Els in seventh Match Play final
Defending champion Ernie Els beat Padraig Harrington 5 and 4 Saturday in Virginia Water, England, to move into the final of the World Match Play Championship and stay on course for a record sixth title.
Els, who shares the record of five World Match Play titles with Gary Player and Seve Ballestros, will face Lee Westwood, who withstood a late comeback by Miguel Angel Jimenez to win the other semifinal 1-up.
Westwood was 5-up with eight holes to play before Jimenez won three straight and the 16th to make it close.
The winner Sunday receives $1.8 million, billed as the biggest prize in world golf.
Els, who turns 35 Sunday, will be appearing in the final for a record seventh time. His only loss in the final came against Vijay Singh in 1997. However, Westwood has beaten Els in the only two matches the two have played, in the second round in 1998 and the semifinals in 2000.
“It’s one thing making the final, another thing trying to win it,” Els said. “I’m sure Lee will have a lot of confidence. It’s a new game, a new match.”
In the morning, Els missed six shorts putts, including successive 5-footers at the 15th and 16th, both of which he lost.
“They really annoyed me,” he said. “I had gotten a grip on the match. I had done the hard work.”
His lead was down to two, but he won the 17th and improved his putting in the afternoon, maintaining a three-hole lead over Harrington – who was played with an injured right thumb – the rest of the way.
PGA Tour
Tom Lehman bounced back from an early bogey for a 3-under 69 to join Brent Geiberger (71) at the top of the leaderboard in the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro (N.C.) at 12 under.
Four players – including 2001 PGA champ David Toms – were one shot back, with another 10 players within four strokes of the lead.
Last week in Las Vegas, Lehman led going into the final day before eventually tying for second, one shot back.
Champions Tour
Mark McNulty had an eagle and five birdies in a seven-hole stretch to take a big second-round lead in the SBC Championship in San Antonio.
McNulty, who won the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am in February in his Champions Tour debut, finished with an 8-under 63 for a 12-under 130 total and a four-stroke advantage. Gary McCord, 2002 winner Dana Quigley and Morris Hatalsky were tied for second after 66s on the Oak Hills Country Club course.
LPGA Tour
Grace Park shot a 1-under 71 to hold onto the third-round lead in the Samsung World Championship in Palm Dessert, Calif., while Annika Sorenstam and Cristie Kerr were within three shots.
Park was at 16-under 200 through three rounds in the elite 20-player tournament.
Sorenstam, whose 53 career LPGA Tour victories include three titles in the event, matched Kerr with a 69 on Bighorn Golf Club course.