Casey sweats on Cup place
PAUL CASEY’S disastrous final round at the Open on Sunday has left him still sweating on his Ryder Cup place.
Captain Colin Montgomerie names his European team for Celtic Manor in six weeks time, but, as it stands, Casey is outside the nine players in automatic qualifying positions and is left needing a wild card to qualify.
The world No8 began the final round second on the leaderboard at St Andrews, four shots behind eventual winner Louis Oosthuizen.
A stronger challenge would surely have assured Casey of a place in Montgomerie’s top nine, but a disappointing round of 75 and a joint-third finish wasn’t enough to guarantee automatic qualification.
But Montgomerie has given the 33-year-old hope that he will feature as one of his three wild card picks after praising his Ryder Cup hopefuls for their showing in the Open.
Speaking prior to Sunday’s final round, Montgomerie said: “Things couldn’t be going much better really when you look at the leaderboard, with Casey [Lee] Westwood, [Martin] Kaymer and [Henrik] Stenson. They are all up there doing you proud.
“We’ve had our first British winner of the US Open for 40 years [Graeme McDowell], Lee Westwood almost won the Masters, we’re contending here again and who says we won’t do so again at the USPGA next month?
“With Justin Rose winning twice in America, it’s been a fabulous year for British golf, an amazing standard of golf, with British players battling against each other.”
Casey, however, is not the only top European to be sweating on his place. Padraig Harrington, Rose, Stenson and Sergio Garcia will also need a late surge to be assured of a place.
Montgomerie is also due to announce his two vice-captains for the event this afternoon.
Jose Maria Olazabal looks unlikely to continue the role he had under Nick Faldo two years ago, as he is suffering with rheumatism, leaving Thomas Bjorn, Paul McGinley and Bernhard Langer as the favourites.