Paul Casey has been one of the hottest players on the PGA Tour this year although he knows his golfing pedigree will ultimately hinge on whether he can finally win his first major title.
The world number three has produced just four top-10 finishes in the majors since turning professional in 2000 and would love to make his breakthrough at this week’s U.S. Open.
“My golf has been great this year and I need to continue that run and keep putting in the hard work,” Casey told reporters on Tuesday at Bethpage State Park. “We’re getting into the meat of the season right now.
“Not that the beginning of the year hasn’t counted for anything but with three majors coming up in fairly quick succession, it’s very important that I continue to play that good golf.
“The majors are still the things on top of the goals list,” added Casey, who won his first PGA Tour title at the Houston Open in April, one of three top-five finishes on the U.S. circuit this season.
“Although this year it has been phenomenal, those are the things which ultimately define guys’ careers. I don’t have a major, and I would dearly love one.
“So this is very important for me to try and play great golf, continue that good form through the next two, three, four months,” said Casey who has also won twice on the European Tour this year, the flagship PGA Championship at Wentworth and the Abu Dhabi Championship.
The 31-year-old Englishman has always felt his best chance of a major breakthrough would come at the U.S. Masters but he has high hopes for this week on a course he loves.
“I thought it was one of the finest golf courses I’ve ever played,” said Arizona-based Casey, who visited Bethpage’s 7,426-yard Black Course last week for a practice round. “It’s very fair, extremely strong a very impressive golf course.
“The (British) Open Championship is obviously the one that’s closest to my heart because it’s my home major, my home championship. But I think the U.S. Open would be second. To me, the U.S. Open was always the toughest test in golf.
“The Masters has always been the one which I felt I had the best opportunity to win and this would be the one that maybe I’ve struggled at the most. So (winning this week) would almost be a greater achievement.”
Casey, who has been grouped with Australian Geoff Ogilvy and American Jim Furyk for Thursday’s opening round, has twice finished in the top 10 at the Masters while his best U.S. Open was a tie for 10th at Oakmont in 2007.
