkers at the 18th green. Campbell played first and failed to get out. Montgomerie did and then holed the putt for the win.

"I had to mark my ball while Michael played and if I had had to play first, I would have left it in as well," he admitted. "The sand was very heavy in that bunker."

Fatigued though he claimed to be, Monty likes to be the lord of the Wentworth manor and can be again after the brief visit of the world No 1. Woods was thought to be playing at The Grove yesterday, venue for the AmEx World Championship in a fortnight, but he was more likely to be fishing or sleeping.

Paul Casey, who dispatched an injured Mike Weir 5 and 3, to reach the semi-finals on his first appearance, is the Scot's opponent today. But Casey was not believing a word from Monty about the 29-year-old Englishman having the advantages of age and length. "He is not as short as people think and he probably feels younger than I am," Casey said.

The last four contain three European Ryder Cup players, after the Swedish rookie Robert Karlsson beat Angel Cabrera 4 and 3 in a big-hitting encounter, and an American who will not be at the K Club next week.

Shaun Micheel's wife had to revise her plans to go racing at Ascot after the 2003 USPGA champion added a 4 and 2 defeat of Luke Donald to his victory over Woods on Thursday. "I enjoyed dinner last night," Micheel said of his Tiger taming. He then enjoyed his Friday morning, single-putting 12 times in a 65.

After two holes in the afternoon Micheel was seven-up and it was only a matter of time. Donald did mount a late charge, winning four holes out of eight from the eighth, but with the American in trouble at the short 14th, Donald carelessly three-putted and a chance to put on even more pressure was lost.

Karlsson defeated Furyk on Thursday and admitted not having looked at the draw to see who he might play in the semi-finals. Woods against Furyk was the expected clash but now all the top-eight seeds are out. Montgomerie is the highest seed remaining, which is becoming a nervous position in this event.

* In Spain, there was good news for the Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam when Padraig Harrington took an early four-shot lead in the Madrid Masters. The Irishman hit a 403-yard drive and then holed a 43-foot putt at his finishing hole for an eagle. He finished with a seven-under-par 65 which took him to a 12-under-par 132.

Scores from Wentworth

World Match Play Championship quarter-finals:

C Montgomerie (GB) bt M Campbell (NZ) 1 up.

P Casey (GB) bt M Weir (Can) 5 and 3.

R Karlsson (Swe) bt A Cabrera (Arg) 4 and 3.

S Micheel (US) (right) bt L Donald (GB) 4 and 2.

Today's semi-finals tee-off times

08.30 and 13.30: Montgomerie v Casey

08.45 and 13.45: Karlsson v Micheel