Early signs in Tucson are good for English hopefuls

Fighting for a place in the quarter-finals of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, Wilson was facing his third European opponent in a row.

After knocking out Miguel Angel Jimenez and Rory McIlroy, the Mansfield golfer – still to win a professional title – opened with a 10-foot birdie putt.

Donald, behind for the first time this week, levelled when Wilson bogeyed the short third but dropped shots himself at the next two holes.

There was more wind than on the opening two days and it showed when a par won Donald the short sixth before he had another bogey after driving into sand.

With last year's runner-up, and now favourite, Paul Casey two up after eight on American Brian Gay and Ian Poulter, the only other top-10 seed left in, marching into a three-up advantage on Indian Jeev Milkha Singh, it was looking like three English players in the last eight.

Poulter birdied the first and fifth, then Singh bogeyed the next, while Casey came from one down after three with birdies at the fourth, seventh and eighth.

Sergio Garcia was the other European involved and in the opening match of the day he stood two up on South African Tim Clark with eight to play.

Clark's compatriot Retief Goosen was two up on American Nick Watney after five, while Colombian Camilo Villegas and Thai Thongchai Jaidee held the same early advantage against American Ben Crane and Japan's 18-year-old Ryo Ishikawa respectively.

Norway's Suzan Pettersen shot an eight-under 64 to open up a three-stroke lead midway through the season-opening Honda PTT LPGA in Thailand.

The 2007 champion did not drop a shot throughout the first round and repeated that feat at the Siam Country Club, carding eight birdies to move ahead of South Korea's Park Hee-young.

Park also enjoyed a blemish-free round as she signed for a six-under 66, while Japan's Ai Miyazato was a further shot behind in third place on 67.

MJ Hur, who had started the day joint leader alongside Pettersen, dropped down the leaderboard as an eagle on the 10th and a birdie on the seventh were undone by five bogeys. The South Korean returned to the clubhouse with a two-over 74 and was tied 13th, 10 shots off the pace.

Michelle Wie was also in a share of 13th after the 20-year-old American, who is making her debut at the tournament, carded a four-under 68.

World No 1 Lorena Ochoa is tied 18th along with England's Laura Davies, who hit a one-under 71.