Casey throws down the gauntlet to rivals

Paul Casey has warned Rory McIlroy and the rest of the field at the PGA Championship that they had best not underestimate him on his return to competition after a back problem.

The 2009 PGA winner has been suffering from an inflamed back joint and had to withdraw from May’s Tournament Players Championship. He has been in therapy for the ailment.

It was frustrating for the 40year-old Englishman as he had been in good form on the US Tour this season, the highlight a win in the Valspar Open by one stroke from Patrick Reed, who was to go on and win the Masters a few weeks later, and legend Tiger Woods.

Casey, whose best performance in a Major was tied for third in the 2010 British Open, said the adage “beware the injured golfer” could apply to him.

“Yes. Normally injured golfers are somewhat prepared,” said Casey at his media conference on the eve of the tournament on Wednesday.

“I’m genuinely excited. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time and when we looked at the schedule and I rejoined the Tour, this was an obvious event that I was going to put in.

“With my successes around this golf course, the quality field, its stature in the world of golf is so important to me, and the fact that it’s home and it’s where I grew up, right around the corner in Weybridge.”

Casey, who is seeking a 14th European Tour title, said it was watching golfing greats perform in the PGA Championship that inspired him to take up the sport.

“This event is really one of the main reasons why I became a professional golfer, coming down here and watching Seve [Ballesteros] and [ Sandy] Lyle and Woosie [Ian Woosnam] and [Bernhard] Langer and all those guys when I was a kid growing up.” /