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Lee Westwood -
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India's Jeev Milkha Singh battled through pain to create the upset of the opening rounds in the World Matchplay Championship on Friday.
Singh, nursing a sore ankle that forced him to miss last week's Phoenix Open, not only defeated Europe's current number one and former Matchplay winner Lee Westwood but disposed of the world number five by a crushing six holes.
Because of the large defeat, Westwood now faces an early exit. The money-list leader's only consolation is that two of his Race to Dubai rivals, second placed Martin Kaymer and fourth-placed Paul Casey, can not make the weekend's semi-finals.
In normal matchplay knockout, Singh would have won 5 & 4 but he was able to add the extra hole because all round-robin group stage matches on Thursday and Friday go to the 18th.
"I thought I was facing a lengthy layoff when the ankle flared up but I got a lot of ultrasound and iced it up five times a day to be able to play this week," Singh, ranked 50 places below Westwood globally, told reporters.
"I played with a cart yesterday and that helped. The big test is going to be tomorrow when I have to play 36 holes."
Three birdies in the first five holes set up Singh's victory and left Westwood, who could win his remaining two matches and still go out, struggling to repeat his 2000 win in the event.
"It's been a while since I've played as badly as that," a disappointed Westwood told reporters.
Kim Impresses
Singh was one of the players who played just one round on Friday and he now hopes his ankle stands up to two matches on Saturday against Colombian Camilo Villegas and Briton Ross Fisher.
Anthony Kim came into the event as eighth choice of qualifiers from America but continued his impressive form at matchplay despite a poor year in strokeplay events. Kim won both his matches and is favourite to take his group.
The American Ryder Cup player could meet Robert Allenby in Sunday's semi-final. They had a much-publicised spat at the recent Presidents Cup when Allenby inferred Kim stayed out to the early hours before playing - and beating the Australian - in the singles.
"It's in the past," Kim said. "Robert and I have talked and we have moved on. Kim did add, however, when asked if he should be able to party, "There's a time and a place for everything.
"There are a lot of little kids that look up to me and I'd better represent myself well."
Casey was knocked out after losing both his matches. The Englishman was playing his first competitive event for three months after suffering rib muscle tears and had to concede to loss of match-fitness because of his layoff.
US Masters champion Angel Cabrera's five holes' defeat of Briton Rory McIlroy, third on Europe's money-list could mean all of the top four on the Race to Dubai missing out on the semi-finals. Spain's Sergio Garcia also bowed out of the event.
World Matchplay first day results CLICK HERE
