Champ Casey crashes out

Oct 13

Cabrera: Victor over Casey

Reigning champion Paul Casey finally tasted defeat at the HSBC World Match Play Championship after succumbing 4&3 to US Open champion Angel Cabrera.

The Argentine will now face American Hunter Mahan who enjoyed another very impressive win, this time 6&4 over Soren Hansen, while in the other semi-final on Saturday Henrik Stenson will face Ernie Els after the duo recorded 7&6 and 6&5 successes over Anders Hanson and Andres Romero respectively.

Winner on his debut in the event last year, Casey despatched American Jerry Kelly in this year’s first round but found the going much tougher against the big-hitting Argentine.

Cabrera – something of a Wentworth specialist having won the PGA Championship here in 2005 and also twice finished runner-up at the European Tour’s flagship event – was made to fight hard by his opponent during the morning session and was just one hole ahead at lunch.

However, he eased away in the afternoon, at one stage opening a five-hole lead, as Casey saw his title slip from his grasp.

Fast start

Cabrera started the contest in blistering fashion as he produced birdies at three and five and an eagle at the fourth – courtesy of a majestic long iron to little more than two feet – to streak three holes clear.

Quarter finals:

(1) Paul Casey (Eng) lost to (9) Angel Cabrera (Arg) 4&3

(12) Hunter Mahan (USA) bt (13) Soren Hansen (Den) 6&4

(14) Anders Hansen (Den) lost to Stenson (Swe) 7&6

(10) Andres Romero (Arg) lost to (2) Ernie Els (Rsa) 6&5

But a couple of mistakes allowed his opponent back in and Casey had hauled himself level by the eighth.

The South American responded with another birdie at 11, but Casey had his nose in front through 15 as he birdied the 12th and holed a 30-footer on the 15th.

However, a see-saw opening 18 holes ended with Cabrera regaining the initiative as he produced three consecutive birdies to head to lunch one-up.

The Argentine signalled his intentions for the afternoon as he rolled in from 20 feet at the first to edge two clear and that advantage had doubled by the turn as Casey dropped made bogey at both eight and nine.

The Englishman’s fate was all but sealed when Cabrera rolled in another lengthy putt on 11 to ease five clear and while he did manage to pull one back, the match was all over on the 15th green.

Always in control

Mahan was always in control in his match against Soren Hansen having established a five-hole lead thanks to six birdies over the opening 13 holes.

Hansen did respond with a couple of his own to reduce the deficit to three by lunch, but a bogey on his second attempt at the first quickly handed momentum back to Mahan.

Both players then birdied the fourth and the Dane briefly threatened a comeback as he birdied six, but a dropped shot at eight and a Mahan birdie all but ended the contest as the American pulled five clear.

Indeed, he closed the match out in style as he produced a birdie two at the 14th to book his spot in the final four.

Fabulous form

Stenson looked in fabulous form as he advanced, with his opponent Anders Hansen unable to make much impact despite a hole-in-one in the afternoon session.

Hansen did little wrong in truth, carding two birdies, an eagle and no dropped shots on his way to a 68 in the morning session.

However, he was simply outgunned by Stenson who headed to lunch four-up after eight birdies and no bogeys.

The Swede carried on where he left off when they resumed with another birdie at the short second, and while Hansen hit back with a birdie at the fourth, dropped shots at six, seven and nine saw Stenson seven-up and in total command.

Hansen staved off the inevitable with his ace at the tenth, but when both players birdied the 12th it signalled the end and a comfortable victory for the Swede.

Another emphatic winner

Els was another to enjoy an emphatic triumph, indeed, he never trailed against Romero.

Two up through two after a couple of opening birdies, the South African let his Argentine opponent back in with bogeys at three and four, but found himself two clear by the turn as Romero dropped shots at the fifth and ninth.

Five birdies on the back nine then saw him four-up through the opening 18 and bogeys at the first and fourth enabled him to pull six clear early into the afternoon session.

Romero could never really respond despite a couple of brave birdies and Els closed out victory as he rolled home his tenth birdie of the day on the 13th green from 25 feet.