New Jersey
Paul Casey Joins LIV Golf, Will Debut at New Jersey Event
Paul Casey has been recovering from a again harm and has not performed the PGA Tour since March.
Erich Schlegel, USA At present
NORTH PLAINS, Ore. – Paul Casey is the most recent participant to affix the LIV Golf Invitational Collection and can make his debut later this month on the third occasion in New Jersey.
Casey, 44, a 15-time DP World Tour winner from England who has performed on 5 Ryder Cup groups, is ranked No. 26 within the Official World Golf Rating. He offers LIV Golf 22 of the highest 100 gamers within the rating.
He has been battling a again harm this yr and it’s unclear if he’ll play within the British Open in two weeks. Casey missed the Masters, the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open. In truth, he has not performed because the WGC-Dell Applied sciences Match Play Championship in March.
Casey was outspoken in 2019 about not taking part in within the unique Saudi Worldwide event, then sanctioned by the European Tour. He cited his then-association with UNICEF for skipping the event.
“It simply didn’t sit effectively with me,’’ Casey mentioned on the time to the Unbiased newspaper. “I’ve not talked an excessive amount of about it and I’m unsure I need to, however actually signing a deal and being paid to be down there… I’d be a hypocrite if I did that.
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“Anyone who says sports activities isn’t political, that’s garbage. Sport could be very political. I’m glad I took a stance, extra so if it highlights the problems inside the area, particularly subsequent door in Yemen. I’ve seen the numbers. In Yemen, 22 million persons are going through hunger, 11.5 million of the children. I didn’t need something to do to get in the best way of an incredible group like UNICEF.’’
Casey, who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., and has received 3 times on the PGA Tour, later modified his thoughts. After skipping the Saudi occasion in 2019 and 2020, he has performed it every of the previous two years.
“This isn’t a call I’ve taken frivolously,’’ he mentioned previous to the 2021 event. “I wasn’t snug going previously, however I’ve all the time been open-minded and keen to be taught. I consider sport has the facility to have an effect on change. I’ve listened to the Saudi’s dedication to this and their imaginative and prescient for the longer term.
“They’ve efficiently hosted two skilled women tournaments, which exhibits that Golf Saudi have been plans for skilled golf, however extra so for grassroots and the following technology.’’
After a number of delays in naming gamers, LIV Golf introduced an eight-tournament sequence this yr. Earlier this week, LIV officers mentioned they’d advance to their 14-tourament, 12-team league format in 2023, with the probability of the primary event to be performed in March.
The LIV group and its gamers have obtained appreciable pushback from those that consider they shouldn’t be related to Saudi Arabia, as a consequence of its human rights abuses and its purported function within the 9/11 assaults.