AUSTRALIAN v FRENCHMAN IN MONDAY SHOWDOWN

IT WILL BE DAY v DUBUISSON IN 

WORLD MATCH-PLAY FINAL


FIRST SEMI-FINAL
JASON DAY bt RICKIE FOWLER 3 AND 2.

Day did what he was unable to do a year ago -- advance to the championship match when he dispatched his buddy, Fowler. 
The young Aussie never trailed in his match after winning the first hole with a birdie and halving the next with another. Day went 2 up with birdie putts of 14 and 4 feet at Nos. 7 and 8 but gave one back at the next hole when his approach landed on some rocks in front of a cactus and his third richocheted of the prickly plant.
 Day tried to hit his fourth left-handed and ended up conceding the hole to Fowler. Fowler just missed a 7-footer to halve the 11th hole so Day regained his 3-up advantage only to give it back at the next when he missed a 6-footer for par.
 The Aussie lost the par-5 13th when he three-putted for par -- his first 3-putt of the week -- before Fowler made a 7-footer for birdie to get to 1 down.
 Day won the 15th hole with a 3-foot birdie and then closed out the match with a par on the next after Fowler missed a 7-footer for birdie. Day, who finished third a year ago, now has a record of 13-3.
Quotable: "You know what, that's why we work so hard," Day said about making the finals for the first time. "Especially those last six months with the World Cup win last year and the motivation going into this year, I felt really good. The start of the season, that's all I'm trying to do is win."
Said Fowler: "Take a lot out of this week. Got a lot of confidence, got some good wins. Go out this afternoon and see if we can get a little practice in and see if we can get one more match win and move on to next week."
Next opponent: Victor Dubuisson in the championship match for Jason Day. Ernie Els in the consolation match for Rickie Fowler

SECOND SEMI-FINAL

 VICTOR DUBUISSON bt ERNIE ELS 1 hole.

Ernie Els has been the one celebrated for his putting this week, but it was Dubuisson who clinched the match with a lag putt from 35 feet to set up par at the 18th.
Dubuisson had been three down to the South African after only seven holes. 
Els, who beat Scotland's Stephen Gallagher after being two down at one stage earlier in the tournament,  owned the edge early as Dubuisson struggled to find his rhythm. The 23-year-old from France bogeyed the first hole and Els made a 7-footer for birdie at the second. 
Dubuisson then made a mess of No. 4 and conceded to go three down after driving into the cacti, taking a drop and still coming up short of the green in four before Els hit his approach. 
But Dubuisson came back with consecutive birdies at Nos. 8 and 9, then squared the match with a tap-in birdie at the 11th after Els missed from 7 feet. Dubuisson grabbed his first lead of the day at the par-3 12th as Els missed the green near the grandstands and couldn't get up and down. The South African squared the match at the 14th, though, with a tap-in birdie as Dubuisson took four to reach the green. 
The young Frenchman proved resilient once again, making a 6-footer at the next hole after Els missed from 8 feet.
But Els has been there and done that; he responded by draining a 33-footer at the 16th hole to even the match once again. 
Both players found the green in regulation at the 17th and had downhill putts of similar lengths -- 59 feet for Els and 58 for Dubuission. Els putted to 15 inches while Dubuisson had to make a 4-footer to save par and keep the match even.  Els found the greenside bunker at 18 and couldn’t save his par from 13 feet.
Dubuisson, the winner by one hole, through to the World match-play final at the first attempt ... and a Ryder Cup team place for Europe looking more and more likely.
Quotable:  "I didn't sleep very well," Dubuisson said. "And when I arrived at the golf course, I don't know why I realized I was in semifinal of the World Golf Championship against Ernie Els. I'm a big fan of Ernie, so I have always been watching him winning majors. And I was not feeling as confident today as the round before, and that's why I had the poor start. ...
"Then I tried to focus again in my game and I knew I had to play my best golf. It's what I did. And I proved to myself that my mentality is very solid."
"It's tough to take," Els said. "I didn't play that nice coming in. I missed quite a few makeable putts and had some bad irons shots. ... But, Victor, give him credit, he made quite a few birdie in the middle there. He was in a lot of trouble and he deserved to win."
Next opponent: Jason Day for Victor Dubuisson in the finals, Rickie Fowler for Ernie Els in the consolation match.