MARANA, Ariz. – One is from Australia. The other from England. But both live in nearby Scottsdale, where they are members of
the same elite golf club, Whisper Rock.
But instead of dueling for a club championship or playing a friendly game for pocket money, the two mates will face each other today in the finals of the Accenture Match Play Championship at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club.
“Playing him is quite a coincidence,” Ogilvy said. “I’m sure the Whisper Rock members will be down in force.”
Ogilvy and Casey are close enough they recently played a practice round here together to prepare for the tournament. Now
they’ll battle in a 36-hole match play finale for a winner’s check of $1.4 million.
“It’ll be kind of like the Whisper Rock Club Championship, sort of,” Casey said. “It’s quite surreal we’re going to play each other in the final.”
Ogilvy, the even-tempered Aussie with the rhythmic swing, is a proven Match Play machine. This will be his third appearance in the finals in the last four years, having won this tournament in 2006 and finishing second in 2007.
The 2006 U.S. Open champion advanced yesterday by beating Stewart Cink, 4 and 2, in the afternoon after beating
19-year-old Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, 2 and 1, in the morning quarterfinals.
“His game is such a simple game, but with power,” Cink said of Ogilvy. “He doesn’t really do anything really that fancy, but when he does get out of position, his short game is one of the top five out on Tour, and it’s tough to beat him when he’s on.”
Casey defeated fellow Englishman Ross Fisher, 2 and 1, in the semifinals after eliminating Sean O’Hair, 4 and 3, in the quarterfinals. Casey, who hasn’t trailed in any of his five matches thus far, won Europe’s HSBC World Match Play in 2006. A win today would bring the added bonus of his first triumph on the PGA Tour.
“I’ve only got one guy to beat to try to win my first PGA Tour
event,” he said. “So that’s a good thing.”
The Cink-Ogilvy match featured two of the best players in the brief history of the Match Play Championship. Cink, who finished second to Tiger Woods last year, carried a 17-9 record into the match. Ogilvy, meanwhile, is 16-2 having beaten Davis Love III to win the tournament in 2006 before finishing second
to Henrik Stenson in 2007.
The match figured to be tight and it was. It was all-square after 12 holes. But Ogilvy caught fire, shooting 5-under over the next four holes. He went 2-up with a 5-footer for birdie on the 13th hole, and made a 13-footer for birdie at the 14th. As if sensing the kill, Ogilvy stepped to the drivable par-4 15th and hit a near perfect 3-wood that landed 6 feet from the hole.
He made eagle and had a 12-footer for birdie at the 16th, which forced Cink to concede the hole and the match.
He also finished strong against McIlroy, closing with three straight birdies. “Those are two pretty satisfying guys to beat,” Ogilvy said.
“I guess the most satisfying part was I played my best golf in the last few holes of each match.”
Casey, who lost to Ogilvy in the 2007 quarterfinals, played bogey free through 11 holes to take a 1-up lead on Fisher. After some spotty play that included a double-bogey to halve the 14th, Casey won it when he drained a 15-footer for birdie at the 17th.
“I was under pressure, so I feel very satisfied to hole that birdie putt,” Casey said.
Ogilvy is expecting a tight match today. “He is obviously laying very well this week,” he said of Casey. “He a lot longer than me, but obviously I’ll just play the course how I see it.”