Paul Casey ensured that an Englishman claimed the first and last Benson and Hedges International Open when he emulated Tony Jacklin in 1971 by capturing the 2003 title by four strokes from Ireland's Padraig Harrington at The De Vere Belfry after a closing round of 71 for an 11 under par total of 277.
Casey, who shared the third round lead with Harrington and New Zealand’s Stephen Scahill, played consistently on a chilly afternoon in the West Midlands while Harrington closed with a 75 for a seven under par total of 281. Scotland’s Paul Lawrie, Rolf Muntz of the Netherlands and Scahill shared third on 282.
Meanwhile the final Benson and Hedges Internatrional Open also witnessed a new course record for the Brabazon Course as Sweden’s Richard S Johnson produced a wonderful finish to the sponsors’ involvement with six birdies and an eagle at the par four tenth en route to a round of 64.
Casey became the third multiple winner of 2003, following in the footsteps of Ernie Els of South Africa and Sweden’s Fredrik Jacobson following his success in the ANZ Championship in Australia earlier this year..It was also the third title of the 25 year old’s three year professional career.
Following the victory which saw him rise to second place on the Volvo Order of Merit with €596,226, Casey said: "It means a great deal to win this. I made my European tour debut here two years ago on an invitation and was 12th. That really started things off for me."
The hole he will look back most fondly on was the 545 yard 15th. Having just double-bogeyed the short 14th to go from four ahead to only two, he crunched a drive and three wood into the teeth of the wind onto the green and two-putted for birdie.
The first English golfer to win the title since Paul Broadhurst in 1993 and the 191st in total on The European Tour International Schedule, Casey’s rounds of 71-69-66-71 were sufficient to earn him a comfortable win in the end.
That third round 66 constructed the foundation for the win, but the huge hitter from Weybridge in Surrey kept up the pressure with successive birdies at the fifth and sixth in the final round as his playing partner, Scahill, slipped out of contention with a closing 76.
Despite a bogey at the ninth and a double bogey at the 14th, Casey made a vital two at the 12th and used his prodigious length to great effect at the par five 15th and 17th. . He birdied both to put more daylight between himself and the pack, reaching the latter hole with a three wood and six iron.
Harrington, the halfway leader on his own and sharing the ‘yellow jersey’ with Casey and Scahill on Saturday night, started brightly with a birdie three but the putts would not drop for the Dubliner, who bogeyed four holes between the ninth and 18th.
"It was a tough day" admitted Harrington. "Everything was going to plan until I missed a short putt on the ninth. Perhaps I felt I had done the hard part by getting my first putt from 60 feet to within two feet.
"I don't think it affected me but I just couldn't hole anything. Several times I was going to pick the ball out of the hole but it didn't go in. I am very pleased for Paul Casey. he's a class act and he should move on from here."
Lawrie, the 1999 Open Champion, birdied the fourth and sixth then leapt into contention with a hole in one with a seven iron at the seventh in reaching the turn in 32. Another birdie at the 12th carried Lawrie with striking distance, but a bold decision at the 18th cost him a double bogey six after his three wood second landed in the water.
He said: "I played lovely and the hole in one really got me into things. It's only the second of my professional career. My caddie wanted me to lay up at the last but I had to go for it to have a chance of winning. All in all I've had a good week."
By contrast, Muntz, the Qatar Masters champion in 2000, birdied the last to share third place with Johnson taking sixth after that brilliant closing effort.
