Casey drops out of match play; Kim in command

CASARES, Spain – Paul Casey, the highest ranked entrant at No. 4, can’t progress out of the group stage of the World Match Play Championship 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 Aug. 6, lost to the 168th-ranked Strange when he missed a 7-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. (AP)