General / Editor / 20 February 2007 /

Paul Casey is hoping that a change of venue can help him progress past the first round of the Accenture World Matchplay event in Arizona.

The in-form Englishman, who won the HSBC World Matchplay last autumn, has fallen at the first hurdle for the past four years at the event, when it was held at La Costa.

Now the organisers have switched the tournament to Dove Mountain and the Ryder Cup star hopes that a change of course can kick-start his matchplay career stateside when the prestigious event begins on Wednesday.

"I don't know why it is," he said. "But I have qualified for the Accenture four times in the past and on each occasion I have gone out in the first round.

"Maybe the change of venue will help me. I never seemed to come to grips with La Costa, where it was held.

"I am excited they moved it to Dove Mountain. It is a classic desert course, and although I am not saying it is easy, I am far more familiar with this type of golf."

Casey is now ranked 14th in the world after a superb 2006 and is many pundits' tip to become the first European to win a major since Paul Lawrie took the Open Championship in 1999.

He has begun 2007 in a similar vein of form and took the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in January, but has a tough opening encounter in Arizona.

Casey has been paired with Canadian Mike Weir and, in early trading, is favourite at 1.87 to progress to the second round, with the left-hander on offer at 2.1.

Not surprisingly, Tiger Woods is the 4.7 favourite to take the title, with Casey available at 44. Phil Mickelson, who lost out on the chance to secure back-to-back PGA Tour victories when Charles Howell III pipped him to the Nissan Open in a play-off on Sunday, is trading at 17, with Jim Furyk available at 17.5.

South African Ernie Els, who looks back to his best, is on offer at 15, while Henrik Stenson leads the European charge at 36.

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