Kim, Fisher reach Match Play final
CASARES, Spain -- Ross Fisher beat Masters champion Angel Cabrera on the third playoff hole Saturday to set up a World Match Play Championship final against Anthony Kim.
Fisher won 1-up after Cabrera needed five shots to reach the green on the final hole. Fisher had sent his second shot from 244 yards within five feet of the pin in fading light at the Finca Cortesin golf course.
Kim advanced by beating Robert Allenby 5 and 4.
Kim, who beat the Australian 5 and 3 at the Presidents Cup earlier this month, rallied from an early two-hole deficit, pulling away at the 27th when he holed an approach from 101 yards.
Allenby, who reportedly called Kim the sport's "current John Daly" and accused the 24-year-old of carousing into the wee hours before their singles match at the Presidents Cup, was irritated in the first half of their semifinal, when Kim declined to concede short putts.
"I was definitely surprised at not being given a few putts out there," Allenby said. "I gave him a couple of four-footers. Maybe I'll do the same to him this afternoon."
Kim had other issues to worry about in the second half of the semifinal. He first overcame an errant tee shot on the 26th to save par and halve before holing out from 101 yards for an eagle at 27. He sank a birdie putt on the 28th for a four-hole advantage.
Kim cited his par save at the 26th was the key.
"That was the hole that really sealed it for me," he said.
Fisher sank birdie putts at the 32nd and 33rd holes to get ahead before Cabrera forced the playoff by sending his second shot from the thick grass at the last hole within 5 feet of the pin. Fisher missed his birdie attempt from off the green to set up sudden death.
"I figured he was going to go for it, but it was a high-risk shot and the odds of him pulling it off were slim," Fisher said. "I saw him hit it and then I heard the cheers and I thought, 'Oh my dear.' "
Both players missed winning putts on the first playoff hole.
Sunday's 36-hole final will be the first for both Fisher and Kim, in their debut appearance in the event, with a $1.1 million prize on the line.
At the 26th, Kim barely held on to his driver as his ball sailed left into the bushes.
After taking relief, he pitched to 2 feet for his par, while Allenby missed a chance to trim the deficit to one hole by flubbing a chip and then pushing his birdie putt wide.
"What happened was pretty crucial because he gave me a gift," Kim said. "He just miss-hit his chip a little and made par."
Kim was elated at the 27th -- a short par-4 -- after his sand wedge landed a few feet long before back-spinning into the hole. He then sank his birdie putt on the 28th for a four-hole advantage over Allenby, who missed from 4 feet.
Allenby missed several opportunities to get within one before Kim boosted his lead.
"The putter was pretty cold this afternoon," Allenby said. "I just didn't quite play good enough this afternoon and, you know, he hit a lot of great shots and made a lot of good putts."
Kim cruised from the 30th after taking a 5-up advantage.
"This is a very big tournament for me because it's been a very tough year," said Kim, who a day earlier won his last hole to ensure his place in the last four. "It's very rewarding to come out here ... and put on a good show."
Kim and Allenby had finished the first 18 holes all square, but Allenby was not pleased that Kim forced him to make short putts all morning. In match play, opponents normally give putts inside three feet.
"I don't think I made him putt any short putts, maybe a two-and-a-half footer," Kim said. "But it had a lot of break. It's match play."
Although media reports suggested the pair have resolved their disagreements since the Presidents Cup, they hardly spoke to each other during the round on Saturday.
The last American to win the event was Corey Pavin in 1993. Shaun Micheel reached the final in 2006.
Information from The Associated Press and Reuters was used in this report.
