Golf:Two weeks after a wretched performance in front of Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal, Scotland's Paul Lawrie is poised for another mighty leap towards adding a second cap to the first he won 13 years ago. Lawrie meets Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts tomorrow morning for a place in the final of the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain.
The other semi-final will be between Ireland’s Graeme McDowell and Spaniard Rafael Cabrera-Bello, who became the last remaining home hope when Sergio Garcia three-putted the first extra hole against McDowell.
McDowell breathed a huge of relief after his contest with Garcia. He was comfortable enough against Richard Finch in the morning, but then had to go into extra holes against Garcia when he missed a five-footer for the match on the last. The Spanish star was favourite when they returned to the same hole, but charged a 15-foot putt for victory four feet past and missed it after McDowell had holed from five.
“It wasn’t exactly El Clasico and I feel like I dodged a bullet there,” said the 2010 US Open champion. “I kind of resigned myself to the fact that I was going home, but sometimes you have to win ugly and sometimes to win you need what just happened to me. I count myself lucky.”
Colsaerts beat American Brandt Snedeker 4&3 to reach the last four for the second year in a row, while Dubai Desert Classic winner Cabrera-Bello turned a three down deficit at the turn into a 3&1 victory over compatriot Alvaro Quiros, winning six out of eight holes. The quarter-finals were an England-free zone after their five-strong contingent were wiped out in the morning.
Poulter was beaten 4&3 by Quiros and refused to blame the defeat on the second day incident when a buggy went over his foot. “Hot bath, bag of ice for the ankle as the cart lady decided to crush it with her front wheel,” he had posted on Twitter, but before heading off to catch an Easyjet flight he said: “I don’t need excuses.
“I had plenty of chances and didn’t take them — simple. I just didn’t play good enough.”
Second seed Justin Rose had crushed Robert Rock 7&6 and British Open champion Darren Clarke 6&4 to win his group, but had no complaints about his 4&3 loss to Colsaerts. “I actually boxed a good fight, but I ended up in the cuts room getting stitched up — Nicolas was seven under through 15 holes,” he said.
“I hit a drive out of my boots on 14 (353 yards), knocked it on the dance floor (green) as he did and he rolled his in for eagle. “I’m 15 under for three rounds and going home. Unfortunately that’s the way the tournament is.”
McDowell’s day had started with a 3&2 victory over Finch, the 218th-ranked outsider who had knocked out top seed and world number nine Martin Kaymer in his previous game. “Richard Finch might not jump off the page as one of the top names at the tournament, but they are all quality players,” said McDowell.
“They’re all capable of shooting low numbers, but I feel I’m playing well and getting the hang of this course.”
The other Englishmen to lose were Rock, beaten 3&2 by Goosen, and 21-year-old Tom Lewis, who went down 4&3 to Garcia.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)