NO RYDER CUP CALL FOR PAUL
Casey ready to quit golf’s premier team event
IN A move that would send shockwaves through the European game, Paul Casey is ready to rule himself out of playing for Europe in t he Ryder Cup in Minneapolis next year.
The Englishman is currently ineligible because he is not a member of the European Tour but, on the back of his f i ne season on the PGA tour and reestablishing himself among the world’s top 30, he was widely expected to rejoin in January.
However, Casey’s disenchantment with the European Tour is such that he is showing little inclination to make the move.
He is due in London next week and is hoping to meet new chief executive Keith Pelley before making a final decision. Asked by Sportsmail i f he was l eaning towards staying away, he replied: ’That would be totally fair.’
Casey added: ‘I will be brutally honest with you. I’m really not sure I’m going to rejoin. I love the European Tour and I’d like to be part of a better tour, but I want to see change.’
One change he would like to see, as would the other Americanbased British players, is a reduction i n the required 13 events for membership.
Playing in the Ryder Cup has long been the carrot with which the Tour persuade them to commit, but Casey appears in the mood to become the first player of true stature ever to call their bluff.
The way he is playing now, his absence would be a blow to the chances of a successful defence.
‘I think I can make a massive contribution to the European team but I didn’t get picked in 2010 when I was in the world’s top 10, so who’s to say I’d make it even if I did rejoin?’ said Casey, suggesting it still rankles that he was overlooked by skipper Colin Montgomerie for a wildcard five years ago.
In one sense, it would be hard to blame him if he did stay away. For years he cri s s - crossed t he Atlantic and while injuries and a divorce played their part in his decline, so did the travelling.
Now, happily remarried and with a young son, the Arizona-based 38-year-old made the decision at the start of this year to commit solely to the PGA Tour, and it has paid off spectacularly.
In January, he was ranked 75th in the world. Now 26th having made more than £2.2million on the PGA Tour and with the chance to double his money at least after opening with a 65 on Thursday in the mega-bucks grand finale here at the Tour Championship, where the FedEx Cup bonus money will also be handed out.
‘I give myself a pat on the back for what I’ve achieved,’ said Casey. ‘I’ve been able to work much harder on my game because I’ve cut down on the travelling and I’ve got the rewards.
‘Do I want to change all that next season? I’d do it tomorrow if they dropped the quota of 13 events to 11 but is that going to happen?’
Actually, there is no chance, meaning a player who would walk i nto the European team on current form is likely to be lost to Darren Clarke. The potential for embarrassment next year if Casey continues on his present upward curve is obvious.
Meanwhile, at East Lake, Casey’s second round did not get off to the best start as he was two over par after his opening seven holes, while Jordan Spieth and Zach Johnson climbed the table to four under but still trailed l eader Henrik Stenson who was eight under par after eight holes.