Paul Casey’s favourite courses
Factfile
Born
1977 - Cheltenham
Turned Pro
2000
Career Victories
11
World Ranking
7th
Ryder Cup
Three appearances
Paul Casey’s exclusion from the European Ryder Cup team may have been controversial, but at least he had the week off to enjoy his favourite golf courses. The Cheltenham-born powerhouse enjoyed his best finish in a Major in 2010 and was ranked in the world’s top 10 but was overlooked by captain Colin Montgomerie.
So when it comes to choosing his favourite courses perhaps it’s easy to see why there are no Montgomerie-designed tracks among them. He is though, a big fan of Kyle Phillips.
He explained: “I really love playing Kingsbarns with mates. It reminds me a little of Whistling Straits in Wisconsin where we played the US PGA Championship. They are great courses to play for fun but would I like to play tournaments on them regularly? Ooh, no. They’re tough.
“I’m a big fan of Kyle Phillips’ designs. He’s not so precious. He will listen to opinions and maybe make changes. I like that. The 12th that curls around the coast is fabulous. The 15th is just fantastic – the par three that plays over the ocean when the tide is in scares the hell out of me. I always bale out left. I’m a complete ‘wuss’,” he laughed. “And the 18th is just brutal with the burn in front of the raised green. I love it.” He also ranks the Old Course as one of his ‘chosen few’.
“St Andrews is my favourite Major venue because Augusta National has almost become too long. It’s a great week in the town, especially during the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship when the university students are all back for the new term. There’s such a great atmosphere.”
Although he was raised in Surrey, Casey, now 33, won a golf scholarship to Arizona State University and is very at home in the USA. So it’s not surprising his other choices are close to ‘home’.
“Desert Forest in Carefree, Arizona is the best desert course out near Scottsdale. Very private. Very narrow,” he explained.
“The desert is not pruned so if you knock it off the fairway, it’s just proper desert and you’re going to get stuck in cactus country.
“A lot of the courses are manicured. I used to play there a lot when I was at college. I play mostly now at Whisper Rock. There are two courses: the Upper and the Lower. The Upper is a Tom Fazio design and visually stunning. It’s got great elevation changes. I’m a big fan of the Lower and I’ll give great credit to Phil Mickelson, whose deal was to design the green complexes, chipping areas and collection areas. He’s done a wonderful job.”
Paul Casey was talking to Going for Golf’s Paul Mahoney.
