The ‘Rummy and Ronnie’ winning show continued today in Bulgaria with Australia’s Brett Rumford easily securing ictory in his first round match in the Volvo World Match-Play Championship in Bulgaria.

Rumford, back-to-back winner recently in South Korea and China, easily accounted for Jamie Donaldson defeating the Welshman 5 & 3 on the Thracian Cliffs course.

“Jamie got off to a bit of a bad start and I just capitalised on that with three birdies in my first four holes to be 3up and that really was the key,” said Rumford.

Australia’s Brett Rumford out front and on route to defeating Welshman Jamie Donaldson. (Photo – Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)

It was Rumford’s caddy, John ‘Ronnie’ Roberts again calling the shots with Rumford actually posting eight birdies over the 16 holes they played.

And if Rumford were to win this week he would become the first player since Seve Ballesteros in 1986 to win three European Tour events in succession.

It was Donaldson’s second defeat in the tournament and eliminates the reigning Irish Open and Abu Dhabi HSBC Champion from the Euro 3m event.

Rumford plays Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano in this afternoon’s (FRID) third and final round robin match and both now assured of qualifying for the last 16 no matter the result as Fernandez-Castano had beaten Donaldson a day earlier.

Others assured of advancing to advance to the last 16 include Italy’s Francesco Molinari who defeated Chilean Felipe Aguilar 4 & 3 and a day after beating Sweden’s Henrik Stenson.

South African Richard Sterne booked his place also in the last 16 defeating former US Open champion, Geoff Ogilvy 5 & 4.

Ogilvy now must defeat American Bo Van Pelt this afternoon if he is to join Sterne after Van Pelt had drawn this match yesterday (THUR) with Molinari, and on the occasion of the Americans 39th birthday.

Completed second round matches – Volvo World Match-Play Championship, Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort course, Kavarna, Bulgaria.

 Brett Rumford (Australia) defeated Jamie Donaldson (Wales) 5 & 3

Scott Jamieson (Scotland) defeated Carl Pettersson (Sweden) 1 hole

Francesco Molinai (Italy) defeated Felipe Aguilar (Chile) 4 & 3

Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) defeated Kiradeck Aphibarnrat (Thailand) 3 & 2

Richard Sterne (South Africa) defeated Geoff Ogilvy (Australia) 5 & 4

George Coetzee (South Africa) defeated Shane Lowry (Ireland) 3 & 2

Thongchai Jaidee (Thialand) defeated Richard Sterne (South Africa) 1 hole

Chris Wood (England) defeated Stephen Gallacher (Scotland)  2 & 1