Valspar Championship flashback: Paul Casey holds off Tiger Woods for thrilling win in 2018
Tuesday 19 March 2019 15:28, UK
Paul Casey sealed his first PGA Tour title in nearly nine years after he held off a resurgent Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed to win the Valspar Championship last March.
The Englishman overturned a five-shot deficit going into the final round on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook to earn a one-shot victory over the American duo for his second success in America, following his 2009 Houston Open win.
Casey was keen to pay tribute to Woods, who narrowly missed out on his first PGA Tour victory since the 2013 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, and his ability to be challenging once again after fusion surgery on his lower back the year before.
"I'm excited, and not only for my game but the fact that Tiger's playing great," Casey said of his victory
"It's cool. I'm a fan of golf and to pip him is very special.
"The guy's got more victories than all of us put together. He made it look easy for such a long time and it's not."
Casey arrived at the tournament on the back of a 12th-placed finish at the WGC-Mexico Championship and began with a one-under 70 - the same scores as Woods, who had finished 12th at the Honda Classic in his most recent event.
Woods described the first round conditions at the Copperhead Course as "brutal", with only 27 players in the field able to record sub-par scores in cool and blustery conditions.
Rory McIlroy (74) and Jordan Spieth (76) were among the big-name players to struggle as they faced a tough task to make the halfway cut as PGA Tour rookie Corey Connors held the overnight lead.
Casey and Woods continued to match each other during the second round as the pair fired 68s to sit two behind Canadian Connors, who maintained his strong showing despite being without a win on the PGA Tour.
Casey made three birdies in Friday's back nine to aid his bid for victory, while Woods birdied the third and fourth before an excellent tee shot at his 13th hole gave him a fourth gain of the day and his only dropped shot came on his last hole.
They were part of a five-strong group two off the halfway lead, with English trio Ian Poulter, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Ross Fisher joining McIlroy, Spieth, who both finished at five over, and 2016 Open champion Henrik Stenson in missing the cut.
Woods mixed five birdies with a sole blemish in an impressive third round as he moved within a shot of the lead alongside Justin Rose and Brandt Snedeker, who charged into contention after rounds of 66 and 67 respectively.
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Casey lost ground at the top of the leaderboard as a bogey and a double bogey at the par four 16th undid some of the good work on the front nine, where he made three birdies.
Rose, who had been three shots off the lead at the midway stage, enjoyed a fruitful Saturday as he recorded an eagle, with four birdies and a sole bogey at the seventh while Snedeker mixed five birdies with a bogey.
Woods and Rose both opened with birdies to earn a share of the lead as Connors began with a bogey while Snedeker, who had briefly made it a three-way tie, quickly fell out of contention after three bogeys in five holes from the second.
Rose emerged with the outright lead after Woods missed from six feet for par at the par-three fourth, before Casey moved up the leaderboard with three birdies in a four-hole stretch from the fourth.
Casey then made back-to-back gains from the 11th to join Rose in the lead, before a monster birdie putt from off the 13th green saw him regain his lead - this time from Reed as Rose's challenge faded with back-to-back bogeys from the 12th.
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The American moved back alongside Casey with a two-putt birdie at the 14th and would have snatched victory at the 18th with a birdie but a three putt from a tricky position on the green saw him card a costly closing bogey.
Woods - like Reed - also narrowly missed out on a play-off as he failed to find a closing birdie after a remarkable birdie putt from 44 feet at the 17th had set up a thrilling finish.
"It was a very good week," Woods said. "I've got a little bit better since the last time I played a couple of weeks ago.
"It was a very difficult week - tough conditions on a tough golf course, very demanding and I thought I held up really well. It (being in contention) felt very comfortable."
