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SUGAR GROVE, IL – SEPTEMBER 18: LIV CEO and commissioner Greg Norman watches play on the second hole during the final round of the LIV Golf Invitational Series Chicago at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois. Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire GOLF: SEP 18 LIV Golf Invitational Series Chicago Icon220918022. Image Courtesy: IMAGO
![](https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/Greg-Norman-2-1.jpg)
via Imago
SUGAR GROVE, IL – SEPTEMBER 18: LIV CEO and commissioner Greg Norman watches play on the second hole during the final round of the LIV Golf Invitational Series Chicago at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois. Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire GOLF: SEP 18 LIV Golf Invitational Series Chicago Icon220918022. Image Courtesy: IMAGO
LIV Golf will return to the English greens after nearly two years, marking the first time since the breakaway circuit started in the 2022 season. And like always, the stakeholders have been promoting the fact that the Saudi-backed league has tried to reach a global audience, even in places where the PGA Tour hasn’t held events. Paul Casey put forth a similar stance at the LIV Golf UK press conference.
The English pro complained that the UK fans have been “starved for [top] golf” since he started playing the game as a pro. Casey revealed that at that time, there were around 6 to 7 events played in the United Kingdom, but the count has dwindled since then. As his statement was shared, Ben Coley, a golf writer, called out the likely dual nature of Casey and his sudden interest in UK golf fans.
Coley shared all the times the 57-year-old could have played the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and given back to the English fans but missed the event. Before moving to the disruptive league, Casey didn’t play in Wentworth for six years, consecutively, from 2014 to 2017, then in 2020 and 2021. The writer addressed Casey’s statement about the UK fans being starved because he was being paid and contractually obliged to play, or else he probably wouldn’t have chosen to play LIV Golf UK either.
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Paul Casey skipped Wentworth in…
2014
2015
2016
2017
2020
2021Worried about these 'starved' UK fans now he is paid and contractually obliged to be there; less worried when he had a say in the matter. https://t.co/6fytsXCMEM
— Ben Coley (@BenColeyGolf) July 25, 2024
Not only that, except for missing the BMW PGA Championship for the past years, Casey did not play other United Kingdom events organized by the DP World Tour, despite having a membership. Coley highlighted three more instances where Casey could have played in the United Kingdom and entertained the fans with top golf, something that they have been craving for a long time.
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Paul Casey did not play the Irish Open after winning it once
Ben Coley came with receipts! First, Coley reminded the 47-year-old that after winning the Irish Open in 2013, he returned to the event to defend the next year and never played it again. Casey did a similar thing for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Although he never won the event, he didn’t play it after the 2014 season. And as for the PGA Tour’s solo event on the United Kingdom’s soil, the Genesis Scottish Open, Casey didn’t play that event from 2015 to 2021 for undisclosed reasons. Coley took a jibe at the LIV pro and said that perhaps he missed the events because he was “too busy being a UNICEF ambassador.”
Seemingly, the fans were also enraged by Casey suddenly turning into an advocate for UK fans, despite missing the elevated events many times in his career. Thus, this viewer recounted the time when Casey was snubbed for the Ryder Cup team as he missed a season on the European circuit and switched to the PGA Tour for better results and to eventually get into the Ryder Cup. They said, “Lol….missed out on Ryder Cup pick 2010, so did a Meronk and went to play solely in USA till he thought he had a chance of getting on team when he came back over. Then naffed off to LIV. Then starts talking crap about something he doesn’t give a stuff about.”
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Referring to Casey’s involvement with UNICEF, a fan commented on the golfer’s pledge to donate $100 for every birdie made during the event. The fan noted that this initiative did not raise as much money as anticipated, expressing frustration and said,“Bravo. He was always a self absorbed narcissist May ’18 “Paul Casey has announced that for every birdie he hits in tournament play between now and December 2018, he will give $100 to UNICEF to fight famine and food crisis.” What was that? Less than $20,000?”
With just one event played in the United Kingdom and 12 particularly played in the United States of America, can Paul Casey’s stance justify that UK golf fans have been deprived of better golf in recent years, especially when he himself hasn’t participated in those events? Share your thoughts in the comments.