Paul Casey took full advantage of a three-hour storm delay, matching the lowest major round of his career with a seven-under-par 65 Thursday to seize the lead at the Masters.
The Englishman awoke to heavy showers and was happy to wait before setting out on a rain-soaked Augusta National.
“I was not relishing the challenge ahead, waking up in the rain this morning,” Casey said. “That was a very good break I capitalized on because it was a glorious day for golf, really, after that.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
There were 44 players who had to finish their first round yesterday due to darkness because of the delay, which meant that Casey was unlikely to finish round two before sunset yesterday — but it was worth it.
Casey’s only other 65 in a major came in the final round of the 2018 Masters, but as he pondered a day with five birdies and an eagle at the par-five second hole, the Englishman was bothered by shots that he felt he had left on the course.
“It was a great round. It was just very solid golf,” he said. “I did the right things when I needed to. You rarely walk off this golf course going: ‘It could have been two or three better,’ but it kind of felt that way.”
Casey is chasing his first major title at age 43, but had his best major finish, a runner-up spot, in August at the PGA Championship.
He has struggled with finding the electricity and inspiration playing without spectators since the return from the COVID-19 shutdown.
“I didn’t know how the fanless experience would be — and so far, I’ve not enjoyed it and I’ve felt the lack of energy for me,” Casey said. “I’ve had nothing or very little to draw from being out playing tournament golf.”
Even without spectators this week, the Masters packs enough energy to inspire him, Casey said.
“The Masters, though, this week it still has a buzz to it,” he added. “There’s an energy and a little bit of a vibe. It’s clearly a lot less than what we are used to, but there’s something about this place that, still, I felt excited to be here. It’s quite a special experience this week.”
Casey attributes the emotions to the legacy of Augusta National.
“The course itself is part of it, the history of this tournament,” he said. “It always has been and always will be a real treat. It’s not lost on me.”
Taiwan’s Pan Cheng-tsung hit a two-under-par 70 in the first round, leaving him tied for 21st place with 12 other players going into the second round.
Additional reporting by staff writer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but