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BMW CHAMPIONSHIP

September 11, 2016

Paul Casey

Carmel, Indiana

Q. You have to be very proud of your performance. That duelling eagles at 15 were just so special.
PAUL CASEY: It was cool. I played great. I shot another 67. Yeah, it was a really great round of golf, ran into a buzz saw. That was something special the last two days and I did everything I could. So I held my, I'm holding my head up very high.

Q. You know you're 5th in the FedExCup standings, so you control your own fate at the TOUR Championship?
PAUL CASEY: It's a nice byproduct, it's a nice little consolation price, shall we say. I got a great chance if I continue to play this sort of golf. If I don't run into Dustin in two weeks, I got a great chance to maybe win the FedExCup.

Q. You have to have an awful lot of confidence right now considering what's happened over the last seven days?
PAUL CASEY: Yeah, it's just been putting in a lot of hard work and I'm never one for looking back, but I was playing some pretty good stuff in years like 2009 and that. And I've had a lots of injuries and stuff going on in my life, so it's just very, very satisfying to get back and play the level of golf that I know I'm capable of.

Q. You had a heck of a battle on your hands, what do you take away from this day and this week?
PAUL CASEY: Great golf, a lot of confidence, I ran into a buzz saw with Dustin Johnson the last two days. I did everything I could. I hold my head up high that it was a great fight. It was fun to be making eagles against each other coming down the stretch and the kind of consolation price, although it's a pretty good one, is I'm now controlling my own destiny when I get to Atlanta. So though I've got no victories, it's nice to be in that top-5.

Q. Given what you've done not only this week but also how well you played last week, how much confidence and momentum and energy do you think you're taking to Atlanta?
PAUL CASEY: I'm taking a lot. It's just wonderful to be playing this sort of golf. I played this sort of golf years ago. And I always felt that I could produce it again. And I want to produce it for a very long time and I've got, beautiful thing is I've got everything in place now. I still got Kostis giving me the tips, I got Johnny Mac on the bag and Pollyanna and Lex at home, so I feel great. I think the only thing that saddens me slightly is that it's the fact that I've been a Nike guy for so long and now that's kind of -- I would love to be winning FedExCups and stuff for them.

Q. So did you feel like when you make that 25-foot eagle?
PAUL CASEY: I knew he would make it. I knew he was making it. He had to. He had to. It was the only way to write the story line wasn't it either that or blow it past and 4-putt. But he wasn't going to do that.

Q. You spoke about how he had as had a that resilience and he's turned from a non-closer in the old days to a closer now. Do you see that in him?
PAUL CASEY: Yeah, I'm trying to think of -- we talked about shots gained with attitude yesterday and I think a great example of that was when he bogeyed 2 and he bogeyed 3. And then he steps up and he birdies 4 and 5. And it's like just brilliant. You would never have known that he just had a couple of dropped shots. It's not that many guys out here who play or have that ability to deal with good and bad. Brilliant.

Q. That was riveting Ryder Cup singles match. I guess that's your Ryder Cup singles match.
PAUL CASEY: I heard somebody cry out, "Hazeltine." Yes, unfortunately, no.

Q. Rory had mentioned earlier in the week he thought it was regrettable that you and Russell are not on this team. Do you think the stand you made will have any impact moving forward?
PAUL CASEY: I didn't make a stand. I made a decision to not rejoin the European Tour to try and spend as much time with my family. It's never been a stand. I still have massive love for the European Tour and I'm going to watch Hazeltine and not being part of a Ryder Cup is a byproduct of making that decision, it was never part of that decision. And it's going to, I'm going to watch it with a sort of sadness that I can't be part of that. But it was, no, that terminology that you used, that's certainly not, couldn't be further from the truth.

Q. What's the psychological battle like when you are going up against a buzz saw?
PAUL CASEY: A little bit like a Ryder Cup match.

(Laughter.) What can you do? I think the nice thing was we were a little bit clear of the guys behind, so wanted it to be kind of a, it may never be matched, maybe the duel in the sun, but the Stenson-Mickelson kind of match. That's what I wanted it to turn into. I just didn't have quite enough for him.

Q. Was it hard not to get frustrated early on. You had so many putts that burned the edge. How did you manage that?
PAUL CASEY: The putts on 4 and 5 were beautiful putts, especially 5, because 5 was right in the center of the cup and it just somehow veered away at the end. No, it was frustrating, but it didn't affect the next shot. I knew there was an awful long way to go, there were glimmers of hope after he stumbled a little bit on 9, 3-putting 9. But then I didn't hit a good tee shot on 10, so any momentum I had, I quickly kind of hurt myself. And I didn't birdie 11 slightly awkward lie in the bunker on 11. So that was kind of a turning point. After that it was an uphill struggle because I was just running out of holes.

Q. You have given yourself every chance to win the FedExCup now. You must be pleased with the position you've put yourself in?
PAUL CASEY: Really happy with that. I was actually looking at the points yesterday and I was all right even if I am 6th could I still do it and computations. But knowing that if I win, I win. That's a nice feeling. Yeah, I was back, I was in that position back in 2010, so I think 2010.

Q. You might be the only person who would like the TOUR Championships to be this coming week, given the roll you're on.
PAUL CASEY: No, I need to rest. And I haven't seen: Lex in three weeks. And I'm not getting home tonight. So.

Q. When is the last time you felt this good with your game?
PAUL CASEY: Probably 2009.

Q. What do you think it's going to take to get over the hump?
PAUL CASEY: Having him not in the field?

(Laughter.) Because it's not much of a hump. Last week I found Monday very difficult. But the group didn't have momentum and so today there was momentum in our group and I didn't really do much wrong. So there's not really a -- who is this hump? Like who is this person or what is this thing? It's not a lot I need to do differently. So I don't need to rethink things or have a different strategy. It's just do what I did today. If I keep doing what I did the last basically eight rounds of golf, fingers crossed I'll run into a couple wins.

Q. Strong believer in three times lucky?
PAUL CASEY: I'll take whatever little line, motto you have.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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