WATER ON THE BRAIN
PAUL BIG ENOUGH TO KEEP HIS COOL
PAUL CASEY reckons being a dad gave him the maturity to bounce back from a horror triple bogey and stay in contention for his first Major win.
The Englishman admits the wheels could easily have come off when he shot an eight on the par-five 14th.
But instead he kept his calm and responded with five straight birdies to haul himself back up to the top end of the leaderboard.
Casey, sitting pretty on seven-under par after his second-round 71, said: “In my good seasons yes, I could have rebounded. But there have been times when I struggled so probably not!
“I lost a bit of skin out there. I got out of position but it’s the attitude, it’s the grit that matters at the end of the week.
“So yes, there are times I’d have rebounded like that – but maybe not as calmly. That’s a mix of 17 years experience on Tour and being that bit older.
“I was upset with the score I had made but it had in no way any effect on my attitude or how I was going to then approach the rest of the round or the next shot. Part of that is just age and part I will give credit to my caddie Johnny McLaren, credit to my wife and to my little boy.
“It feels good. It’s not every day you enjoy a round of golf with an eight on the card but I’m a pretty happy man.
“It was a good display – all my own fault but a good display of what can happen if you get out of position on this golf course.
“Even just trying to take my medicine is very difficult. It’s a good eight in the end.
“I had been swinging it well and it felt really good a couple holes later to be picking the ball out of the hole for a birdie.
“Then I clawed all the way back and actually picked up one more to the good by the time we were finished.”