Faldo survives the longest day

Nick Faldo and Michael Campbell will resume this morning in what is already the longest match in the 39-year history of the World Match Play Championship. Their first-round encounter was suspended yesterday due to darkness after 42 holes once the pair had halved the sixth extra hole of their sudden-death play-off.

The match will pick up today at 8.15am on the 17th tee, never an easy drive at the best of times with out of bounds down the left-hand side. "For a great match like this to be decided over one hole is a bit unfair, especially starting on the 17th," said Campbell. "That is a pretty demanding tee shot that early in the morning." The pair had already played the four usual play-off holes – the first, second, 17th and 18th – before setting out again. "On the second tee we decided that would be the last hole," Campbell said. "It was hard to read the putts by then." The match was suspended at 6.05pm, nine hours and five minutes (including the lunch break) after it began as the day's top match.

"That was an honest day's work at the office," said Faldo, "but I need a breather now." The Englishman also had to resume his first round match the following morning two years ago against Darren Clarke. He ended up losing at the 40th in a game that equalled the event's then longest encounter.

Last year Faldo lost 9 and 8 on the first day and was determined not to make such an ignominious departure again. Campbell led for much of the day with Faldo missing a number of short putts, but the fun began after Campbell went two-up with three to play. At the 16th he had a five-footer for the match but pulled it. Faldo, having charged his first putt, still needed to hole out from four feet to continue the match. Campbell then had chances at the 17th and 18th, but somehow Faldo survived. At the first two extra holes it was Faldo who had the better chances to finish it but after that it became more attritional as the light faded. The main beneficiary of the day's events will probably be Ian Woosnam, the defending champion, who will play the winner.

Justin Rose almost took his match to extra holes against Vijay Singh, but missed a four-footer at the last. On his debut in the event at the age of 22, Rose trailed from the moment the two-time major champion birdied the fifth. At lunch, and again with 10 holes to play, Rose was three-down, but battled back superbly, holing from six feet at the 17th to take the match to the last. "I enjoy the situation when it comes down to the end," Rose said, "and it would have been good to get back to all square."

Singh, who today plays Retief Goosen, was impressed by the youngster. "He has a beautiful golf swing," he said.

Unlike throughout the entire Ryder Cup, Colin Montgomerie trailed as early as the second hole against the American Fred Funk. But Monty was soon in command and ran out a 3 and 2 winner. His old nemesis Ernie Els, who beat the Scot in the 1994 final, is his opponent today.

WORLD MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP (Wentworth) First round: P Harrington (Irl) bt M Weir (Can) 4 and 3; V Singh (Fiji) bt J Rose (GB) 1 up; C Montgomerie (GB) bt F Funk (US) 3 and 2.

Today's matches

First round

8.15 (17th tee, all square after 42 holes, to finish): M Campbell (NZ, 8) v N Faldo (GB).

Quarter-finals

9.0 and 13.15: I Woosnam (GB, 1) v Campbell or Faldo.

9.15 and 13.30: S Garcia (Sp, 4) v P Harrington (Irl, 5).

9.30 and 13.45: R Goosen (SA, 3) v V Singh (Fiji, 6).

9.45 and 14.00: E Els (SA, 2) v C Montgomerie (GB, 7).

Seeds denoted by number