Paul Casey remains determined to win the remaining two European Ryder Cup qualifying events and make amends in being overlooked for team selection four years ago.
Casey set about that task on the first day of the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship with a five under par 65 and trail just two shots behind Columbian Camilo Villegas who posted a 63 in superb scoring conditions on the Sedgefield course in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The American duo of former US Open winner Webb Simpson and William McGirt are tied in second place on six under par with Casey among five players at five under.
Four years ago Casey was competing the Barclays Championship in New Jersey, and the opening event of the year’s FedEx Cup Play-Off Series when word came through to his playing Padraig Harrington that then European Ryder Cup captain, Colin Montgomerie had chosen the Irishman ahead of Casey as one of his Celtic Manor ‘wildcard’ picks despite Casey being higher up on the selection table.
Paul Casey’s last Ryder Cup appearance in the 2008 matches at Valhalla (Photo – Eoin Clarke/wwwgolffile.ie).
The controversy forced the European Tour into changing the procedure for a captain naming his ‘wildcard’ picks so much so 2012 Captain Jose Maria Olazabal announced them a day after the final qualifying events on both the European and PGA Tour’s.
There has been changes also this year with European Team captain, Paul McGinley to announce his three picks on 2nd September and two days after qualifying ends at the Italian Open.
“In 2010 I was ranked No 7 in the world with a pretty good match-play record and I still didn’t get picked,” said Casey.
“I was playing the fourth round of the Barclays Championship and it was a horrible scenario with Padraig’s wife conveying to him on the course he had been picked for the team and I hadn’t.
“So that should never happen again and in fact, it won’t happen again.”
However the veteran of three straight Ryder Cup’s from 2004 and 2008 is currently ranking a lowly 27th on the European Team points table and would need to capture this week’s Wyndham Championship as well as the Barclays Championship next week if he is to break into the automatic nine top qualifiers.
While the leading nine players on the USA Team were confirmed last Sunday, the top nine qualifiers for McGinley’s team will not be finalised to Sunday August 31st.
It means those PGA Tour based Europeans competing in the Deutsche Bank Championship, and the second event of the 2014 FedEx Cup Play-Off Series, will not gain points from the event as it concludes on Monday September 1st.
“I know looking at the standings now McGinley will be looking at four guys just outside the top-nine and they’re Luke (Donald), Stephen Gallacher, (Ian) Poulter and (Lee) Westwood,” said Casey.
“I would have to do something exceptional to catch Paul’s eye and that would mean winning both the Wyndham and the Barclays if I am going to have any chance of competing at Gleneagles.
“But then Paul knows from a discussion I had with him very recently I’ve won around Gleneagles twice and while it has not entered my mind in being picked, I am certainly not ruling it out.
“So I am sure a win, win these two weeks would catch Paul’s attention and that’s all I can do.
“And as I said earlier to have been where I was before in terms of Ryder Cup selection in 2010 and not be picked hurt, so I would love to again be a part of a Ryder Cup.”
However Casey indicated if he misses out then he still has the delight of the arrival of his first child on 9th September.
