Live Report: Accenture Match Play, Championship final
By PGATOUR.COM staff
MARANA, Ariz. -- PGATOUR.COM is on the scene at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. We'll provide live updates throughout Sunday's championship final and consolation final, so check back often. (Timestamps are Eastern Time)
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CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL: Match preview | Casey scorecard | Poulter scorecard | CONSOLATION: Garcia | Villegas
IAN POULTER ON THE WIN (7:05 p.m.): "It feels just amazing, really, to be in this situation. I was very comfortable on the golf course. I'm so, so happy to win on American soil. ... My short game this week has been as good as it's ever been."
PAUL CASEY ON THE LOSS (6:50 p.m.): "What can I say? Poulter played great," said Casey after losing the championship match 4 and 2. " There were a lot of shots which I wanted to pull off and I didn't. You know, he did a fantastic job of making putts and keeping the ball in play and he kept the pressure on."
POULTER WINS 4 AND 2 (5:53 p.m.): Ian Poulter did what he had to do at the 16th hole -- hit the green on the par-3 to put the pressure on his opponent. Paul Casey, meanwhile, found the left greenside bunker.
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Poulter putted first and his ball had a little too much juice as it skidded 10 feet by the pin. Casey blasted out to 14 feet but missed the putt for par by an inch.
Poulter then proceeded to convert the par putt -- even if he and his caddy did muff the celebratory high-five. The victory was Poulter's first on the PGA TOUR and the first for an Englishman in a World Golf Championships event.
The win also vaulted Poulter from 11th to fifth in the Official World Golf Ranking. -- Helen Ross
THE HEAT'S ON (5:46 p.m.): Ian Poulter is now 3 up with three holes remaining after a brilliant chip at the 15th hole. That means Paul Casey must win the 16th hole or Poulter has his first PGA TOUR victory.
Both Poulter and Casey missed the green to the right at No. 15 with their drives on the par-4 15th hole. Poulter hit a stellar flop shot that nearly sneaked in the right edge and settled 2 feet for birdie.
Casey threw the ball back to Poulter before attempting his own chip. The ball hit short of the green and stopped 13 feet from the pin. Casey's birdie putt caught the right lip and spun out, giving Poulter another win. -- Helen Ross
GETTING TIGHTER (5:34 p.m.): Ian Poulter dodged another bullet at the 14th hole. which is 32nd of the day for the two finalists.
Paul Casey's second shot produced a 13-foot putt for a potential birdie while Poulter was 24 feet away. Poulter putted to 19 inches and Casey gave him the putt before he missed his own for the win.
The two are now headed to the driveable par-4 15th with Poulter holding a 2-up advantage. -- Helen Ross
SUPERSTITION (5:21 p.m.): The 13th hole was an adventurous one for the two finalists. Both missed the green on the 562-yard par 5 with their second shots -- and then the fun began.
Casey chipped first and came up 17 feet short while Poulter's stopped 9 feet from the pin. Casey putted to 32 inches which left Poulter with a golden opportunity to win the hole but his birdie putt slid 4 feet past the hole. Two pars later and Poulter remained 2 up. -- Helen Ross
CONSOLATION DONE (5:10 p.m.): Camilo Villegas has just won his match with Sergio Garcia 5 and 4 to finish third in the Accenture Match Play Championship.
Villegas, who had to come out Sunday morning to finish his semifinal match, never trailed against Garcia in the consolatiion. Birdies at Nos. 7, 8 and 9 broke the match open and he went 5 up at the 11th with his fourth in five holes.
The win is worth 200 FedExCup points and $600,000 to Villegas, who was making his 2010 PGA TOUR debut. -- Helen Ross
WHEW (4:59 p.m.): Ian Poulter escaped the 12th hole with a par after hitting his tee shot long, nearly at the foot of the grandstand. He chipped up to 3 inches, though, and Casey was unable to convert his 35-footer for birdie.
Casey putted just past the hole, a little over 3 feet by the cup. With the pressure increasing, Poulter had him putt and Casey was equal to the task. -- Helen Ross
LONG AND SHORT OF IT (4:52 p.m.): Ian Poulter is by no means a short hitter but this golf course is long. Poulter has been hitting his hybrid a lot in the last few holes and might want to keep the headcover off for a while. He used it for his second shot at No. 11, and might have it out again at Nos. 12 and 13. -- Brian Katrek
GOOD, GOOD (4:49 p.m.): Both players missed the green with their third shots at the par-5 11th. Paul Casey chipped first to 13 inches while Poulter, who had already picked up his opponent's ball, ended up 2 feet from the pin. Casey returned the favor as he scooped up Poulter's ball and bounced it off his wedge a couple of times. -- Helen Ross
LOWER SEEDS (4:42 p.m.): Ian Poulter is attempting to become the fifth underdog -- at least in terms of seeds -- to win the championship final of the Accenture Match Play Championship.
Poulter, who entered as the ninth overall seed and No. 3 seed in the Jones bracket, is 2 up on Paul Casey, who is the sixth overall seed and No. 2 seed in the Snead bracket.-- Mike McAllister
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MOMENTUM SHIFT (4:35 p.m.): For the first time in the championship match, Paul Casey has just managed to win consecutive holes. He now trails Ian Poulter 2 down after 28 holes.
Poulter lost the ninth hole when he putted off the green on the way to a bogey. Casey forced the issue at the 10th hole, though, when he made a 14-footer for birdie after Poulter missed the green. -- Helen Ross
IN HIS DUST (4:31 p.m.): Camilo Villegas continues to pour it on in the consolation match. The two-time PGA TOUR champ just rolled in a 5-footer at the 11th hole -- his fourth birdie in his last five holes -- to take a 5-up lead over Sergio Garcia. -- Helen Ross
NOT SO FAST (4:15 p.m.): Ian Poulter made a rare mistake at the ninth hole.
Both he and Paul Casey hit the green at the 446-yard par 4 with no problem. But Poulter was at the back of the green, some 72 feet away from the pin while Casey was 31.
Poulter went first and actually putted his ball off the front of the green. He chipped to about 5 feet while Casey cozied his putt to 4. Poulter made his bogey putt so Casey had to convert his par to trim the lead to 3 down at the turn. -- Helen Ross
HALVE AND HOLD (4:01 p.m.): Paul Casey has just forced a halve with Ian Poulter at the par-5 eighth hole.
Casey missed the green to the left, but chipped to 5 feet to set up a successful birdie putt. Poulter, meanwhile, was unable to convert his 14-footer for eagle. So the two Englishmen go to the ninth hole with Poulter leading 4 up. -- Helen Ross
TAKING CONTROL (3:50 p.m.): Camilo Villegas' second straight birdie has given him a 3-up advantage on Sergio Garcia through eight holes.
Villegas reached the green on the 576-yard par 5 in two while Garcia was in the back fringe. The 30-year-old Spaniard chipped to 7 feet, then Villegas missed an eagle putt from 23.
Garcia was able to get his birdie putt to go down but Villegas' 2-footer gave him a 3-up advantage. -- Helen Ross
HANGING TOUGH (3:46 p.m.): Ian Poulter is relentless. Every time Paul Casey cuts into his lead, Poulter wins the next hole.
No. 7 is the most recent example. Poulter put a hybrid on the green at the 473-yard par 4 while Casey was long and in the left fringe in two. He then chipped to 9 feet and Poulter putted from 52 feet to 6.
When Casey missed his par putt and Poulter made his, though, the lead was back to 4 up. -- Helen Ross
GAINING GROUND (3:40 p.m.): Camilo Villegas has just taken a 2-up lead in his consolation match with Sergio Garcia.
Villegas' approach at the par 4 seventh hole landed 7 feet from the pin while Garcia just found the fringe. The Spaniard then chipped to 7 feet and missed his par putt as Villegas made his birdie. -- Helen Ross
MOMENTUM SWING (3:29 p.m.): Maybe his near chip-in on the fifth hole has gotten Paul Casey going. He just staked a 7-iron to 16 inches at the par-3 sixth hole. Ian Poulter, meanwhile, missed the green to the left.
As Poulter walked up to survey his shot, he picked up Casey's ball and tossed it to him. When Poulter didn't hole his chip for birdie, Casey trailed 3 down. -- Helen Ross
CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR (3:24 p.m.) Paul Casey and Ian Poulter found the same greenside bunker on the prodigiously-long fifth hole, a 532-yard par 4. Casey hit his bunker shot across the green, then nearly pitched his fourth shot in, the ball settling an inch behind the hole.
Poulter then had a chance to win another hole, but he was unable to convert from 8 feet. -- Helen Ross
LONG-DISTANCE CASEY (3:18 p.m.): If Paul Casey wants to make a move in the final 14 holes, he may need to continue draining putts from long distance.
Casey's birdie putt at the par-3 third that won him the 21st hole of the championship match against Ian Poulter was from 31 feet, 10 inches. That's the fourth putt of more than 27 feet that he has sank this week at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club.
In fact, Casey has rolled in four of the 22 longest putts of all competitors this week. He set the pace early when he sank a putt of 40 feet, 2 inches in the third hole of his first-round win over Stephen Ames.
Meanwhile, Poulter has made his way through the finals without relying on the long-distance putts. His longest of the week is a 22-1/2 footer made on the ninth hole in his second-round win over Adam Scott. -- Mike McAllister
POULTER ON FIRE (3:10 p.m.): Ian Poulter continues to give himself birdie opportunities. He made four in the opening 18 and started the second segment with two more on Nos. 1 and 2.
Paul Casey had just won the third hole to grab a bit of momentum, but Poulter quickly regained it when he put his approach within 7 feet at No. 4. Casey had a 21-footer there but couldn't convert. When the man in pink stepped up and made his, he was back to 4 up. -- Helen Ross
HISTORY ON POULTER'S SIDE (3:05 p.m.): If Ian Poulter goes on to win the Accenture Match Play Championship, it would be the sixth consecutive year in which the leader after 18 holes of the finals becomes the eventual winner.
Not since Tiger Woods rallied to defeat Davis Love III in 2004 has the player trailing after 18 holes rebounded to win this event. The only other year in which the player trailing after 18 became the eventual winner was in the inaugural Accenture Match Play Championship in 1999, when Jeff Maggert rallied to beat Andrew Magee.
Poulter led 2 up after 18 holes Sunday andd is currently 4 up going into the 23rd hole of the match, the par-4 fifth. -- Mike McAllister
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GRINDING IT OUT (3 p.m. ET): Sergio Garcia is no stranger to the grinding wheel in the TaylorMade van. The Spaniard likes to grind the soles of his own wedges from time to time. On his next visit, he might be busier. Sergio has hit a number of shots out of the desert this week and this morning. Those shots out of the desert very likely have left their mark. Someone is going to have to clean that up. -- Brian Katrek
NOT SO FAST (2:57 p.m.): Paul Casey just rolled in an improbable 32-footer for birdie at the par-3 third hole to cut into Ian Poulter's advantage. Casey is now 3 down. -- Helen Ross
PADDING THE LEAD (2:46 p.m.): Ian Poulter continues to apply the pressure on Paul Casey as the afternoon play gets under way. He's made birdie on his first two holes to regain a 4-up advantage.
Poulter rolled in a 15-footer at the first hole while Casey couldn't convert from 13. At No. 2, a 573-yard par 5, Poulter found the bunker off the tee, the fairway with his second shot and put his third on the green, just 6 feet from the pin.
Casey missed the green to the left with his second shot at No. 2 and chipped to 24 feet but couldn't convert the birdie putt at No. 2. -- Helen Ross
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH RESUMES (2:20 p.m.): Ian Poulter and Paul Casey are back on the course, having hit their tee shots at the par-4 first. Poulter found the middle of the fairway; Casey's also in the fairway on the right-hand side, with a better angle to the pin.
Meanwhile, Sergio Garcia double-bogeyed the opening hole in the consolation match to go 1 down against Camilo Villegas. -- Mike McAllister
MAYBE SOME CRUMPETS TOO (2:10 p.m.): The championship match of this tournament has always had a lunch break after the 18th hole. Tiger Woods famously went out to hit practice balls in 2000 while Darren Clarke smoked a cigar on the veranda of the clubhouse. Clarke won 4 and 3 by the way.
But this year there is something more civilized about the lunch break. The all-English final makes the whole affair seem more formal. I bet someone is having tea. -- Brian Katrek
AFTERNOON WEATHER FORECAST (1:58 p.m.): Things have settled down at Dove Mountain on Sunday after the wild weather the previous day that saw rain, blustery winds and temperatures drop into the 40s. It will be cool for the final two matches, with temperatures topping out at 60, but there is enough instability in the atmosphere to bring the potential of showers into the forecast around 3 p.m. -- Helen Ross
POULTER 2 UP AFTER 18 HOLES (1:50 p.m.): Ian Poulter will go into the final 18 holes of the championship match 2 up against Paul Casey, but he may be kicking himself for not having a bigger lead at the turn.
Poulter was 4 up through 14 holes, but a birdie by Casey at the par-4 15th gave him some momentum. Poulter then bogeyed the par-4 18th when he found the rough with his tee shot and then failed to save par on a 7-foot, 4-inch putt.
The two championship contestants will now take a short break before starting the last 18 holes.
"I know he is going to go out there and make lots of good swings and lots of birdies," Casey said. "I've just got to make a couple more than he does."
"I'm hitting a lot of fairways and putting myself in position," Poulter said. "If I do that, I'll make it tough on Paul but he's a good player and we should have some fun out there this afternoon
The consolation match between Sergio Garcia vs. Camilo Villegas has just started. -- Mike McAllister
VILLEGAS TO HAVE 'FUN' IN CONSOLATION FINAL (1:45 p.m.): Camilo Villegas said he had "mixed feelings" on Saturday night as he thought about coming back out to finish off his semifinal match with Paul Casey. The young Colombian necessitated the unusual Sunday morning conclusion when he missed a 25-inch putt on the 24th hole as darkness engulfed Dove Mountain.
The tee shot at the 10th hole Sunday left a lot to be desired, too. Villegas drove into a bush in the natural area to the left of the fairway. He hit a provisional, but was able to hit the ball through the bush and back into the fairway.
Villegas' third shot landed 34 feet from the pin. Casey, meanwhile, missed the green with his second. But he was able to chip on and make the 6-footer for par to end the match and earn his way into the championship for the second straight year.
"The tee shot on 10 is a tough one," Villegas said. "I just got a little quick with it. Unbelievable second shot to give myself a chance. I knew that second shot Paul had wasn't an easy one. He still had to make a six- or seven-footer for par to win."
Villegas, who said he has been working on his attitude, preferred to think about the bunker shot he hit to 2 feet on the fourth extra hole, which he called "probably the best shot I have ever hit." Given the circumstances, Villegas felt it would stack up with some of the game's best, as well.
"I was 1 down going to 18, I won the hole and I gave myself a chance," Villegas said. "There were mixed feelings last night but I took it very good. ... We played 24 holes and I lost, but anyone could have won. If I take this good attitude for the rest of the year, I think it will be a good year and a fun year because I am having a great time."
Villegas had about three hours after the semifinal ended to relax before coming back to prepare for the 1:50 p.m. ET start of his consolation final with Sergio Garcia. The winner receives 200 FedExCup points and $600,000.
"It's going to be fun," Villegas said. "We are good friends. ... We will have fun out there, but still, he wants to beat me. I want to beat him. That's what we do for a living. I'm sure it will be interesting."
Prior to this week, neither player had advanced farther than the third round of the Accenture Match Play Championship. Garcia has a 12-9 record while Villegas is 6-3. -- Helen Ross
RANKING IMPACT (1:39 p.m.): With a win over Paul Casey, Ian, Poulter would advance from No. 11 to No. 5 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
If Poulter loses, he will jump to No. 6 on the ranking and Casey will advance from No. 7 to No. 5. -- Mark Williams
PRETTY IN PINK (1:35 p.m.): I don't just like Ian Poulter's outfit today. I love it.
All pink. And not a hot pink like Paula Creamer wears on the LPGA Tour either. This pink is pastel, with matching shoes. This guy has style.
How many players would go all pink on the day they are looking for their first PGA TOUR win? Just this one. And I love it. -- Brian Katrek
POULTER IN COMMAND (1:20 p.m.): The 36-hole championship final has yet to reach the halfway point, but Ian Poulter is firmly in control against fellow Englishman Paul Casey.
Casey drew first blood when he drove the green in two at the par-5 second, then rolled in an eagle putt of 8 feet.
But Poulter answered on the next hole, the par-3 third, when his tee shot landed 7-1/2 feet from the pin for a birdie to square the match.
Poulter then went 1 up when Casey found the rough with his approach shot on the par-4 seventh, and couldn't get up and down for par.
Poulter added to his lead when he rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-5 eighth. Casey, meanwhile, missed his 8-1/2 foot putt that could have halved the hole.
Casey cut into the lead with a birdie at the par-4 10th, draining a putt from just inside 11 feet. But again, Poulter immediately answered when he birdied the par-5 11th.
At the next par-5, the 13th, Poulter rolled in a 7-1/2 foot putt for birdie to go 3 up.
Casey bogeyed the par-4 14th after finding the fairway bunker, putting Poulter 4 up. But Casey rebounded with a birdie at the drivable par-4 15th to go 3-down.
INTERNATIONAL IMPACT (1:15 p.m.): With England's Paul Casey and Ian Poulter in the final, this will be only the third time in Accenture Match Play Championship history that the championship match has featured two international players.
This also represents the fifth time in tournament history that a player from Europe has advanced to the finals. It's also the first two that two European players have reached the finals. -- Mark Williams
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