Paul McGinley destroyed Ryder Cup team-mate Luke Donald 9 and 8 in their World Matchplay Championship quarter-final at Wentworth yesterday to set up a semi-final clash with second-seed Angel Cabrera, the big-hitting Argentinian who pushed him into second place at the BMW Championship over the same course four months ago.

McGinley (38) set up his big win over England's Donald with a run of four successive birdies from the third at the start of the 36-hole match.

"I'm obviously very pleased," the Dubliner said. "Luke is a world-class player, as we know. He had a lot of support out there being a local boy, that's only natural, but I was able to keep them quiet - just as we did in Detroit last year."

The pair were partners in the opening fourballs of Europe's record-breaking win.

World number 14 Donald was put on the back foot when McGinley shot a six-under-par 66 in the morning round.

McGinley added two more birdies on the front nine of the afternoon round, the second arriving when he rolled in a 45-foot putt at the par-three fifth.

"I was just trying to lag it up to the hole," he said.

"Maybe I should try to lag more often instead of just trying to hole it."

McGinley said he refused to get carried away after taking a six-hole lead into the afternoon session.

"I said to my dad, 'It's like a boxing match, I've hit him so many times that he looks like he should be down'.

"But he wasn't down and that's exactly how I felt. I was very much aware that he could come back in the afternoon."

Despite the huge margin of victory, McGinley said he would happily play alongside Donald in any Ryder Cup match.

"When we shook hands, I said, 'You can be my partner any day.' I enjoy playing with him. He's a great guy and he's an ideal partner in the Ryder Cup, absolutely ideal for foursomes and fourballs."

Both are making their debuts in the championship, which offers golf's richest prize of £1 million.

Significantly, the tournament also counts in the race to qualify for the European team for next year's Ryder Cup at the K Club, and is worth 600,000 points.

On Thursday, Donald had thrashed Bernhard Langer, the man who gave him a Ryder Cup wild card last year, 7 and 6, while McGinley hammered Thomas Bjorn 6 and 5.

A bogey at the second put Donald one down, and he then witnessed four successive birdies from McGinley, who holed from eight feet at the third, two-putted the long fourth, and sank putts from 18 feet on the 191-yard fifth and 20 feet at the next.

Donald did manage to save a half at the fourth by chipping in, and then made a 20-footer of his own at the seventh to narrow the gap, only to follow that with a bogey five to fall four down again.

McGinley shared the first two afternoon holes with Donald to maintain his six-hole lead and then went seven up when Donald bogeyed the 21st.

He went eight up with a 45-foot putt at the 23rd.

He lost the next, but Donald followed his birdie there with a three-putt bogey to be eight down with only 11 left.

"Hopefully I'll have the support now (he is the only European left in) and all the Paddies will come out from London," McGinley said.

"Having the experience of playing at the very, very top level is something I have been short of until this year," McGinley added. "But my (career) graph is going forward. I feel my best years are ahead of me."

And so, too, could be his best weekend.

McGinley wasn't the only big winner yesterday. Retief Goosen equalled his - and the tournament's - record 12 and 11 margin of victory while dismissing Australian Mark Hensby.

No wonder the South African looked even more laid-back than usual. "I'll probably hit a few balls then go home and play with the kids," he said when asked how he might spent his stolen afternoon.