Thomas Bjorn wants Paul Casey in his Ryder Cup team
Tuesday 10 October 2017 14:37, UK
Europe's Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn says only a fool would not want Paul Casey in the team on current form.
Although Casey has not played in a Ryder Cup since 2010 and has not won a tournament in three years, Bjorn is clearly a fan of his abilities.
"As a player, absolutely he's among the 12 best Europeans at the moment, there's no doubt about that," Bjorn told Sky Sports News.
"He's played some fantastic golf this year, especially in the FedEx Cup where he played extremely well and got very close.
"A player like that, you'd be a fool if you didn't want him in your team when he's playing the way he is at the moment."
Casey has amassed 25 top-10 finishes in three years, including four runner-up finishes and three third-place finishes.
The 40-year-old is 14th in the world rankings. Among European players, only John Rahm (5th), Rory McIlroy (6th), Henrik Stenson (8th), Sergio Garcia (11th) and Justin Rose (13th), sit above him.
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The last of Casey's three Ryder Cup appearances came in 2008 when the USA won at Valhalla.
In recent years, Casey has played exclusively on the PGA Tour, citing family among the reasons for relinquishing his European Tour card.
"Paul has made some very clear decisions in his life about wanting to live in America and he's very happy with his family there," said Bjorn.
"Anybody has got to take a step back and understand that he makes decisions from a family point of view and I think any man can understand that.
"We've had a really good open dialogue about where I see things and how he sees things, then it's for him to make a decision and he'll do that in due course."
It is less than a year until Le Golf National hosts the 42nd Ryder Cup and with the changes to the qualifying process meaning the team will now comprise the first four players from the European Points List, followed by the leading four players from the World Points List and completed by four wild cards, it could be that this represents Casey's best chance for 10 years to make the team.
