World Match Play: Langer Sends Singh Packing

World No1 Vijay Singh limped out of a rather damp World Match Play Championship, going down to Germany's Bernhard Langer at the first extra hole when the rain-delayed first round resumed at Wentworth this morning.

The Fijian, winner of eight tournaments this season, recovered from three down with four holes remaining to send the match into sudden death but then proceeded bogey the first hole to send Europe's Ryder Cup captain through to a second-round match against Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez.

"It reminded me of that old Bible story when little David beat Goliath," said the 47-year-old Langer, twice U.S. Masters champion but now ranked 77th in the world. "He was the hot favourite but I am always tremendously motivated and 100 percent professional."

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Singh, who ended Tiger Woods's five-year reign as world number one last month, admitted he deserved to lose. "To be honest I didn't play well enough in the match to win," he said. "Bernhard played pretty good and didn't make a mistake. I just left it too late."

Earlier, defending champion Ernie Els, seeking a record sixth Match Play title, completed a 2&1 victory over Briton Scott Drummond. The South African world number two led by two holes with two to play and both players parred the long 17th to send Els into a second-round match against Argentina's Angel Cabrera, who edged out Korean K.J. Choi by one hole.

"Scott certainly made a contest of it," said Els. "I wasn't as sharp as I could be in the first 18 holes and I knew I had to get off to a better start in the second round. He showed a lot of character and I'm just happy to get through."

Lee Westwood beat British Open champion Todd Hamilton 4&3, the Briton's 30-foot birdie putt on the 15th green clinching a meeting with South African Retief Goosen, who crushed American Jeff Maggert 12&11 on Thursday.

Westwood and Jimenez, a 3&2 winner over American Steve Flesch, were joined in the last eight by fellow European Ryder Cup team members Padraig Harrington and Thomas Levet, who will meet for a place in the semi-finals.

Ireland's Harrington secured a 2&1 win over American Chris Riley, who bogeyed the first two holes of the day after the match had resumed all square. Frenchman Levet's 18-foot birdie putt on the 17th green saw off Canadian Mike Weir 2&1.