‘I defy any other of the guys to do that (put the ball on the green). It was into a howler. I can’t hit the ball any better’, said Casey.

That ‘bomb’ was one of many Casey launched along the fairways of the Brabazon. His swing, taught to him by Peter Kostis, is all his own but is technically very good. Its suits his size and his powerful physique perfectly. The results are enormous and from fairway to green, Casey can hit clubs that us amateurs would think ridiculous. He can then follow this up with putting from 10-15ft which is regarded with some envy by his fellow Professionals.

Having been only one of 3 players in 77 years to win all four matches in a Walker Cup, plus as a holder of new scoring records in the US from his time at Arizona State University (records previously held by Phil Mickleson and Tiger Woods), the transition to the pro ranks was not the way of other Amateur superstars. Casey had very little financial support when he was invited to the B&H in 2000, one of seven invite starts for Casey to try to win enough money for his card.

That year, Casey managed a very respectable 12th place. He followed it up with a 2nd place at the Great North Open and then, with card secured went on to win at the Gleneagles Scottish PGA and become Rookie of the year. This record was a perfect example of the determination that oozes from Casey.

Although, as an Amateur, he spent much of the autumn, winter and spring in the US, two English Amateur titles were won by Casey – but he was never picked to play for England. This rankles with the man. He did however win an England Schoolboy cap, just another top player to add this success to his amateur CV. No direct comment has been forthcoming from any EGU official to hand, save for ‘he wasn’t around much’.

Casey was emotional when interviewed by Steve Ryder, just after the Trophy presentation. He explained this in a more matter of fact way at his Press conference.

‘This meant a great deal. I have fond memories of here – I never played in any Tour events as an amateur. This is better than the ANZ (a championship won early in the year) and up there with the Scottish (his first win). It’s a big graduation and I can always find reasons to win … hopefully this will get me into the US Open (which it did) and probably the Open as well. This will get me into lots of things.’

Casey was then pressed about his goals, and those mentioned in the press.

‘I worry about my goals. If I live up to my own, I will fulfil others. The reception here was great, walking up to the greens. This was huge today. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up a few times. I did enjoy it today and in the past I haven’t but I knew what to expect.’

How did Casey get to play this well, especially in his first start for some weeks?

The answer didn’t come from Casey’s Press contact at the B&H, it actually was detailed two weeks later after Casey had shot a 64 to drag himself back into the Volvo PGA. He had talked about lots of competitive practice at his US base; now there were some specifics.

‘I’ve done a lot of hard work. Too much to list, six weeks worth, I probably had one day off from golf and it was at least seven hours a day. There were days when I would be out there with (Peter) Kostis for nine hours practising. We had some pretty intense days.’

‘When Peter is in town, he’s not a taskmaster but he’s very very generous with his time. We get as much done as possible. He’s there from very early in the morning to the time we get tired.’

‘I thoroughly enjoy, even nine hours. How many balls can you hit in nine hours? You can’t really count them because you work on more than just hitting golf ball. I haven’t counted them but I have the scars to prove them.’

At the B&H, Casey began to relax in front of what was a full press briefing. He asked about keeping the trophy whilst dealing with a few more general questions, notably whom he played during his six weeks off, the players who could provide him with tough play.

‘I took a lot of money off Gary McCord (noted US Tour commentator’

Would he be joining the US Tour?

‘I will not go to US Tour School. I will never see myself not playing 11 events to keep me card here – I would like my schedule to be based around preparing for the US Masters then once that is over, back here for the Summer, apart from the Majors and the World Championship events.’

All that will be good news for anyone looking for the next Faldo, or as Rose, Dougherty, Casey and all really want, to be the next them, not a replicant of the hero of the 90’s. Having nearly been selected for the Ryder Cup, 2002 was a year that Casey worked and thought too much about his swing (his own words) so that the results were not as good as Casey would have wanted them to be –

‘I talked about my own goals – if you want me to define them, it would be a career Grand Slam.’

‘It was nice to get last year, last season over with. When I got the call for the World Cup (last December) I had mixed feelings. I hadn’t played well and it was playing for England. Once I was out there, it was great and we played some good golf (Casey played with Justin Rose).’

The career Grand Slam had a few noted hacks (journalists) looking a bit taken aback, but the pride that was all too evident about playing for England was just as impressive. Paul Casey has a really strong personality to go with dedication to building a golf game which is the equal of any. He is so much more than a clone which factory style production can produce and as such, will always be very popular. He was an England Schoolboy once. Could you follow his footsteps?