McIlroy finishes off ailing Casey

– World No 1 Rory McIlroy moved on to a WCG Matchplay semifinal showdown with world No 5 Jim Furyk after beating Paul Casey in their extended quarter-final at TPC Harding Park yesterday.

Having gone 21 holes Saturday before darkness halted play, McIlroy took out an under-the-weather Casey with a birdie on the 22nd hole, their first yesterday.

Casey ran through the par-five in two shots into some thick rough and couldn’t get his flop shot onto the green. When he failed to chip in, McIlroy only needed to put in a two-foot effort to move on.

“It’s the worst I’ve felt in a long time. I was unfortunately sick overnight so just very weak today,” said Casey.

“I still feel a little nauseous. When you are giving up 10 yards to Rory anyway and you stand on the first tee not in the best form suddenly I was giving up 20 or 30.

“But I am a big fan of ‘beware of the injured or sick golfer’ and I actually hit two very good golf shots in there. I am not disappointed.

“This is unfortunate but I have still had a great week. I have a lot of positives to take out of it.”

McIlroy, who squared the match on the 17th hole on Saturday when Casey made bogey, could have ended it from 11 feet on the 18th and again from six-feet on the 21st but his last putt caught the edge and lipped out.

Furyk booked his place with an impressive back nine against South Africa’s former British Open winner Louis Oosthuizen on Saturday. Oosthuizen was the only South African to reach the quarterfinals, as compatriots Charl Schwartzel and Branden Grace were knocked out in last-16.

One hole down through nine, Furyk rallied to make the fi nal four for the first time in his now 15 attempts in the event, going one better than his quarterfinal loss last year.

The other semifinal was contested between big-hitting American Gary Woodland and England’s Danny Willett. –

San Francisco