THE RYDER CUP

September 23, 2021

Paul Casey

Whistling Straits

Press Conference

JOHN DEVER: Good morning. Welcome back to the 43rd Ryder Cup here at Whistling Straits. We are with Paul Casey.

Paul, welcome to your fifth career Ryder Cup. You're one of the few, there's not many, who have been here now for the fourth time, three PGAs and obviously this Ryder Cup. Your best finish was a T12 in 2010. I wonder if you might be able to go back to 2004 and tell us your initial impressions of this golf course and maybe how your thoughts have evolved over the course of time a little bit.

PAUL CASEY: I don't know, I think I probably played only two rounds in 2004, didn't I? I forgot the results.

I don't remember my initial impressions. I would have, like I am today, I would have been wowed. This place is spectacular. What a creation. It's a great golf course. Always been a Pete Dye fan. My knowledge of the course I think is strong. My memory or my knowledge of my results that week has been weak. That year, 2010 Christian Donald was on my bag, he is on the team for us this week, who is here this week as support staff and I asked him, did we play two rounds? He said, no, you finished 12th, which is great to hear because that means I can play the golf course relatively well.

To this day, spectacular. Love it. What a challenge, and I think it's a great golf course for this week.

Q. It looked like you had an interesting nine-hole alternate-shot match. Any details you can give us about that from yesterday?

PAUL CASEY: We explored the property greatly. Lots of birdies. Poulter and Rory throwing in eagles, as well. Details from it, no. Just trying stuff out.

Honestly when it got as windy as it did yesterday, we thought foursomes was best thing to do. I think we all -- I think everybody was struggling out there a little bit. Poulter played very well on the front nine. I think he was 3-under on his own golf ball. I struggled in the wind a little bit, and so foursomes was just the thing to do. Plus just being a long day, it sped things up a little bit.

No, to be honest, you've seen, I think we've confused a few people on the first tee, throwing the golf balls up on the first tee. Nobody knows what's going on the outside it looks like, which is part of the fun that we have. For us, myself paired up with Lee the most experienced guy here, no, we were just out there playing and getting ready for a big day tomorrow.

Q. Is there anything to the fact that the Europeans seem to enjoy it or embrace it better?

PAUL CASEY: I don't know, I've never spent too much time looking at it. I think the British always spent lots of time playing foursomes as kids. It's just something we did in matches. It was always foursomes in the morning and singles in the afternoon. It's just something you do in club matches, county matches, even up to the international level.

I don't believe there's any sort of tricks and tips or anything. It's just something I think we are a bit more used to. There are certain golf clubs in the U.K. where foursomes is a thing. You have to play foursomes if you want to go play. I don't know what to tell you.

Q. You've been a part of four teams and I thought it was interesting to see that most of them are blow-outs, three in your favor, one against, lopsided in the end, at least. Is it possible at this point in the week to get a feeling of how the week is going to go or is it always sort of a surprise that you don't know until points start coming in?

PAUL CASEY: It's a surprise. I think looking back, there was some -- there was a rerun of Oakland Hills on TV earlier this week that I saw and we were just going through the office in our area, and it was my match with David Howell against, oh, goodness, was that Furyk and -- I would have to look at that.

Q. I can tell you right now.

PAUL CASEY: Stewart Cink? It was Saturday morning at Oakland Hills. I apologize.

Q. Furyk and Campbell.

PAUL CASEY: Thank you. We were 6-2 down or whatever it was, it was 6 1/2 - 2 1/2, whatever the score was. It was very, very lopsided the other way and that was a big point, and then things turned and I think Westwood and Clarke and Monty and those guys went out in the afternoon and had a great session. That result ended up being our biggest margin of victory in the U.S. at that point. Never have known that on a Saturday morning.

Q. 6 1/2 to 1 1/2 after Friday.

PAUL CASEY: I got it totally wrong then, didn't I.

Just go for another question (laughter). Just scrap that last three minutes. What was the question, sorry?

Q. Is there a feeling beforehand that that is how it's going to go?

PAUL CASEY: No, it's always a surprise. You're getting the gist here, I have no clue. I don't remember anything. I don't remember last week.

Q. There was a ten-year gap obviously between your previous stint, how pleasing was it to qualify straightaway again for this one?

PAUL CASEY: It's a much nicer place than having to wait for a pick and all that. Actually to be announced mathematically in during the week at Wentworth.

There was a time pre-Paris that I thought I might never play another Ryder Cup, having missed a couple, more than a couple. I was quite emotional in Paris because of that gap. The form I had been through and to be part of that great team in Paris was just -- has been one of the most special moments of my career.

The fact it was a pick made me sort of nervous coming down the last few weeks. This one I felt much more comfortable. As much as I wanted to be on this team, I put it to the side, the thought of trying to qualify. It's just been a sort of organic process and a result of the good golf I've played.

And now I'm even looking at Westy going, how many more can I play? I think Westy is maybe the oldest player to represent Europe at 48 or whatever he is now. I'm 44, thinking can I squeeze a couple more out?

It's amazing how my view on it has changed going from maybe never -- that's it maybe I'm done, to what does the future hold? In the meantime, yeah, this week, brilliant. It's been an absolute joy. The whole process from the qualification to here I am on a Thursday couldn't have been better.

Q. Would winning here this week make up for missing out on the Olympic medal?

PAUL CASEY: That's a different thing. To me the Olympics were very, very special. To me as much as I would love a medal, what a moment to, play with Xander and Hideki, final group, that's something that people -- only people who have been at Olympics will understand and that experience of being in the Village, that's something that I will cherish forever. The not having a medal doesn't -- it doesn't lessen it in any way. That would be the cherry-on-top-of-the-cream kind of thing.

But no, the Olympics is pretty cool.

Q. Can you describe what Poults means to Europe Ryder Cup and do you have any idea what makes him tick and why he's so successful?

PAUL CASEY: I don't know what makes him tick. He is unique. He's a big majority of the glue for this team. He is just -- he's like the -- we don't lack energy. We don't lack glue. We'll always be a very unified team even though it seems when he's not been there or I think he was at Hazeltine as an assistant captain. Yeah, we have everything already. He just adds to it so much more.

I have no idea what makes him tick. All I know is it's very, very special. It's infectious. You see some of it on the outside. I guess you see a lot of it. You don't see what we get to see in a team room and in the locker room, and this morning he just rolled through and you can just see that bounce in the step.

Yeah, I hope he continues to play Ryder Cup. I hope he beats Westy's record of how long he goes, because he's a massive part of our team.

Q. If you are an opponent of his, if you're the U.S. side, can you appreciate how maybe -- I don't know what the word is, whether it's annoying, agitating, under the skin, whatever, not that he's trying to be a bad guy, but just kind of -- when he gets on a roll and he's got the bug eyes going and all that kind of thing.

PAUL CASEY: I don't know how well all of the U.S. guys know him, but certainly Dustin and these guys have known him for years. They love him and they certainly want to -- if there's anybody he want to play and have the opportunity to beat, it's Poulter without question. He's made his mark. He's Mr. Ryder Cup.

You know, it's that opportunity, isn't it. What an opportunity to go up against Poulter. I wouldn't want to play him. Glad he's on my team.

Q. It seems like over the years, you've watched Europe during the week and there's a lot of joy, you mentioned, a lot of fun, a lot of looseness and Friday morning gets here and it's all business, all purpose. Is that true, and can you talk about the sensation of how the week shifts and how the switch flips when you get to Friday morning?

PAUL CASEY: I don't think our switch flips that much as much as you think. There's still a lot of fun and humor. Look, we are going to have a great time this week no matter what. It just ramps up. I think maybe there are a few less smiles that are visible, that are showing, but we're still trying to have the time of our life and play amazing golf.

Yeah, I don't think it's a switch that flips. It wouldn't work, I don't think, if that were the case. The whole week we're very serious in our preparation. We are methodical, attention to detail. We try to leave no stone unturned because we know the margins are so small. You know, you can look up World Rankings and all these things, but we all know, you know, it could be down to one putt or a fraction of a shot every day that's going to make the difference.

But we don't -- it doesn't suddenly become -- it's serious all week and I guess we probably try to maybe deflect a little in a way, having humor. I still think it will be there come tomorrow. It's just maybe not as visible.

Q. Compared to the other teams that you've played on, how would you describe Pádraig's leadership style and the dynamic within this team because it seems like an interesting mix of guys who have done this for a long time and some younger guys?

PAUL CASEY: I think firstly the dynamic is brilliant. This is -- I don't like to compare teams and say one, this team is better than another team I've played on. But this team as a unified team is so strong. I mean, it's broad in its age range, the experience.

I'm proud to be standing next to my 11 teammates and captains and vice captains. We have such a unified team going, and Paddy has been a major role in that because you can have brilliant teams and maybe be slightly rudderless. But I've been utterly impressed with Paddy's captaincy. His communication skills have been top-notch and a relaxed air to everything we do but a serious approach at the same time.

Yeah, as you know, we tend not to say what goes on behind closed doors but it's been -- this is my fifth. It gets better and better every single time.

Q. You mentioned dropping balls on the first tee and people from the outside potentially not knowing what you're doing; is that intentional on the European side to try to throw up some smokescreens?

PAUL CASEY: No, it's not. We -- well, I know kind of roughly what I'm doing. I actually couldn't tell you what the rest of the matchups might look like starting tomorrow. No, it's not trying to throw smokescreens or throw a dummy or a fake-out there. Not at all. We are so good, so comfortable with what we are going to do tomorrow, it's like why overthink it on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday? Again, I know my pairings, possible pairings. It's up to Paddy to what he decides to do, they are not in the envelope or however it works yet, but I'll still be throwing a ball up on the first tee later today.

JOHN DEVER: Thank you, Paul. Have a great day and stay here in Wisconsin.