The Daily Wrap-up, Rounds 4 &5: Accenture Match Play

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Geoff Ogilvy reached his third Accenture Match Play final in four years after beting Rory McIlroy and Stewart Cink.

Mar. 1, 2009

MARANA, Ariz. (AP) -- Geoff Ogilvy and Paul Casey have even more in common than membership at the same Arizona golf club or the practice round they played two weeks ago on the new course for the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.

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Their 36-hole title match Sunday will feature two players with the best match-play record over the last three years.

Each has won a prestigious Match Play Championship.

And both of them have won rich events that ended a Tiger Woods winning streak.

"An incredible coincidence that we're the last two guys in the tournament," Ogilvy said.

Their sterling golf Saturday at Dove Mountain had something to do with that.

Ogilvy made five birdies on the back nine to outlast teenage sensation Rory McIlroy in the quarterfinals, then played his final four holes in 5-under par against Stewart Cink for a 4-and-2 victory to reach the championship match for the third time in four years.

His final opponent will be Casey, who has turned in the most dominating performance in the 11-year history of this tournament.

In an All-England semifinal, Casey defeated Ross Fisher, 2 and 1, and will have a chance to become the first Accenture Match Play Championship winner to never trail in a match the entire week. Even more astounding is that Casey has led 79 of the 80 holes he has played.

"The fact I haven't been down this week, I don't think it means anything, that you can read anything into that going into tomorrow," Casey said. "It's just been a very nice position to be in, simple as that."

What gets his attention is his opponent, a good friend and fellow member at Whisper Rock in Scottsdale.

• To read the remainder of this story, click here.

FINAL FOES HAVE MUCH IN COMMON
By Helen Ross, Chief of Correspondents

MARANA, Ariz. -- In retrospect, they probably could have car-pooled and saved on gas money for the hour-and-45-minute trek.

But Geoff Ogilvy and Paul Casey, who live about five miles away from each other in Scottsdale, had their reasons that Friday two weeks ago when they headed southeast to play a practice round at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club.

"Both of us drive cars that don't have many seats in them," Ogilvy explained with a grin.

Even though inquiring minds wanted to know, Casey politely declined to give the make and model of his ride for the trip down I-10. When someone mentioned that Ogilvy had driven his Porsche, though, the Englishman didn't miss a beat.

"He probably got here quicker than I did then," Casey said matter-of-factly.

Golf carts were the vehicle of choice once the two arrived at this toney desert enclave about 30 miles north of Tucson. And both credit that three-and-a-half-hour practice round with helping them find a comfort zone on the challenging Jack Nicklaus design.

Not surprisingly, then, Ogilvy and Casey find themselves in Sunday's 36-hole finale that will decide the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship title.

To read the remainder of this story, click here.

SHOT OF THE DAY	ROUND OF THE DAY
Paul Casey clinched a 2 and 1 victory over Ross Fisher with a birdie putt on the par-4 17th to secure a spot in Sunday's final. Watch his shot	Paul Casey never trailed in his semifinal match with Ross Fisher and as a result secured his first trip to the final round at the Accenture Match Play. Check out his scorecard

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"(It will) be kind of like the Whisper Rock Club Championship," -- Paul Casey on playing friend and fellow Whisper Rock member Geoff Ogilvy in the final.

SEMIFINAL MATCH REPORTS
By PGATOUR.COM Staff

Here's a quick look at each match from Saturday afternoon's semifinal round of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. Click here for the updated bracket.

Semifinal match reports

Players	Score
GEOFF OGILVY, Australia, def. STEWART CINK, USA	4 and 2
Geoff Ogilvy reached the 36-hole championship match for the third time in the last four years when he knocked off Stewart Cink, who was bidding to make the finals for the second year in a row. Ogilvy never trailed, but Cink threatened to seize the momentum midway through the match when the Aussie had an adventure in a fairway bunker at the 11th hole and his eventual concession squared the match. Ogilvy was clearly frustrated, but promptly shook it off and won four holes in a row to eliminate Cink. The first came at the par-5 13th hole, where the Aussie sank a 5-foot birdie putt after Cink missed his from 10 feet. "That was a pretty significant body blow by leaving that putt short," Cink said., "Geoff just cinched the momentum and made birdie after birdie. ... It would have taken a special effort to have beaten him today." Indeed. Ogilvy made a 13-footer for another birdie at the 14th hole and then went dormie with a brilliant 3-wood at the 343-yard, par-4 15th hole that rolled within 6 feet of the pin to set up an eagle. Cink also drove the green, but his ball didnt quite get up the plateau and stopped 23 feet away. When he missed and Ogilvy made, the Aussie led 3 up with three holes remaining. He polished the match off with a win at the par-3 16th, where Cink missed the green and eventually conceded Ogilvy's 12-foot birdie putt when he didn't hole his chip for birdie. Ogilvy was pleased to have brought his best game on the grueling day when he had to beat Northern Irish prodigy Rory McIlroy as well as Cink, who has a 17-10 record at the Accenture Match Play Championship. "Two pretty satisfying guys to beat," Ogilvy said. "And I guess the most satisfying part was I played my best golf in the last few holes of each match, which is really nice." Next: Paul Casey
PAUL CASEY, England, def. ROSS FISHER, England	2 and 1
It wasnt pretty, but Paul Casey got the job done -- and he still hasnt 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, while Fisher was snared by the desert beside the green and the hole was eventually halved with double bogeys. The driveable par-4 14th was much 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 halvled 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." Next: Geoff Ogilvy

• To read more match reports from Saturday, click here.

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INSIDE THE ROPES WITH THE PGA TOUR NETWORK
PGA TOUR Network correspondent Fred Albers offers these observations from Saturday's action. Listen to PGA TOUR Live coverage on XM 146/SIRIUS 209 or right here at PGATOUR.COM.

You can play practice rounds and hit balls on the range, but to execute a shot under tournament pressure is far different. That is why Geoff Ogilvy was so happy with his performance in beating Stewart Cink 4 and 2 in the semifinals of the Accenture Match Play Championship. He was 2 up on the 315-yard, par-4 15th hole and executed a perfectly hit 3-wood to within 6 feet of the cup. His eagle put was good, but Ogilvy was most proud of hitting his tee ball under pressure exactly as he envisioned it.

Ross Fisher was introduced to most Americans this week, making it to the tournament semifinals. The Englishman seems to finish every swing in perfect balance, but has an eccentricity on the greens. He takes no practice strokes. Former Masters champion Jackie Burke has long advocated that method, encouraging players to feel the shot with their eyes.

Sean O'Hair was a 12 seed in the tournament and made it all the way to the quarterfinals before losing to Paul Casey 4 and 3. His seed wasn't a problem, but Friday night's dinner was. O'Hair suffered a mild case of food poisoning and came to the course dehydrated and queasy. He'll recover in time to play a complete Florida swing, including defense of his title at the Transitions Championship.

Bracket

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