Saturday sees both the quarters and semis, and whoever gets through the latter has another 36-hole match tomorrow. You have to work hard to win this tournament, and the 8 men left in the field know it.
One man who's had a smoother run than most is Englishman Paul Casey - with three successive 5&4 victories, Casey hasn't had to play the last four holes in any match so far. Today he's up against Stewart Cink, the lone American, who, by contrast, has had to fight for each win - a 19th hole victory over Charl Schwartzel joining two wins on the 18th. This is the match of the championship so far, and I'm backing the winner to lift the trophy. I get the feeling that Cink might just nip this one - there's nothing like a few close matches to get you going.
Sergio Garcia finally got his game into a little better shape in the last 16, and he needed it to beat the doughty Tim Clark 2&1. Clark played great all week, once again showing how a short hitter can contend on a mammoth course, but the Spaniard was too good for him. Sergio faces Oliver Wilson, who beat him in the Matchplay in Wentworth in 2008, in the quarter-finals.
Wilson is experiencing a welcome return to form after a slow 2009 season, and he'll look to continue it against his Ryder Cup teammate. Wilson overcame Luke Donald in 20 holes yesterday, holing from 39 feet to win the match. More importantly, he held his composure after Donald escaped the jaws of defeat with a 50-foot birdie on the 18th. Many players would have crumbled after that, but Ollie stuck to his game and held on. He's got a very compact, organized swing, and it should be an interesting match against the unpredictable Garcia.
The third Englishman in the field is Ian Poulter, who faces surprise package Thongchai Jaidee. Poulter defeated Jeev Milkha Singh comfortably yesterday by 5&4, while Jaidee won by the same margin over Ryo Ishikawa. The difference is that Jaidee shot +1 and still won by that margin - Ishikawa gave him no test at all, losing 5 holes to pars around the turn. Poulter continued his gritty golf against Singh, and I can't see him losing today. He's got the fire behind his eyes again, and he's a good bet to make the final.
The fourth match features Retief Goosen and Camilo Villegas. Neither had it easy yesterday, Goosen beating Watney on the final hole, and Villegas running out a slightly more comfortable victor over Ben Crane, 3&2. Goosen's got his game going better than the first couple of rounds, and his putting's looked solid all week. I can't help feeling however, that the power of Villegas will be too much for him today, and that the Colombian will prevail. Neither has great credentials in this tournament, and they'll both be up for it, but I think the unflappable Goosen just hasn't got the magic this week if he needs a miracle. Villegas has.
They're sure to be enthralling matches once again, and will set up a couple of great semis tonight.
Poulter to beat Jaidee
Villegas to beat Goosen
Garcia to beat Wilson
Cink to beat Casey
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