Ian Poulter of England celebrates after winning the WGC Accenture Match Play in Arizona. Photograph: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
Ian Poulter is a universe champion, Paul Casey is a runner-up again – and England right away has 3 players in the world"s tip six. An unusual week for a nation that a decade ago had usually Lee Westwood in the tip 100 finished with Poulter, ready to go all in pink, achieving a shining lass US Tour feat at the World Golf Championship Accenture Match Play in Arizona last night.
Casey, who pennyless his steep on the circuit at last season"s Houston Open, was knocked about 42 in the 36-hole last a year after going down 43 to the Australian Geoff Ogilvy.
The span were competing not usually for the pretension and additional esteem income of roughly £350,000 – the winner"s coupon was £890,607 and the runner-up perceived £540,726 – but additionally the universe No5 spot.
Westwood, notwithstanding his first-round exit on Wednesday, stays the highest-placed European at fourth but Poulter and Casey are right away rught away at the behind of him. Poulter is the initial Englishman to win any of the 4 World Golf Championship particular titles given they began in 1999. The win roughly guarantees him a third Ryder Cup tip in Oct and conjunction he nor Casey should need a wild label this time.
"It feels really, unequivocally nice," he said. "It"s been a prolonged time entrance and I am really happy. It was a good day"s golf. I knew I was in good form and I felt ease all day – nerves weren"t any cause at all. I know Paul"s unhappy being runner-up dual years in a row."
Casey initial had to get past the Colombian Camilo Villegas at the begin of the day. Their semi-final was halted after twenty-three holes on Saturday since of vanishing light but on the resumption Villegas snap-hooked his opening expostulate in to the dried dumpy and Casey, propitious to shun when his competition longed for from underneath 3 feet on the immature before, won with a standard four.
Minutes after he was teeing off again but the usually time he led was when he was conceded an eagle on the prolonged 2nd after a stately 216-yard proceed to eight feet. Poulter birdied the subsequent from 7 feet, went forward on the 7th and by the 14th was 4 clear.
Losing an additional hole at that point would have incited a fool around in to a predicament for Casey but he got behind in to the compare over the shutting widen of the sunrise round. Lunching dual down meant it was still all to fool around for but Poulter birdied the subsequent dual holes from fifteen and 6 feet and, notwithstanding twos from Casey at the 21st and 24th – he roughly aced the second of those – the opening was 3 at the turn.
When Casey done a 14-footer on the subsequent it was game-on again but Poulter got up and down at the following dual and roughly chipped in for eagle at the 33rd. Casey lipped out from thirteen feet to tumble 3 down with 3 to fool around and, when he unsuccessful to get up and down from a fort on the short next, Poulter, with dual for it, done a 10-footer to put the topping on the cake.
"Ian played glorious golf," pronounced Casey. "There were a lot of shots I wantedto lift off and didn"t but he did a illusory job. I don"t feel physically tired, I feel mentally sleepy but I am not creation excuses."
While Casey was an pledge star – English hold up dual years running, Walker Cup partner of Luke Donald, universe group championship runner-up and American college leader – Poulter"s story is very, really different.
Two years comparison at 34, he incited veteran in 1994 with a four-handicap and with no inhabitant honours. He longed for to fool around on debate but did not have it by the subordinate propagandize until the fourth attempt.
Poulter worked in the pro emporium at the Hitchin bar Jack o" Legs, declared after a 14th-century impression from folk fable who lived in a cavern . Yet once he eventually got his label Poulter – right away value millions himself and with a pick up of cars to that he not long ago combined a Ferrari California and Mercedes s-63 – was a leader in his initial deteriorate as well. The Italian Open helped him turn Rookie of the Year for 2000 and his name is on that prize usually on tip of Casey"s. Off and running, he had five some-more wins in the subsequent 4 years and done his Ryder Cup entrance along with Casey in the 2004 feat in Detroit.
Casey did not have to go over the 14th hole in his initial 4 games this week but afterwards had his conspicuous scuffle with Villegas and came by usually after the Colombian had longed for from underneath 3 feet on Saturday evening.
Poulter, tip scorer with 4 points out of five at Valhalla dual years ago, went to an additional hole in his initial compare with theAmerican Justin Leonard but after that gained such certainty that in the semi-finals that he thrashed Sergio Garcia 76. PA
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