Casey makes ratings move, Masters next

Casey, despite a bogey Sunday at No. 18 that caused a playoff, claimed the Shell Houston Open championship. Casey, who had a two-putt bogey on the first playoff hole -- again the 18th -- defeated J.B. Holmes in the playoff. Casey had a 72-hole total of 11-under after an even-par final-round 72 in windy conditions.

The victory shoved Casey from a No. 12 ranking to a career-high sixth in the world just ahead of the first major tournament of the year, the Masters, which begins Thursday in Augusta, Ga.

Four-time Masters champion Tiger Woods has held the world No. 1 ranking for 200 consecutive weeks. Phil Mickelson, a two-time winner at Augusta, is ranked second with Sergio Garcia third, Geoff Ogilvy fourth and Padraig Harrington, who has won the last two majors, fifth.

Casey's vault up the rankings led to a series of changes in the second five. Vijay Singh went from sixth to seventh while Henrik Stenson improved two spots to eighth. Robert Karlsson and Camilo Villegas each dropped two places and are ninth and 10th, respectively.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International.