Casey regrets US 'hate' remarks
Paul Casey hoped to have his mind fully focused on golf today when England resumed the World Cup in Seville only one stroke behind leaders Ireland and Austria.
Even though Casey and Luke Donald began with an 11-under-par 61 yesterday, it was another tough day for the former as the fall-out from his “hate” remark about Americans in the wake of the Ryder Cup continued.
A flood of “nasty” emails has made Casey realise what a blunder he made by saying to a Sunday paper journalist: “We properly hate them.”
“I’ve had lots of comments,” he said after the first round. Most of them I won’t repeat, but 99.9% of them have made me regret what I said. The story’s run with, though, and there is nothing I can do to correct it. If I could I would.
“It has made people angry, which I fully understand, and it has made me angry and upset. I have had a huge negative feedback and nasty stuff on email.
“It is a horrible experience, and I have not enjoyed the last two days one little bit. The word ‘hate’ was my error. I should not have used it.”
Casey, who has an American girlfriend and coach and lives in Arizona, takes up membership of the US Tour next season.
But Scott Verplank, one of the American team this week, said: “If he is really that uncomfortable or that annoyed or anything I don’t think anybody would miss him if he went back to England.
“The temperature around him might cool off a little bit. I mean, how can you say derogatory things towards a group of people and not expect to have some guys take it personally?”
Ryder Cup team-mate Paul McGinley added on Wednesday that “hate” was a terrible word to use in sport. But he and partner Padraig Harrington are now concentrating on trying to repeat their 1997 victory in South Carolina.
Each had a putt to complete a magical 59 in the fourballs. But McGinley, who had earlier holed two bunker shots, missed from 15 feet and Harrington from slightly closer.
Minutes later unfancied Austria did birdie the 18th to join them on 60, 12 under par.
Martin Wiegele, 535th in the world, and 211th-ranked Markus Brier would totally transform their season by capturing the first prize – but the event went into the more difficult foursomes today.
Wiegele is the one really in need of a lift. Last month he lost his European Tour card and two weeks ago he failed to make it even to the final stage of the qualifying school.
Amazingly, the two also failed to come through a qualifying tournament for the World Cup in Mexico at the start of October. But three days later Thailand pulled out, and they were called in.
Scottish duo Alastair Forsyth and Scott Drummond have four strokes to make up going into the foursomes, while Phillip Price and Bradley Dredge were one further back for Wales.
