Almost complete absence of drama marks out second day at Wentworth

Golf Events / Paul Krishnamurty / 12 October 2007 / Leave a Comment

Lead doesn't change hands in any of the four pairings on day two of World Match Play, reports a shocked Paul Krishnamurty

It's hard to remember an easier day for favourite backers or a worse one for those who rely on fluctuations for their trading. Whereas we were expecting the World Match Play (http://www.hsbcgolf.com/) to run right through to the end of the TV coverage, it was all over by 4pm. Incredibly, the lead never changed hands once in any of the four matches.

Angel Cabrera carried his outstanding form over from the first day. Once again, the US Open champion tamed Wentworth with a total of -10 over the two rounds to eliminate defending champion Paul Casey 4 and 3. Casey actually scored considerably better today with -6 but never looked like getting to grips with Cabrera this afternoon after falling two shots behind at the halfway point.

The best performance of the day came from Henrik Stenson. After a disappointing summer, Stenson looked right back to his very best today, scoring -11. The result of this match never looked in doubt after a flawless 64 this morning left the Swede four holes up on fellow Scandinavian Anders Hansen, with the final result a resounding 7 & 6 triumph. Hansen at least managed some compensation by way of a hole-in-one on the 10th hole this afternoon. On this form, Stenson will be a very tough opponent for Ernie Els in tomorrow's semi-final.

Els continued his relentless march towards a seventh title with another one-sided victory over Andres Romero, running out a 6 & 5 winner. The Big Easy drove the ball very well today but made his share of mistakes too, especially over the closing holes. Just as on Thursday though, these may have been the consequence of a lapse of concentration against a struggling opponent. Having played so well to come back against Fasth in the first round, young Romero didn't do himself justice today as he struggled to a +2 total.

Young American Hunter Mahan claimed his second European scalp of the week with a 6 & 4 win over Soren Hansen. This was the poorest quality match on show, with Mahan only needing to score -3 for his easy success. Purely on the basis of their respective efforts today, he will have his work cut out against Cabrera in their semi but hope may spring eternal in the fact that the Argentinian has struggled in the latter stages of this event before. Certainly, Mahan is the younger and fitter of the pair and could yet come through this weekend's marathon.

Indeed, the market favours an Els/Cabrera final, with this pair trading at 2.4 and 3.7 respectively. Given that all the semi-finalists have looked in good form though, the younger men should not be dismissed over the gruelling weekend. Matchplay usually produces tremendous fluctuations and Wentworth has seen many a close finish over the years, so the trading value surely lies in backing the two outsiders.