Magic and loss for grieving Valspar champion
WHEN Paul Casey joined Burhill golf club in Surrey as a youngster, it was Ian Colclough and his wife Mary who took him under their wing. They were such ardent supporters they drove nine hours from Weybridge to Gleneagles to witness his first victory as a pro in the Scottish PGA Championship in 2001.
Yesterday, it was Casey’s turn to make the long journey. Following his success at a memorable Valspar Championship in Tampa on Sunday, the 40-yearold boarded a plane for London to be by Ian’s side for Mary’s funeral, after she lost a long battle with cancer.
Casey should have been at Bay Hill this week for the Arnold Palmer Invitational, accepting the acclaim for his brilliant performance in beating Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed by a stroke.
Once he received the sad news of Mary’s passing, there was never any question of that. And so he spent the long flight home reflecting on his conflicting emotions, and life’s fateful concoction of magic and loss.
‘I played with a heavy heart, and maybe that helped,’ said Casey.
‘Ian was one of my best friends when I joined Burhill. He always looked after me and still does to this day, and Mary would always tag along for the ride.
‘One of those sad stories, and we all know one. Cancer sucks.’
Earlier this year, confident in his restored standing as one of the world’s top 25 players, Casey rejoined the European Tour in the hope of playing in this year’s Ryder Cup. Captain Thomas Bjorn is a huge fan, but there was still one nagging doubt. If he couldn’t get over the finish line and win a tournament, how would he cope on the final day in Paris?
On Sunday, Casey answered that one emphatically. As ever, his ball striking was exemplary but on this occasion it was complemented by a fearlessness on and around the greens.
‘It doesn’t get any better than beating Tiger,’ he said, after Woods had congratulated him on his success. ‘It’s always been me going up to him and saying well done, so it was nice that it was the other way around for a change.’
Meanwhile, it appears to be written in the stars that Tiger Woods will return to the winner’s circle at the Arnold Palmer Invitational next Sunday.
Never mind that he won the event in Orlando on no fewer than eight occasions during his pomp to turn Bay Hill into his own magic kingdom. Just contemplate this: when his great rival Phil Mickelson won in Mexico recently, it ended a victory drought that lasted 1,687 days. On Sunday at Bay Hill, the time elapsed since Tiger’s last triumph will have reached…1,687 days.