Paul Casey didn't grow up dodging cacti or calculating drive length in altitude or playing any sort of desert golf.
A native of Cheltenham, England, Casey didn't grow familiar with how to play in the Sonoran Desert until enrolling at Arizona State University in 1997.
Sunday, he lost 4 and 3 to Geoff Ogilvy in the title match of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
"I think all I can say it was, I mean, it's the complete opposite to what I grew up with as a kid," he said. "I love both. I consider myself to have two homes: one in the U.K. and one here."
In Tempe, Casey became the first person to ever win three straight Pac-10 championships. He finished his career with six overall titles, tied for third in ASU history and trailing only future pros Phil Mickelson and Billy Mayfair.
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He was named an All-American three times. In 2000, he set ASU's all-time stroke average with 69.95, surpassing Mickelson.
He did it all in three years, turning pro in 2000.
The Brit lives in Scottsdale and is married to an American; he and Jocelyn Hefner were wed in December.
"I spend more time here, though, because the weather's better," he said. "Getting off the plane and seeing this place was quite surreal. But it was kind of my, sort of, Disneyland. Everything I ever wanted was here.
"And there's no doubt that I feel very lucky arriving at Arizona State, getting an opportunity. I wouldn't be sitting here right now if I didn't have that opportunity."
Ogilvy knows the feeling. He moved to the Phoenix area in 2001 after having his pick of anywhere in the "bottom half of the country," for the weather. He said that "Florida was always a place Australians used to go," but he went to Scottsdale.
Pros Mathew Goggin and Aaron Baddeley, fellow Australians, lived there.
"When you're foreigners, you tend to go where some of your countrypeople are," he said. "Whether you should or not, you do. Everyone does really. So I went and never left."
Neither did Casey.
"I wouldn't be sitting here right now if I didn't have that opportunity," Casey said. "So I'm very grateful to the U.S. and everybody at ASU."
Quiet star
Ogilvy has won the U.S. Open, two Match Play titles and six times on the PGA Tour. In World Golf Championships events alone, he has won $5.4 million.
He has emerged as one of the world's elite golfers.
"I think when Geoff plays the golf he played today, you have to put him in that category," Casey said. "Geoff is a quiet guy. Maybe that's why he doesn't get the attention that he deserves or the recognition that he deserves."
Ogilvy has earned $25.7 million in his career and is 10th among active players. Ogilvy demurred when asked about his place in the pantheon of pros.
"Well, there's a few guys in the world who are obviously well in front of me — Tiger (Woods), Phil (Mickelson), Sergio (Garcia), (Padraig) Harrington. So there's four; I'm at least fifth."
Pressed, Ogilvy said he's in the "next bunch" behind Woods, Mickelson and Harrington. Asked if that meant he's fourth, he said "Well, that's nice; yeah."
Chip shots
• Ogilvy doesn't seem to mind the pressure of match play golf. Jumping cholla, however, is a different deal.
The Aussie took an unplayable drop on the 11th hole Sunday after second shot landed in one of the prickly things.
"It was in such a bad spot that I didn't even get the ball out," he said. "I chose not to put my hand anywhere near it."
Ogilvy ended up winning the hole. He laid up after taking the unplayable drop, and ended with a par. Casey took a bogey, one of three in the championship round.
"Eleven was annoying," Casey said.
• The PGA Tour tracks everything. At the end of the tournament, it published weather superlatives for the week. Twice during the tournament, the mercury reached 87 degrees; twice, it hit a low of 45. The warmest day came one week ago today, when the temperature hit 91 during the practice round.
