Casey helps England into World Cup lead
Paul Casey helped England into a three-stroke lead at the World Cup in Seville today – but he was not being allowed to forget his verbal attack on the United States.
The competition continued with the more difficult foursomes this morning and Casey and Donald had four successive birdies from the third.
It took them to 15 under and three clear of Ireland’s Paul McGinley and Padraig Harrington, who were second on their own after joint overnight leaders Austria bogeyed the short third.
McGinley and Harrington, winners in 1997, had to work hard at the first after Harrington pulled their opening drive under a tree.
His partner had no option but to chop the ball back onto the fairway, but Harrington then pitched to six feet and McGinley made it.
England’s continued good form was surprising given Casey’s lack of sleep. He is still getting plenty of flak for some ill-advised remarks about the American Ryder Cup team.
A spectator had pinned to her T-shirt the message “Stoopid Amerikan” following Casey’s comments about her compatriots.
“We properly hate them,” said Casey in an interview with a Sunday paper journalist.
Following a string of “nasty” e-mails and criticism of his choice of words by both American World Cup player Scott Verplank and his European team-mate McGinley, Casey now bitterly regrets what he said.
In today’s action, Spain’s Sergio Garcia and Miguel Angel Jimenez birdied the third and fifth watched by former winner Seve Ballesteros, currently at the centre of controversy over an incident at his home club involving European Tour referee Jose Maria Zamora.
