World match-play in Arizona desert

Ogilvy beats McIlroy

but Casey v Fisher

in semi-finals

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Paul Casey, pictured right, booked his place against fellow-Englishman Ross Fisher in the second semi-final of the World Golf Championships - Accenture Match Play but Rory McIlroy's bid for glory came to an end over the new Jack Nicklaus-designed course at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain.
Casey became only the second Englishman to reach the last four of this event, emulating Ian Poulter in 2005 by beating American Sean O'Hair 4 and 3 at the desert course near Tucson.
Northern Ireland's McIlroy, in his first tournament as a professional in the United States, could not continue his excellent form, the 19-year old falling to Australia's Geoff Ogilvy 2 and 1 in a tight first match of the day.
"Geoff played incredibly well and I needed to get birdies but it just wasn't enough in the end," McIlroy said.
"But I can take a lot out of this week. I played well and I've held my own against some of the best players in the world so it's been good."
World No 8 Ogilvy was the Irish teenager's first encounter this week with a top 10 player after the Ulsterman had knocked out Louis Oosthuizen, Hunter Mahan and Tim Clark in his professional debut on American soil.
McIlroy started in ideal fashion with a birdie at the second to go one up but Ogilvy, the 2006 winner and 2007 runner-up, was soon back in business, winning the fourth hole as his younger rival three-putted for bogey.
It was a similar story at the par-4 fifth as McIlroy, having produced the longest drive of the week with a 388 yard tee shot, two putted for par and Ogilvy birdied to go one up.
It was nip and tuck until the 11th when McIlroy found the desert off the tee and had to take a drop on the way to a bogey 6 while the former champion birdied. Then he went two down at the 12th before bouncing back with a birdie at the 13th to win the hole and reduce the deficit to one hole.
McIlroy was fighting tooth and nail to stay alive in his match and holed a crucial 12 foot birdie putt at the par-3 16th to halve the hole and extend his match to the 17th.
He produced some brilliant match play golf with his second shot, following Ogilvy's approach to 14 feet past the hole from 199 yards by leaving his ball just nine feet short from 155 yards.
Ogilvy, though, was still in control and when he sank his putt the match was over.
The Australian mets American Stewart Cink, 2 and 1 conqueror of South African Ernie Els in the round of the last eight.
England's Casey was trying to go one better than his previous best performance in 2007 when he was beaten 6 and 4 by Ogilvy at the same stage.
Against O'Hair he was quickly into his stride, with a birdie at the par four opening hole, sending in his approach shot to six feet as the American got tangled in the rough off the tee and bogeyed.
That was pretty much the way things went for the rest of the match as Casey played controlled golf while O'Hair sprayed it around, allowing Casey to go six up after ten holes.
Casey had not been behind in any match this week and there was no danger of that fact changing even when O'Hair won the 11th with his first birdie of the round.
The American returned to form on the 12th with another bogey before keeping the contest alive by winning the 13th and the 14th, where Casey posted his first bogey of the round, only his second in three days.
It was a minor annoyance as O'Hair missed a birdie putt to extend the match and Casey got his victory at the 15th hole.
"I like this golf course," Casey said. "I roughly know how far the ball goes. I got it wrong a couple of times, but I seem to have figured out a way of playing this place and I like my game plan. I'm going to try and replicate it again."
Yet Casey believes he would be on the way home to nearby Scottsdale were it not for a practice round with Geoff Ogilvy two weeks before the tournament began at the new Jack Nicklaus-designed desert course.
"I think our opinions of the golf course would be different now from if you had asked us two weeks ago," Casey added."I think it was intimidating, a little bit. Certainly the greens – they're complex. I think we both knew most of the lines off the tee. I think what's changed this week is the Tour have moved a lot of the tees around. Like 11 was almost 100 yards up. So two weeks ago I had no clue how to play that hole. And that made it easier."]
In the last quarter-final to go out, England's Ross Fisher was two up after 14 holes on Justin Leonard of the United States and trying to secure an all English semi-final with Casey. Fisher succeed by a 2 and 1 margin.

RESULTS
QUARTER-FINALS (18 holes)


G Ogilvy (Australia) beat R McIlroy (Northern Ireland) 2 and 1.


S Cink (United States) beat E Els (South Africa) 2 and 1.


P Casey (England) beat S O'Hair (United States) 4 and 3.


R Fisher (England) beat Justin Leonard (United States) 2 and 1.


SEMI-FINALS (later today, US time)


Ogilvy v Cink


Casey v Fisher