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| Paul Casey © Gallo Images |
Paul Casey, the highest ranked entrant at No 4, can't progress out of the group stage of the World Match Play Championship in Casares after losing twice on Thursday.
The Englishman lost by a hole to Scott Strange of Australia and
3 and 2 to American Ryder Cup player Anthony Kim.
Casey, who just returned after tearing a rib muscle on August 6,
lost to the 168th-ranked Strange when he missed a seven-foot birdie
chance at the last.
Asked afterward how the injured area felt, Casey said: "Not
great. I can't swing the way I want. I'm coming out of a lot of the
shots. Scott played well but, having said that, I gave him three
holes on the front and you can't do that against anybody in this
field."
Kim tops Group A with four points after beating two-time US
Open champion Retief Goosen of South Africa 3 and 2 in the
tournament's new round-robin group format.
"This is the first round where I really played solid golf in
over a year," Kim said. "I've been scoring pretty sporadically ...
but this was a consistent round with some great ball striking. It's
important to get a huge lead because if there is a tiebreaker, then
that counts. We're just trying to keep our foot on the gas."
Oliver Wilson of England can advance to the last four with a
halve of his match against Robert Allenby after beating Sergio
Garcia and Martin Kaymer by one hole each.
But a defeat to Australia's Allenby - who halved against Garcia
after beating Kaymer by one hole - will knock out the Englishman.
"I was very nervous all day yesterday," said Wilson, who came in
with a sore neck. "Towards the end of my first match it was
tightening up, but overall it was pretty good and to win twice on
the first day is everything I wanted to do."
In Group C, Simon Dyson was a three-hole winner over Henrik
Stenson, with Angel Cabrera doing his hole difference no harm at
all in defeating Rory McIlroy by five.
Indian player Jeev Milkha Singh, a former Volvo Masters winner,
was also a big winner after denting European money leader Lee
Westwood's chances following a five hole win. Ross Fisher of
England also started on a good note with a defeat of Camilo
Villegas in Group D.
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