Casey counting on next few weeks to help Ryder Cup bid

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GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Shortly after he finished off that solid 69 in the final round of the PGA Championship on Sunday, Paul Casey was questioned about his upcoming schedule.

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Paul Casey has three top-15 finishes in his past three starts on the PGA TOUR.

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"I'm FedExCup-ping it," the Englishman said, undoubtedly sending the wordsmiths at Webster's scurrying to validate the new verb.

Casey actually has several goals in mind as he makes his first appearance in the Wyndham Championship this week, though. And luckily for him, the three are not mutually exclusive in the final week of the PGA TOUR's regular season.

Casey wasn't a PGA TOUR member last season, so he didn't get to partake of the bounty that is the $35 million FedExCup bonus pool. He's safely 91st in the standings right now and should get to play in at least two Playoff events; perhaps more.

A win in Greensboro, though, could vault Casey into the top 20 in the standings -- not to mention, create a ripple affect across the Atlantic. He's counting on a strong performance in the FedExCup to earn him a spot on his second European Ryder Cup team.

"A lot of people asked me last week why I'm not going back to Europe to play for Ryder Cup points," Casey said Tuesday as he headed to the putting green at Sedgefield Country Club, which hosts the Wyndham Championship this week for the first time in 32 years.

"A lot of people suggested playing Gleneagles where I've won twice. But even if was to win at Gleneagles, that's still not enough points to put me on the team. So all I can do is play over here and play great golf and try to win over here and hopefully make my way in on the world points list."

Casey currently ranks 16th on that list with only five players automatically qualifying after the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in three weeks. Casey, who has a 3-1-2 Ryder Cup record, will compete that week in the Deutsche Bank Championship.

The 31-year-old Englishman comes to Greensboro with confidence, too. He tied for third at the BMW International Open, seventh at the Open Championship, eighth at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and 15th at the PGA.

"I've played some really good golf the last month or so," Casey acknowledged. "I played disappointing golf at the beginning of the year which is why I'm not straight on that Ryder Cup team as I would like to have been right now. I can't put it down the last few weeks; that's for sure.

"I want to play over here. I don't want to jet backwards and forewards and get jet-lagged and everything. Even if I get lucky and get on that team which is what I really want to do I don't want to be fatigued. This is my first year playing the FedExCup which I'm excited about. I didn't get to play it last year so I'm looking forward to the next few weeks out."

Casey, who played at Arizona State and makes his home in Scottsdale, is a member of both the PGA TOUR and European Tour this year. At 87th on the TOUR money list, he should be safely inside the top 125 but needs to have played in 15 events. Greensboro is No. 14 so he's closer to checking another goal off his list.

"Hopefully, I'll get better at it trying to play both," Casey said. "I want to play both. My ultimate goal is to win majors. I love playing in Europe. It's my home Tour. It's where I started out.

"I love playing on the PGA TOUR as well. Week in and week out you want to play against the best guys. You want to play against Tiger and Phil and all these guys. This very much my adopted home."

Casey has been working hard with his instructor and CBS announcer Peter Kostis. He's heard good things about Sedgefield, too, from his friend, Carl Pettersson, who went to high school in Greensboro and serves on the tournament's board of directors.

Casey's not sure what the difference between his play early in the year and the last four weeks. He's just glad it's come around at the right time of the season, and he's anxious to see what happens over the next few weeks.

"Obviously, I'm scoring better," Casey said. "I don't feel like I'm doing anything different. It's a work in progress. ... Sometimes you need a couple of good bounces, you need a couple of good putts to go in, for the confidence to turn around."