Ryder Cup captain, Thomas Bjorn insists only a ‘fool’ would not want England golfer Paul Casey in a European Team.

Casey is currently ranked No.14 in the world and would qualify at this stage would surely qualify if the Phoenix-based Brit was a member of the European Tour.

Casey, however, has not been a member of the European Tour since the start of the 2014 and instead is now

Thomas Bjorn 2018 Ryder Cup Captain and now saying anyone would be a ‘fool’ not to have Paul Casey in their team.

concentrating solely on the PGA Tour and where over the past two seasons he has become one of the more consistent competitors finishing 15th on the FedEx Cup standing in 2015, fifth in 2016 and 11th in the recently-concluded season after leading going into the final round of the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

In the process, Casey has earned some £US 3.9m each of those three seasons to amass some $US12m in prize-money.

And the question of ‘will he’ or ‘won’t he’ join the European Tour has been a touchy subject with Casey and one that those journalists who know Casey well have sought to avoid.

“Paul has made some very clear decisions in his life about wanting to live in America and liking life there, and he is very happy with his family and everybody has to take a step back and understand that he makes decisions from a family point of view and any man can understand that,” said Bjorn.

Paul Casey has not competed in the Ryder Cup since 2008. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)

“I have had those conversations with him and we have had some really good open dialogue about where I see things and how he sees things, then it’s for him to make a decision and he’ll do that in due course.

“So, that’s up to him but as a player he is among the 12 best Europeans at the moment and there is no doubt about that.

“He has played some fantastic golf this year, and especially in the FedEx Cup finals in the end and got very close.

“A player like that, you’d be a fool if you didn’t want him in your team when he’s playing the way he is at the moment.”

Casey, 40 has played in three European Ryder Cup teams being in the winning 2004 and 2006 sides but among the team that lost in 2008 at Valhalla.

In fact, in the 2006 Ryder Cup at the K. Club in Ireland Casey produced an ace for he and David Howell to humble Stewart Cink and Zach Johnson in the Saturday afternoon Fourballs.

To be eligible to qualify for the European Team Casey will need to rejoin the Tour and then also contest a minimum number of events and that is something that, at present and also now with two young children, he seems not prepared to undertake.