• World Match Play Championship, Day Two

Casey the biggest casualty of group stages

Paul Casey is out of the World Match Play Championship © Getty Images

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• Profile: Paul Casey | Luke Donald | Graeme McDowell | Rory McIlroy | Edoardo Molinari | Francesco Molinari | Charl Schwartzel | Lee Westwood

Paul Casey was the big casualty of the group stages of the World Match Play Championship on Friday afternoon, being knocked out of the competition by Soren Kjeldsen.

Both men came into their last group game having suffered defeats to Alvaro Quiros, who cruised into the knockout stages, and thus knew they had to win in order to clinch the second qualification spot in the group.

Unfortunately, however, Casey started slowly - dropping the first three holes thanks to two bogeys and a Kjeldsen eagle - and left himself an uphill challenge around the Finca Cortesin course.

It took the Englishman - winner of the tournament in 2006, when it was played around Wentworth - until the 11th to get back on level terms, before he immediately dropped another three holes in succession to leave him in a deep hole. And it proved one he could not escape from, as despite a late rally he was eventually vanquished one-down after Kjeldsen holed his putt for birdie from off the green on the 18th.

Elsewhere, Ian Poulter ultimately had Francesco Molinari to thank for his qualification to the last 16 of the tournament, after the Italian defeated Paul Lawrie to ensure both he and Poulter progressed despite the Englishman's draws with either man earlier in the tournament.

That was not the height of the drama in Spain, however. There was a play-off in the group involving Miguel Angel Jimenez, Johan Edfors and Charl Schwartzel, after the Swede lost to the reigning Masters champion 5&4 to ensure all three ended the round-robin format with one win apiece.

And it was the Spaniard - an emphatic 6&5 winner over Schwartzel on Thursday - who ended up going home, after missing a makeable putt on the first hole of the sudden death play-off to enable the other two to move on. Schwartzel subsequently defeated Edfors again to decide top spot in the group.

With qualification from a number of groups already decided by the morning results, only bragging rights and a theoretically easier route to the quarter-finals were at stake in a number of afternoon matches, with Nicolas Colsaerts taking victory in his match with Rory McIlroy, 3&2.

Lee Westwood was in great form to see off Aaron Baddeley, 4&3, while Luke Donald enjoyed the upper hand in a 3&1 defeat of compatriot Ross Fisher.

Martin Kaymer again had just too much for a South Korean opponent, this time Seung-yul Noh being edged out 2&1, while in the final game of the day to conclude, Graeme McDowell had just enough to hold off Jhonattan Vegas.

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