Paul Casey made Open Championship winner Stewart Cink his latest victim in Tucson - as four European Tour Members reached the semi-finals of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.
European Ryder Cup trio Casey, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter all reached the last four, and with Camilo Villegas completing the semi-final line-up the title was definitely going to a European Tour Member.
America’s last hope Cink was defeated 5 and 4, just like Casey's three previous opponents Stephen Ames, Mike Weir and Brian Gay.
"I have no idea what's happening," said sixth seed and last year's runner-up Casey.
"I know how tough Stewart is. He has a great record in match play.
"I never thought we would be standing here (by the 14th green) talking. I thought it would go all the way. I'm very happy, but shocked."
Cink, second and then third in the event the last two years, jokingly showed his conqueror where the 15th tee was. He has not needed to go there yet.
"I saw a great display," said Cink, whose only success came when Casey drove wildly into the desert on the long 11th and had to take a penalty drop.
Casey went through to face Colombian Villegas, who beat South African Retief Goosen, later in the day, while it could yet be an all-English final.
In the other half of the draw Oliver Wilson went down 4 and 3 to Garcia, but Poulter came back from one down on four separate occasions to defeat Thai Thongchai Jaidee with a seven foot par putt on the final green.
Cink's problems started when he went in the water on the short third. Jaidee had done the same and Goosen put two balls in.
He then dropped another shot at the 185 yard sixth and Casey birdied the next two to press home his advantage.
After the blip at the 11th Casey hit straight back. Cink bogeyed the short 12th after missing the green, but could only admire what the former HSBC Match Play champion - Casey won that at Wentworth the week before the 2006 Ryder Cup - did at the next.
The hole measures 583 yards and Casey, who has a home in nearby Phoenix and knows all about desert conditions, struck a 347 yard drive downwind and then a 225 yard second.
It finished 16 feet past the flag and he holed for eagle before finishing his man off with a 12 footer at the next.
Poulter, who went out in the semi-finals to David Toms in San Diego five years ago, was one behind with four to play after bogeying the 14th.
He was simply fuming about letting that one go having levelled on the previous hole, but Jaidee then gifted him the 15th and 17th with bogeys.
As the wind strengthened and the expected rain arrived there was every chance the clash would go into extra holes when Poulter bunkered his approach to the last.
Jaidee's 16 foot birdie attempt stayed on the lip and the Woburn golfer, set to go to a career-high fifth in the world if he won through to the final, got up and down.
Wilson has had nine runners-up finishes in his career, but four successive European opponents was one too many.
After beating Miguel Angel Jiménez, Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald he found Garcia determined to re-establish himself in the world's top ten after dropping from second at the end of 2008.
The 30 year old did not manage a single top three finish all last season and now ranks 15th, but he gained revenge for losing to Wilson in the Volvo World Match Play in Spain last October.
Wilson actually struck first with an opening par four, but after six holes Garcia had already turned that into a three up lead.
The Mansfield golfer came back to trail by only one at the turn, but Garcia birdied the 13th and 14th and Wilson's missed seven footer on the next ended the match.
Goosen never looked in the mood to come back at Villegas after making such a mess of the third and began the inward half four down. He did win the tenth, but it was his only success.
Conditions had worsened considerably by the time the semi-finals started - and it showed with first Garcia and then Casey double bogeying the opening hole in heavy rain and fierce wind.
They both lost the hole, but Garcia chipped in on the next to level with Poulter.
It came as no surprise when officials decided to halt play and wait for the worst of the monsoon-like weather to pass.
