South Africa's George Coetzee could turn a last-minute call-up for the Volvo World Match Play Championship into the biggest payday of his career after producing a brilliant display to beat American Ryder Cup star Patrick Reed.
Coetzee only got into the event on Monday as a replacement for the injured Thomas Bjorn and at 89th in the world was the lowest ranked player in the 16-man field.
But the 28-year-old was eight under par in beating Reed 2&1 in their quarter-final in blustery conditions at The London Club and is just two more wins away from the first prize of £515,290. His previous biggest cheque of £163,307 came from winning his first European Tour title in the Joburg Open in February.
"I wish I could get into every tournament as the last man if this is the golf I'm going to play," joked Coetzee, who will face Henrik Stenson in the last four after the world No 5 beat fellow Swede Jonas Blixt by two holes.
Coetzee finished 21st in the rain-shortened Portugal Masters on Sunday and was set to fly home until being told he was first reserve for the Volvo tournament before learning Bjorn had pulled out. He said: "If my flight had been Sunday night it would have been a totally different story. It could be lucrative timing."
Reed, the United States' top points scorer on his debut at Gleneagles, said: "I played well. Any time you are six under you would hopefully win the match, but George played very well."
Stenson and Coetzee met in the group stages on Wednesday and finished all square, the South African adding: "He kind of gave me that half. He missed a putt to win the match on the 17th and three-putted the last so I won't be going in feeling too confident."
Stenson was three up on Blixt with five holes to play, but saw his compatriot birdie the 14th and 15th to force the match to the 18th. He said. "No one lets me have an easy finish here. He definitely pushed an old man all the way to the last."
The second semi-final will see Holland's Joost Luiten take on Finland's Mikko Ilonen after the pair enjoyed contrasting wins over Pablo Larrazabal and Victor Dubuisson respectively.
Luiten maintained his week's 100% record and recorded the largest winning margin of the week by thrashing Larrazabal 6&5, while Ilonen beat an erratic Dubuisson by two holes.
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