World Matchplay: Afternoon update

Colin Montgomerie resumed after lunch with a five hole advantage over Padraig Harrington and the Dubliner is slowly trimming back Monty’s lead.

Harrington clawed a hole back at the third with a drive and a three iron to four feet but it was all he could do as Monty began to digest his food and return to the sparkling golf that saw him fore a 61 in the morning.

Both players halved the fourth and the sixth holes before the Scot edged back to 5-up with a birdie at the 8th hole from five feet.

Harrington again responded with a neat birdie at the long par four ninth hole and his putter was still warm on the tenth, although his nine-footer was only good for a half in birdie twos leaving Monty four up after 11 holes played.

Vijay Singh is getting the better of Darren Clarke in the second match and is now 2-up through the tenth hole thanks to a birdie two. Clarke, the WGC World Matchplay Champion will have to fight like he did against Nick Faldo this morning to keep the Fijian from running away from him.

In the match between Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia, the young Spaniard is giving as good as he gets from Westwood in this thriller of a match.

Westwood lunched at 1-up and came out for the afternoon with a purpose as he promptly birdied the second, third, fourth and fifth holes. But the Spaniard did not let him cruise away as he birdied the third, sixth, seventh and eighth to keep the match on tenterhooks.

The two shot 64 and 65 this morning and in the afternoon, both players are well under par again with Westwood turning in 31, Garcia in 32 and it promises to be a tight finish.

Ernie Els is taking compatriot Retief Goosen to pieces during the front nine of the afternoon round. Els is currently 5-up after six holes thanks to a barrage of red numbers and a hot putter.

The Big South African birdied the second, third, fourth and seventh to begin his run for home and an early tea with Goosen trying, but failing to reel him in.