Golf: World matchplay finalists are … who?

Golf fans expecting to see the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson or David Duval battling out the final of the world matchplay golf championship tomorrow are in for a big surprise.

How about Kevin Sutherland and Scott McCarron?

In fact, stars like Woods, Mickelson and Duval haven't been seen since day one back on Thursday, when they were unceremoniously dumped out of the tournament by much lower-ranked opponents.

The two golfers who have come through the draw to reach tomorrow's final will have fans scrambling for their PGA Tour players' guides, to learn something of the combatants.

The final will certainly be a match-up between two lesser-known players on the tour after 47th-seed Scott McCarron beat Paul Azinger 1-up, and then Kevin Sutherland continued his surprising run at the championships as he rallied to defeat Brad Faxon 1-up.

The tournament, which was played in Australia last time, is being held at the La Costa Resort and Spa course in Carlsbad, California.

Sutherland, the 62nd-seed, later told reporters he's confident that he can win - even though a victory would be his first-ever win on the PGA tour.

The event carries a US$1 million dollar first prize.

Sutherland has been the giant-killer in the past few days, defeating the third, sixth and 14th seeds en route to the 36-hole final.

Azinger and 45th-seed Faxon will meet in an 18-hole consolation match.

Faxon was 2-up through the sixth hole before Sutherland made a spirited charge.

Sutherland halved the eighth with a birdie, then birdied the ninth and 10th to square the match.

Sutherland went 1-up with par at the par-five 12th, and thereafter never surrendered the lead.

Faxon had two opportunities to square the match down the stretch, but missed an eight-foot par attempt at the 15th and then, agonisingly, three-putted from 15 feet on the 18th green to succumb to his delighted opponent.

Good friends Azinger and McCarron engaged in a see-saw match in which neither led by more than 1-up.
McCarron ultimately won with a curling 39-foot birdie putt on the 18th green.

While Sutherland and McCarron are unknown to armchair golf fans, they're certainly not unknown to each other.

Both Sacramento natives, McCarron and Sutherland have faced each other on courses around California for years.

As teenagers, they battled for the 1982 Northern California High School Championship at Butte Creek Country Club in Chico.

Just for the record, in that event, McCarron had a hefty lead on Sutherland heading to the final nine - and lost by a stroke.

Sutherland is sure to remind his opponent of that result - jokingly, it is to be hoped - during their two-round final on Monday (NZT).

Barely half a dozen spectators would have followed their progress around the course that day in 1982.

The audience will be slightly larger for the latest battle in their ongoing rivalry tomorrow.

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In the quarter-finals held earlier in the day, McCarron slaughtered experienced US Ryder Cup player Tom Lehman 4 and 3, while Azinger defeated a determined Bob Estes 2 and 1.

In the other half of the bracket, Faxon defeated Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal on the second extra hole of sudden death, while Sutherland outlasted sixth seed David Toms, the 2001 PGA champion, 3 and 2.