Casey needs 'win, win' to earn Ryder Cup consideration

[August 15, 2014]  By Andrew Both
 
 GREENSBORO North Carolina (Reuters) - Briton Paul Casey acknowledges he is not on the radar screen for Ryder Cup selection right now, but winning the next two weeks on the PGA Tour would likely change that.

Casey, a three-time member of the European team, has won twice at Gleneagles in Scotland, which next month will host the biennial showdown between Europe and the United States.

This would seem to make the former world number three an ideal candidate for selection, but the depth of European talent leaves him a long way down the current pecking order.

Casey instead is focusing on qualifying for the PGA Tour's four-event playoff series, which starts next week.

He is on the bubble, 125th in the standings, with the top 125 after the Wyndham Championship on Sunday advancing to the lucrative playoffs.

An opening five-under-par 65 at Sedgefield on Thursday was a big step in the right direction.
 

"I'm not ruling myself out but I would have to do something exceptional to catch his eye," Casey said, referring to European captain Paul McGinley, who will pick three players to go with nine automatic qualifiers.

"A win, win would catch his attention. I've played some good golf this season, but if I was captain I'd be looking at four guys right now, as the standings sit (for captain's picks).

Those four, he said, were English compatriots Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Ian Poulter and Scotland's Stephen Gallagher.

Casey is enjoying life on and off the course again after struggling with injuries that derailed his ascent to the top of the rankings while a divorce was also a major distraction.

His new fiancee, British TV personality Pollyanna Woodward, is expecting their first child in a few weeks, and he recently was granted U.S. permanent residency status after settling in Phoenix, Arizona, where he plans to stay.

"You get bored with the sunshine," he joked.

"It's ridiculous."

(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.