Casey gains first Tour win

Paul Casey shot a closing round of 69 to capture the Scottish PGA Championship on Sunday. The 24-year-old Englishman finished 14-under-par 274 for his first win on the European Tour.

Germany's Alex Cejka took second place at 13-under 275.

"The goal is to get into the top-15 by the end of the year so I still have a lot to play for," said Casey. "This is only my 11th European Tour event so I still have a long way to go and I hope to be here for a long time. I'm looking at the big plan and that is to play in the best events in the world."

Casey, who played at the University of Arizona, captured both the English Amateur Championship and the Pac-10 Championship in 1999 and 2000 before turning pro last year.

"I am already looking forward to next year and my focus is solely on Europe. I'd like to play a couple of things in America, but the emphasis is still in Europe," said Casey.

Casey began the day one shot behind Cejka. Casey dropped a shot on the par- three fourth but birdied the third and ninth to make the turn at 12-under.

Meanwhile, Cejka had two bogeys and a birdie on the front nine to drop one shot behind Casey.

The Englishman wasn't able to extend his lead despite opportunities. After reaching the green in two on the 543-yard, par-five 16th, Casey two putted for birdie and finally looked to have the tournament wrapped up. But Cejka countered on the following hole by sinking a 25-footer for birdie.

Casey went to the 18th still with a one-shot lead. After pitching to within six feet he rolled in the birdie putt to ensure his first tour victory. Cejka followed with a birdie of his own but it would not be enough.

"It was a pretty good performance from me considering primarily I came here looking to gain some confidence for the next couple of big weeks," said Cejka. "I wasn't very solid today but I was pleased that at least I managed to keep it interesting right to the end."

David Howell finished in third place at 11-under 277. He came to within one shot of fellow countryman Casey after an eagle on the par-four 13th but bogeyed the 15th to fall back two shots.

"It was hard work and I never felt like I was swinging well enough to make a load of birdies," said Howell. "I did the best I could but I felt it wasn't going to be good enough at the end of the day."

Three players finished in a tie for fourth at 10-under 278 including Gary Evans. Evans had the lead at the halfway point but struggled to a 77 in Saturday's third round to drop out of contention.

Andrew Oldcorn, who came into the event ranked 14th in Ryder Cup points, failed to gain any serious ground after finishing tied for 11th at eight-under 280. Next week's BMW International Open in Germany is the last chance for European players to earn points towards this year's Ryder Cup team.

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