Casey off cue after fog delay

Fog delayed the start of the HSBC World Match Play Championship for just under two hours at Wentworth today.

Defending champion Paul Casey had been due to kick off proceedings against American Jerry Kelly at 8.15am, but it was 10.10am before the crowd saw any action.

The two players promptly bogeyed the 473-yard first, Casey wasting his perfect drive by following his opponent into rough so dense that he had to identify his ball before chipping 10 feet short and missing the putt.

Without anything better than a 10th-place finish since March, the 30-year-old Englishman then shared the short second and third as well.

At least Casey’s opening was better than that of compatriot Justin Rose.

Needing to reach the semi-finals to move into the world’s top 10 for the first time in his career, Rose pushed his first drive into a bunker and double-bogeyed to fall one down to American Hunter Mahan.

It was South African Retief Goosen who produced the first birdie in the race for the £1million first prize.

That came from 20 feet on the 154-yard second and put him one ahead of Argentina’s Angel Cabrera, the US Open champion.

The hold-up placed a question mark over whether the first round would be completed before nightfall.

Colin Montgomerie’s eagerly-awaited clash with six-time winner Ernie Els was the last match out and their afternoon round was not going to begin until around 3.30pm.