Valspar Championship: Paul Casey retains title with exciting victory in Florida

Paul Casey needed par in the last hole to keep the Valspar championship

Paul Casey became the first man to retain the Valspar championship after an enchanting final day in Florida.

Casey, 41, led by one night but dropped three shots on the first nine when a group of players exerted pressure.

The Englishman was on the same level as Jason Kokrak when he was eight on the 18th hole, but the American made a bogey, meaning Casey needed par to win

He found a bunker off the tee but hit the green and two-putted for a first win since taking the title last year.

"It feels cool," said Casey, who made bogey at 17 to fall back to eight under Kokrak. "It was messy but this course was so difficult and I made mistakes." With a 72-hole victory, it was hard work. "

Casey & # 39; s win means European golfers have won the last three PGA Tour events, following Rory McIlroy & # 39; s win at the Players Championship and Francesco Molinari's success at the Arnold Palmer Invitational

The Briton was one of the number one Dustin Johnson who entered the final, but his American playing partner started badly, and shot on the third and fourth holes in what turned out to be a three-over par-round which did not contain birdies.

Instead, pressure from South African Louis Oosthuizen, who shot a round of two to take the clubhouse ahead of 7.

Oosthuizen completed his round moments for Casey and looked at a greenside monitor, had Casey not been right at 18, a three-player play-off would have followed, but the smart photo from the sand and the excellent putt made him the victory be

Casey, who was in his final round, added, "In my mind, it was as if I was against the number one in the world – so beat him and I got it. It turned out to be a completely different scenario and I feel so good right now. "

He had waited for more than three years for a win before eliminating Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed to take the title last year by a single shot and now has three PGA Tour victories.

Donald delighted with feeling busy again

The former number one of England, Luke Donald, declared himself "delighted" when he ended up as ninth on four under, four shots of the pace.

Donald has only made 10 starts in two seasons due to a complaint and has not won on the PGA or European Tour since 2012.

ree shots of the night ahead, bogey-free through the first three rounds.

But after making an eagle on the open hole to create hope, he made bogey on holes two and five, before he made double bogey at the gate n seven and 11 – ending with a two-over-par 73 for the day

"I'm really very happy," Donald said. "It could have been better today, but it was a bit of peace and pressure that I had not felt for a long time. It is a difficult game and it takes time to get back into that groove."