Paul Casey

Since joining the PGA Tour full time in 2015, Casey has proven to be one of the circuit's the most consistent golfers. He's earned more than $3 million in each of his six non-COVID seasons and has two wins to his name. Still, the perception is he should have accomplished more in the states. Casey turns 45 this season, and while his game shouldn't drop off a cliff, it should start a slow decline soon. His time to win a major is running out as is his time to really leave a mark on the PGA Tour. Casey's number from 2020-21 is not too high, and he could be considered a decent salary cap selection, but his upside is limited.

Casey's career on the PGA Tour has been one of dramatic ebbs and flows and entering this past season, it appeared as though he was riding a high, but his results showed that a dip may be imminent. Then again, the disruption of the pandemic may have more to do with his struggles than a drop in his game, but he will turn 44 this season. As such, his deflated cap number for this season might not be quite low enough to take him in a salary cap situation.

Casey's first go-round on the PGA Tour was a success, but after a few flat seasons, he really upped his game. This second go-round started in 2015 and in that time, he's earned over $3.6 million per season. This past season was his best as he crossed the $4 million threshold for the first time and picked-up his second PGA Tour victory. Casey did turn 42 this past season and the inevitable down turn in his game is coming, but Casey should be able to stave off Father Time for a few more years.

Casey has had three acts on the PGA Tour in his career. The first was positive, with a win in 2012 and a pair of solid seasons in which he topped $2 million in earnings. The second act was tough as he failed to win during any of the next four seasons and he was unable to crack the $1 million mark. His third act has been as good as the first, if not better. Last season, Casey picked-up his first win since 2012 and he again topped the $3 million mark. It was Casey's fourth consecutive season above the $3 million mark. Casey doesn't appear to be slowing down, but at 41, he's probably not going to get any better either. As such, expect a similar output this season as last season.

Casey picked-up his first win on the PGA Tour in 2009 and at the time, many more wins seemed likely, but eight years later, he's yet to find another win. In that time, he's finished runner-up six times, but most of those runner-ups have been a result of Casey going backwards in the final round, instead of him chasing down the leader. It's difficult to improve on a number like Casey posted last season, without the benefit of a win and as of now, it feels like Casey has a mental block, so projecting a win would not be wise. With that in mind, Casey is not a good salary cap option this season.

Paul Casey got off to a decent start this past season, with top-10s at Bridgestone, The Palmer, and The Masters, but he didn't really find his groove until the FedEx Cup Playoffs and from there, he absolutely took-off. Casey captured a runner-up at Deutsche Bank, which he followed-up with another runner-up at the BMW. Even a week off prior to the TOUR Championship couldn't slow Casey down as he posted a solo-4th in his final start of the season. Unfortunately, the late-season run made it nearly impossible to justify him as a salary cap selection this year. In draft leagues he's probably a second- or third-round pick.

It's been a crazy few years for Casey. Not long ago he was among the best European players on the planet, but his fall was hard and fast. It looks like he's on his way back though and there's definitely some value here. Casey played just above the minimum number events last year, so the upside is a bit limited, then again, his price tag is pretty low, so the risk is limited as well. He's worth a look in salary cap leagues and should find his way into the first 10 rounds of a draft.

Casey won't be fully exempt this season, but he'll get enough opportunities to make some money this season through sponsor's exemptions and possibly his World Golf Ranking if he can improve his rank overseas. Casey's been off his game for a few years now, but his earnings number is so small, there's no reason to not take him in a salary cap format. In draft leagues, he'll probably go undrafted.

Casey was well off his game in 2010, but there's no reason to think it was anything more than just a bad year. Actually, you could probably put some of the blame on a bad toe, but let's just say that he had a hiccup and he's ready to move on; it happens. He's only a year removed from a $3 million season, and Casey should, at minimum, double his earnings from last season.

A top-10 finish on the PGA TOUR money list was not enough to earn a spot on the European Ryder Cup team for Casey last year. That goes to show how difficult it is to crack that squad, but more important for Casey, it means he still must improve. That mindset could be very dangerous for the rest of the PGA TOUR in 2011, as Casey has as much talent as anyone outside of Tiger Woods. The one drawback on Casey is his schedule. He only played 17 events last season, but that could have been due to playing more events on the European Tour in an effort to gain membership on the European Ryder Cup team. With that out of the equation this season perhaps Casey will play more in the States in 2011. If so, he should improve his 2010 numbers. If not, he should, at minimum, match his 2010 numbers. Outside of driving accuracy, Casey was among the top 50 in almost every statistical measure on the PGA TOUR last season. He is to stats as Steve Stricker is to earnings.

Casey was the runner-up at the WGC match play event last March and followed that up with his first PGA TOUR victory at the Shell Open in early April, but he was relatively quiet following his impressive start to the season. Casey only played in 12 PGA events last season due to an injury, so expect that number to jump as long as he stays healthy in 2010. There are still some injury questions surrounding Casey, but he could turn out to be a nice fantasy pick if can repeat his early season success from last year. Casey, who was ranked 41st at the end of 2008, moved up to seventh in the final 2009 Official World Golf Rankings.

Casey joined the PGA Tour last season after a failed initial attempt despite success in Europe - and had a strong season playing a lot of events on both shores. He could see an even better '09 supported by his improved putting. Casey finished 41st in the top-50 listed in the final 2008 Official World Golf Rankings. Casey withdrew from the Bridgestone Invitational after six holes of the first round citing a rib muscle problem dating back to pre-British Open days. He received $80,000, non-official money.

Casey's struggles last year can be attributed to the comments he made about Americans the year prior. Now that those comments have slowly faded from the consciousness of most, Casey should be ready to focus on golf. He is fully exempt from his 2004 Ryder Cup appearance, so as long as he chooses to play over here, he should do better than last year.

While he'll continue to play primarily on the European Tour, Casey lives in Arizona with his girlfriend and wants to play a few more events on this side of the pond in 2004.