Paul

Casey

Paul Casey was born in 1977 in Cheltenham, England, but moved to the outskirts of London when he was six. By the time he was 11, he was a keen golfer who was given a golf scholarship by the Foxhills Golf Club.

He was such a promising player that he was offered another golf scholarship at Arizona State University, where he compiled an impressive record in the amateur and college game.

Casey won three consecutive Pac-12 Championships between 1998 and 2000, and in that final year he broke the scoring record for the event, which had previously been held by Tiger Woods.

He also won the English Amateur title in 1999 and 2000 and won all four of his matches for the victorious Great Britain & Ireland team at the Walker Cup in 1999. It was clear for all to see that he had the game and temperament to make it as a pro.

Paul Casey made an immediate impact in 2001 – his first year on the European Tour – after turning pro the year before. In just his 11th event, the Gleneagles Scottish PGA Championship, he recorded his maiden professional win.

At the end of the year he was 22nd on the Order of Merit, and won the prestigious Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award.

Further success followed in 2003, with victories in the ANZ Championship and the Benson & Hedges International Open, and in 2004 he recorded his first top-10 finish at a Major with a strong bid for glory at the Masters.

Casey’s third round of 68 put him right in the Augusta mix, just two shots off the lead.

He fell away from contention on the final day with a 74, but still tied for sixth place, seven shots off champion Phil Mickelson.

Over the next few years, Paul Casey established himself as one of the leading players on both sides of the Atlantic. He went close to winning the Order of Merit in 2006, when he was named European Tour Golfer of the Year.

In the same year, he won the World Match Play Championship, beating Shaun Micheel in the final by the record margin of 10&8. By 2009, he was a member of the PGA Tour and recorded his first victory at the Houston Open.

That was the year in which he reached a career-high No.3 ranking in the world, and it was around this time that he came closest to winning the British Open.

Casey finished in a tie for seventh in 2008, and two years later he was in the final group at St Andrews after a third round of 67 put him in contention.

He had hopes of catching long-time leader Louis Oosthuizen until the 12th hole, where a triple-bogey sent him spinning down the leaderboard. He recovered to finish tied for third, but that was his last top-10 finish at his home Major.

Paul Casey’s career has been hindered by a series of injury issues, including problems with his ribs, back, and toes. Allied to his attempts to compete on both the European and PGA Tours, he became a less frequent winner over the following years.

Casey also admitted that his divorce from his first wife Jocelyn in 2011 significantly affected his game.

When he won the Irish Open in 2013, it was his first victory for two-and-a-half years. He followed that with success at the 2014 KLM Open, and went on to enjoy two excellent years after rejoining the PGA Tour.

He finished consistently highly in the USA in early 2015, and tied for sixth at The Masters. In 2016 he went even closer at Augusta, recovering from a second round of 77 to finish in a tie for fourth. He was one of four Englishmen in the top 10, including winner Danny Willett.

More victories followed, including back-to-back PGA Tour successes in the Valspar Open in 2018 and 2019, and the 2019 Porsche European Open. To demonstrate his enduring quality and the maturity in his game, he tied for second at the 2020 PGA Championship, and made the cut at all four Majors in 2021.

His triumph in the World Match Play Championship is one piece of evidence for Paul Casey’s excellence in the head-to-head format. Even more compelling is the contribution he made to three victorious European teams in his five appearances in the biennial showdown.

He was part of the winning team in 2004, and two years later became the only man to win a point with a hole-in-one, at the 14th hole of a foursomes match at The K Club in Ireland, as the Europeans prevailed again.

After featuring in the beaten 2008 team, Casey did not feature in the Ryder Cup for 10 years. But his good form in 2018 saw him selected for the side that wrested the trophy back for Europe with an emphatic win in France.

He was part of the side beaten by 10 points in 2021, but had warm words for the European captain, Padraig Harrington. Casey said: “He might be the best captain I’ve ever played for. No one ever writes that. He was an amazing captain."

The affection Paul Casey holds for team golf – and for events where the crowd is encouraged to play a part – may have contributed to his decision to accept an invitation to join LIV Golf in 2022.

He said the previous year: “Golf without a crowd is a hollow version of the game. It’s entertainment after all… and my golf is also better with the fans. I thrive on pressure and adrenalin.”

Another reason for making the switch was that his long-term caddie, Johnny “Long Socks” McLaren was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Casey was concerned that his bagman would not be able to stand up to the “taxing” grind of the PGA Tour.

He was part of the Crushers GC team, captained by Bryson DeChambeau, that finished in the top two of the overall team standings in all the first three years of LIV Golf and won the Team Championship in 2023.

“It’s a strange mix,” he admitted. “Two Americans, an Indian and an Englishman… on paper, there’s no way these four guys should get along but there’s great energy in the team. We love Bryson – he is a unique individual – and I mean that in the nicest respect. He’s got such a great heart that we get to see.”

Casey clearly enjoys the whole vibe around LIV Golf. “It’s been amazing,” he said. “The people involved, the competition, the energy, it’s like a breath of fresh air. And the competition is harder than anybody could imagine… it’s a joy to be a part of it.”

When Paul Casey met Pollyanna Woodward in 2011, he had been a professional golfer for more than a decade, while she was a successful TV presenter.

The couple’s wedding took place in 2015, and Casey has praised her positivity and her influence on him. “It’s very infectious and it’s something that’s nice to have around,” he said.

“I’m not that way and I need to be. She is very calm, and I think that’s been a very positive influence on my golf and on my life in general.”

The couple live in Scottsdale, Arizona, with their son and daughter. They also have a home in Surrey, England.

Casey said in 2017: “Golf is not the most important thing that I do. Looking after my family and making sure that they’re healthy and happy is the most important thing.

“You’ll see a trend where guys have played really well after becoming fathers, and that’s probably because they have something to play for.”

Peter Kostis, Casey’s coach, has also praised Pollyanna’s influence. He said: “She is everything he needs. Positive, funny, upbeat all the time, the soul mate he’s needed.”

Paul Casey has always been respected for his smooth, consistent, and reliable swing. However, the clubs he has used to deliver steady results have changed in recent years.

Casey was a Nike staff player until 2016, when the brand decided to move away from
making golf clubs. He has since been seen with Taylor Made woods. More recently, however, he has used a selection of clubs from various manufacturers.

He favors Titleist woods, particularly the TSi3 driver and TSi2 three-wood. His long irons are from the Mizuno JPX 919 range, and his other irons are the Mizuno MP-5 Models.

Casey carries Titleist Vokey Design wedges, and on the greens he uses a Scotty Cameron 009M prototype putter. His ball is the ever-popular Titleist Pro V1.

By the end of 2024, Paul Casey had earned nearly $20.9million for his exploits with Crushers GC since joining LIV Golf. Over the course of his professional career, he has also made $36.6million in prize money.

Casey has also had partnerships with a range of top sponsors, including Nike, Titleist, and TaylorMade. His other backers have included Rolex, Jig-Saw, UPS, and Cadi, while he has a long-term arrangement with elite car maker Porsche.

Paul Casey presents a fascinating case study in the toll that the pressures of competitive golf can take on its participants. Yet this is a tale with a happy ending, told by a supreme sportsman who has learned to take his chosen profession, and life, in his stride.

“I love what I do,” he told Liv Golf’s Heng Time show. “I love playing golf, I love competing, I love the process, I love the hard work. I’ve got an amazing family and life is good. There’s nothing I shouldn’t be thankful for and smiling about.”

After more than 20 years at or near the peak of this endlessly intriguing and frustrating sport, you get the sense that Casey has indeed gained a perspective that enables him to define success in a more rounded way than the number of shots taken or dollars won.

He added: “I struggled, I had years when I lost my card on various tours and got it back, and then had victories again. That’s so much sweeter when you’ve been through the crap.”

Nobody should be in any doubt that the urge to compete and win burns as brightly as ever. But Casey has so much more than golf to smile about.