Ogilvy eases to second success

Geoff Ogilvy won the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship for the second time in four years today with a dominant 4&3 victory over Paul Casey.

Ogilvy, the 2006 champion and 2007 runner-up, displayed his matchplay prowess yet again in the 36-hole final to pick up a cheque for USD1.4million with Casey unable to make an impression after a shaky start.

The victory was the Australian’s third World Golf Championship title, sixth US Tour victory and fourth European Tour win, sending him to the top of the Race To Dubai.

He and Casey had played a practice round together at the new Jack Nicklaus-designed Ritz-Carlton course a little over two weeks ago and their preparations paid dividends as Casey advanced to the final with a semi-final win over fellow Englishman Ross Fisher.

Ogilvy, having knocked out two in-form players in Camilo Villegas of Colombia and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy in previous rounds, defeated last year’s runner-up Stewart Cink in his semi-final.

Casey, chasing a first PGA Tour win of his career and having never trailed in his matches en route to the final, was four down after 17 holes but gave himself a boost heading into the lunch break when he won the 18th with a birdie.

Both Ogilvy and Casey had won their first events of 2009, Ogilvy at the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Hawaii and Casey at the Abu Dhabi Championship.

Yet Ogilvy looked the most likely to add a second title of the year, getting off to the best possible start after the break when he birdied the first for the second time in the day to re-open a four-hole lead.

That margin did not last for long, however, as Casey bounced back to win the 20th hole with a birdie four.

Casey had a 15-foot putt to win the 21st hole but had to settle for a share of the spoils and he remained three down as temperatures in the desert reached the mid-80s.

Casey’s putter was getting just as hot as he rolled in a 40-footer for birdie at the 22nd, but Ogilvy simply rolled in his own birdie putt from close range.

At the 25th Casey again laid down the gauntlet, firing in an iron to around 15 feet only for Ogilvy to match it and cash in when his rival missed his birdie putt.

Ogilvy cranked up the pressure even further by winning the eighth with an eagle three and it got worse for Casey as he bogeyed the ninth to go six down.

Casey won the 659-yard 11th having ripped a three wood 302 yards onto the green, Ogilvy conceding his eagle putt.

There more signs of life when Casey birdied the 13th but Ogilvy closed out the match on the 15th.