Paul Casey reached the Elite Eight in the 2007 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.
Feb. 28, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM Staff
ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY FINAL FOUR: Casey | Cink | Fisher | Ogilvy
When Paul Casey, who lives in nearby Scottsdale, played a practice round at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club a couple of weeks ago, let's just say his opinion of the course wasn't quite the same as it is now. Which is to say that it's grown on him.
"Certainly the green complexes, they're complex," Casey said. "I think what's changed this week is that the TOUR has moved a lot of the tees around and it gives us more options with club selection."
As a result, Casey, who has the experience of being a member of three European Ryder Cup teams, has seemed to play better as the week has worn on. He's led for all but one hole all week and two of his matches didn't make it past the 16th hole. He's also hit 73 percent of his fairways and 62.5 percent of his greens in regulation this week.
Not bad for someone who just two weeks ago admitted to being intimidated by the greens.
CASEY QUOTE: "He's clearly a phenomenal match-play player, a former champion. He knows how to play golf in the desert. There are no weaknesses that I see in Geoff's game. It's very, very well-rounded. Hits the golf ball long, putts well, he's got it all. I just have to go out there and worry about my own golf ball tomorrow. It's as simple as that. I think I'm a good match-play player, but you can't predict anything. I have to approach tomorrow's 36 holes as I've approached all the other matches this week. Start fresh from the first tee and see what happens."
KEY STAT: With Paul Casey's victory over Ross Fisher, it marks the first time in tournament history that an Englishman has reached the final of the Accenture Match Play Championship final. No English player has ever won a World Golf Championships event.
FINALS OPPONENT: Geoff Ogilvy (Sunday tee time: 9:20 a.m. ET)
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| How Casey Reached the Finals |
| Round 1: Defeated Aaron Baddeley |
1 up |
| A pair of 3s -- one for birdie and one for eagle -- on the first two holes gave Casey an advantage he never relinquished in this match between two friends and fellow Whisper Rock members. Casey made the turn 1 up and then padded his lead with a concession at the 11th hole and a birdie at No. 13. But Baddeley didn't give up, winning the 14th and 17th with birdies before Casey closed it out with a par on the last. "It got a bit shaky at the end," Casey said. "Maybe the jet lag coming from Australia kicked in as I hit a couple of loose shots. But through to the next round so happy about that." |
| Round 2: Defeated Mathew Goggin |
6 and 4 |
| Casey won for the seventh time in his last nine matches at the Accenture Match Play Championship when he made short work of the man from Tasmania. The Englishman, who maintains a home in Scottsdale, Ariz., won the second hole with a birdie, the fifth with a concession and the sixth and ninth with pars to turn 4 up. Birdies at Nos. 13 and 14 then sealed the victory for Casey, who reached the quarterfinals in 2007 and the third round last year. "It didn't seem that easy," Casey said. "I think the score lies a little bit. ... But I played very solid golf, which I was happy with because yesterday I felt like I played very weak for the 16 holes." Goggin, who upset FedExCup leader Kenny Perry in the opener, was making his World Golf Championships debut. |
| Round 3: Defeated Peter Hanson |
4 and 2 |
| Through the first 11 holes Friday, Casey was a bogey-free 4 under, allowing him to go 5 up on Hanson, who bogeyed two of his first three holes. Hanson didn't get back on track until the 13th when he began a string of three straight birdies, but any miracle rally was cut short when he bogeyed the 16th to lose the hole and the match. "That was really good golf today," Casey said. "I want to say I'm just very, very happy with that. It seems to be getting better as the week has progressed. ... Made quite a few birdies, even popped in an eagle and didn't really make any mistakes." |
| Round 4: Defeated Sean O'Hair |
4 and 3 |
| Paul Casey set the tone for the day when he made a 7-footer for birdie at No. 1 and an 8-footer for eagle at the second hole. The Englishman never trailed, and as O'Hair struggled, shooting 4 over on the front, the lead continued to mount. When Casey made a 21-footer for birdie at the 10th hole, he led 6 up. O'Hair birdied both par 5s on the back nine but it was too little too late. The American had a 15-footer to extend the match at the 15th hole but he wasn't able to convert. "He didn't make any mistakes and the way I played, it wasn't even a match," said OHair, who plans to take a week off before heading to Doral for the next World Golf Championships event. "I'm disappointed I didn't give him a match but he played great and obviously, I wish him the best." O'Hair didn't let on that he wasn't feeling up to par, but Casey did. "I think I got lucky today as Sean got some food poisoning last night and it seemed every time he hit what looked like a good looking shot it hit the wrong side of a slope or a bank or something unlucky," the Brit said. "I think it would have been a much closer match if that had not happened as I was not really making the putts. It was just very good ball-striking today." |
| Round 5: Defeated Ross Fisher |
2 and 1 |
| "It wasn't pretty, but Paul Casey got the job done -- and he still hasn't trailed in 80 holes of match play this week. Casey won the first hole Saturday afternoon with a par after Fisher found the desert off the tee and went 2 up at the par-3 sixth after both men found the same greenside bunker but only one got up-and-down successfully. Fisher, a two-time winner on the European Tour who was playing in his first Accenture Match Play Championship, narrowed the gap to 1 down at the par-5 eighth, though, with a two-putt birdie from 47 feet. The next six holes were halved before Casey won the 13th with a par 5 after Fisher played ping-pong around the green. The 14th was eminently forgettable for both pros as Casey struggled to escape a fairway bunker, Fisher was snared by the desert beside the green and the hole was eventually halved with double bogeys. The driveable par-4 14th was eminently kinder to the two, though, yielding birdies for halves before Fisher cut into the lead with a 17-footer for a win at No. 16. Casey closed out the match on the next hole with a 15-foot birdie putt after Fisher had missed from 34. "It was ugly at times," Casey acknowledged. "First time this week, I've halved a hole in double bogey. ...But that's golf. Ross did the right thing and ground that hole out. He pushed me all the way. ...He was a tough, tough player and I wish him well tomorrow. He's still got a match to play for a lot of world ranking points and some cash." |
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| Previous Accenture Match Play results |
| 2003 |
0 |
1 |
T33 |
| Matches: Lost to Love III, 5 and 4 |
| 2004 |
0 |
1 |
T33 |
| Matches: Lost to Micheel, 21 holes |
| 2005 |
0 |
1 |
T33 |
| Matches: Lost to Cabrera,, 4 and 2 |
| 2006 |
0 |
1 |
T33 |
| Matches: Lost to Stenson, 1 down |
| 2007 |
3 |
1 |
T5 |
| Matches: Beat Weir, 1 up; Montgomerie, 4 and 3; Micheel, 1 up; lost to Ogilvy, 5 and 4 |
| 2008 |
2 |
1 |
T9 |
| Matches: Beat Karlsson, 1 up; Dredge, 2 and 1; lost to Choi, 1 down |
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