Micheel Can Earn the Final Answer

Shaun Micheel was the last to qualify for the 16-man field in the World Match Play Championship at Virginia Water, England. He was the first player in two months to beat Tiger Woods. And, after dusting off another European Ryder Cup player, Micheel stands one match away from the richest prize in golf.

Destiny?

“You have to feel that way,” Micheel said Saturday after a 2-up victory over Robert Karlsson. “I don’t know if destiny is the right word, but I’ve been gaining a lot of confidence each day. Beating Tiger can’t do anything to hurt you.”

The lone support in the English crowd comes from his wife, Stephanie, who is four months pregnant and has walked every hole of every match. The last time she was pregnant was in 2003, when Micheel won the PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

“It would make for a good story,” Micheel said.

Paul Casey has his own script in mind after plowing through Colin Montgomerie, 6 and 5.

Micheel and Casey will play the championship match with 1 million pounds ($1.87 million) going to the winner, the biggest payoff of any official golf tournament in the world.

“Where else can we win a million pounds?” said Casey, who could go to No. 1 in the Order of Merit on the European Tour with a victory. “Unless we get on ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,’ and I can’t answer those questions. So this is the best opportunity I’ve got.”

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Charles Howell III, experiencing a mostly terrible year in which he has changed his swing and his coach, had a four-under-par 68 to match Ben Curtis at 12-under 204 for the third-round lead in the 84 Lumber Classic at Farmington, Pa.

Curtis had his second consecutive 69 after starting the tournament with a 66.

Howell, who has won nearly $12 million on the PGA Tour but is only No. 81 on the money list this year, picked up four strokes in three holes with the best run of the day. After bogeys on Nos. 11 and 12 dropped him to eight under, he birdied Nos. 14 and 15 and dropped a long putt for an eagle 3 on No. 16.

Robert Garrigus, who is 165th in the money list, is one shot off the lead, tied with Hunter Mahan and Greg Owen.

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Don Pooley shot an eight-under 64 that left him a stroke ahead of Keith Fergus and Massy Kuramoto after two rounds of the Constellation Energy Classic at Hunt Valley, Md.

Andy Bean moved into contention for his first victory on the Champions Tour with a course-record 63 that included an eagle and eight birdies. Bean, Brad Bryant, Jay Haas, Tom Jenkins and Hajime Meshiai will start today’s final round two shots behind Pooley, who was at 10-under 134.

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Ian Poulter made a 20-foot putt on the last hole to shoot an eight-under 64, taking a four-shot lead over Ricardo Gonzalez after the third round of the Madrid Masters. Poulter had eight birdies over the final 13 holes for a 19-under 197 total.