Poulter beats Casey in all-English final to take Match Play crown in Arizona

An extraordinary week for a country that a decade ago had only Lee Westwood in the top 100 ended with Poulter, dressed all in pink, beating Casey 4&2 to win the WGC-Accenture Match Play title in Arizona.

Poulter, ahead from the seventh, made it consecutive final defeats for Casey, who was runner-up to Australian Geoff Ogilvy last February.

The Englishmen were competing not just for the trophy and a difference in prize money of almost 350,000 – the winner's cheque was 890,607 and the runner-up received 540,726 – but also the world No 5 spot.

Despite his first-round exit on Wednesday, Westwood remains the highest-placed European at fourth, but Poulter and Casey are now immediately behind him although to Poulter goes the honour of being the first Englishman to win any of the four World Golf Championship individual titles since they began in 1999.

Casey first had to get past Colombian Camilo Villegas at the start of the day.

Their semi-final was halted after 23 holes on Saturday because of fading light and, on the resumption, Villegas snap-hooked his opening drive into the desert scrub and Casey, lucky to escape when his opponent missed from less than three feet on the green before, won with a par four.

Minutes later he was teeing off again and took the lead when he was conceded an eagle on the long second after a glorious 216-yard approach to eight feet.

Poulter birdied the next from seven feet and by the 14th was four clear.

Losing another hole at that point would have turned a drama into a crisis for Casey but he got back into the match over the closing stretch of the morning round.

Lunching two down meant it was still all to play for but Poulter birdied the next two holes from 15 and six feet and, despite twos from Casey at the 21st and 24th – he almost aced the second of those – the gap was three at the turn.

When Casey made a 14-footer on the next it was game on again but Poulter got up and down at the following two to remain in the driving seat.

Poulter almost chipped in for eagle at the driveable 15th and, when Casey missed with his 13-foot birdie attempt, he was three down with three to go.

Casey found sand at the short 34th and after failing to get up and down Poulter, with two for it, made a 10-footer for a 4&2 win, the biggest of his life.

While Casey was an amateur star – English champion two years running, Walker Cup partner of Luke Donald, world team championship runner-up and American college winner – Poulter's story is very different.

Two years older at 34, he turned professional in 1994 with a four-handicap and with no national honours. He wanted to play on tour but did not make it through the qualifying school until the fourth attempt.

Casey never even had to attend the school, winning the circuit's Scottish PGA title at Gleneagles on only the 11th start of his rookie season and thereby earning an exemption.