A wet and rainy Volvo Masters is just what Paul Casey is hoping for in his bid to win the Order of Merit title.
It looks like he'll get it.
Rain interrupted Wednesday's pro-am event and is expected to be a factor during the first two rounds.
"It's very wet out there, which is probably a bit of an advantage for me," Casey said. "Valderrama is a position golf course, and it's nice and wet, which makes it longer, and I feel like my game is in good shape."
Casey's €218,185 (US$274,080) advantage over Padraig Harrington is slim considering first place at the Volvo Masters — Europe's richest tournament at €4 million (US$5 million) — is worth €660,660 (US$831,832).
Vying to become only the fifth player to win the season-ending money title since 1993, Casey will play with the Irishman at the start — the current Nos. 1 and 2 are paired together for the first round.
"It doesn't bother me," Casey said about playing with Harrington. "We've got to make sure that we go out there and don't get stuck in a match play kind of situation and are too caught up in what either of us are doing."
Harrington said he'd like to see the race for the money title come down to the last nine holes on Sunday.
Casey doesn't.
"The Order of Merit is a reflection of how you play all year long," Casey said. "So if it comes down to that, then I would be surprised because it's such a long year, a lot of golf has been played, and honestly, I think you try not to put pressure on yourself that you've got to perform, let's say, with one final putt on the green.
"We've had enough stress already this year trying to hole putts in crucial circumstances," the Englishman said, referring to Europe's Ryder Cup win over the United States.
David Howell pulled out of Wednesday's pro-am with a sore shoulder and hasn't decided whether or not he will play Thursday.
"I haven't hit a shot. My shoulder is poor, so I've got a big decision to make, really, and am struggling to make it," Howell said. "I'll probably hit some balls later today and see how it feels."
Howell, who trails Casey by €242,875 (US$305,734) in the Order of Merit, hasn't hit a ball in 10 days, and admits his shoulder hasn't been right since the PGA Championship.
"I've got a voice on each shoulder. One is telling me to go home and stop being ridiculous. The other one is saying, if you go home you might regret that decision for a long time to come," Howell said.
No comments:
Post a Comment