… Fairmont Resort, St. Andrews
Paul Casey has won 21 times in around a dozen different countries in his professional career.
Casey also enjoyed a dozen top-10s in the major while he also played in three of five victorious European Ryder Cup sides and a member of four of five of GB & I Seve Trophy teams.
As well, Casey spent some 800 weeks among the world’s top-50, including a career high of No. 3 in 2009.
England’s Paul Casey speaking of the unique strength competing on the LIV TourAs well, Casey spent some 800 weeks among the world’s top-50, including a career high of No. 3 in 2009.
And it really came as no surprise for a player who captured a maiden Tour among the Scottish Highlands at Gleneages in 2002 when he announced in July 2022 he was heading to the highs of LIV Golf and making his debut at Bedminster.
Casey’s now played in 15 LIV events with a best individual finish of 6th last October in Bangkok while his Crushers side is one of the strongest at LIV securing a maiden win earlier this year at Mayakoba and enjoying eight other top-3s.
And in sitting in front of Casey ahead of this week’s historic Asian Tour’s St. Andrews Bay Championship you can fathom just how much he is enjoying this new chapter in his career with Casey providing a good insight into what it’s like to be competing in the rebel league.
In Casey’s words, LIV Golf is unique in providing a high week-in and week-out.
“All the golf I played through years all over the world, LIV is interesting for a couple of reasons,” he said.
“The limited number of spots gives it this edge, you can sense already. I think last year nobody’s really seen it yet, there hasn’t been a lot of movement. But you know, after this season, the seasons after that, you’re going to see movement guys in and out and a lot of scrambling and fighting for the position.
“It’s something to be cherished, it’s quite an opportunity, and the fact that it’s just the 48 guys who tee it up and seeing the same guys week in, week out, it creates this level of competition that there’s nowhere to hide.
“When playing some of the tours I played through the years, you can pick kind of a softer weeks, you can pick the weaker fields, but here there is nowhere to hide. If somebody gets on a burner, I think that’s it, you’ve got to just get on with it and figure out how to get your game in shape and that’s a really interesting dynamic.”
And Casey spoke of opportunity the Asian Tour has created for many of it’s members being here in St. Andrews for maybe the first time in the career.
“I think it’s wonderful how many opportunities there are right now,” he said.
“My first thought was the fact that the level of golf nowadays, is so high, and how the game has developed, Sergio’s (Garcai) been on tour longer than I have, we’ve weathered the advances in technology, the way the data is now driving the game, the way we practice, the way we train. Going from steel shafts to graphite shafts, to different golf ball technology, launch monitors. The guys who’ve had longevity of career paths combat those challenges, and I don’t think it’s any different now”.
However, it now been easy for Casey arriving into Scotland on Tuesday without his golf clubs and taking British Airways to task when he clubs did not accompany him from Heathrow to Edinburgh.
Casey’s an ‘Elite Gold’ card holder with BA, and in what seems a continuing issue for many golfers arriving into Edinburgh, the LIV Golfer’s club were not among his luggage upon arrival into the Scottish capital.
Casey cited five further BA flights had left Heathrow to Edinburgh following boarding his own fight, but with his clubs not arriving to earlier today (Wednedsay) into the Scottish capital.
“I flew into Edinburgh yesterday from the States yesterday via Heathrow, and I don’t want to go on about it, but without my clubs arriving in Scotland,” Casey said in a press conference ahead of this week’s $1.5m event.
“However, with thanks to Martin Gray, who personally went to Edinburgh Airport to collect the clubs by hand and bring them up here to St. Andrews and he arrived late this morning. So, that was so good of Martin.
“I’m just not a fan of British Airways, right now. I’m also a gold card holder but that doesn’t matter with BA”.
Casey had been due to play the Pro-Am but did manage, and thanks to Gray’s efforts, he played the closing seven holes before heading out post lunch for a full 18 and ending his round close to 5.30pm.
“I’ve been so St. Andrews so many times but have never played the Fairmont, and liked what I saw”, he said.
“I will go out this afternoon and get-in some more practice, and while I’ve been delayed on my preparations, I am not going to let it get in the way. It just means a longer day than I had expected today.”
And Casey revealed it’s a special week for his family as his near five-year old daughter Asteria is marking her first day at school.
