Ambitious Casey has Ryder Cup in his sights

ENGLAND’S Paul Casey, considered for a wild card for last year’s Ryder Cup, is determined to make the next one on his own merits.

The next contest at Oakland Hills in Michigan may be more than a year and half away, but Casey is already looking ahead to when qualifying starts in September.

The 25-year-old carded a five-under 67 to lie just two shots off the lead held by Welsh pair Stephen Dodd and Bradley Dredge after the first round of the Dunhill Championship in Johannesburg.

But he admitted he already had one eye on making the European team for 2004 which will attempt to defend the trophy won in such memorable fashion at the Belfry last September.

"The overall target is the Ryder Cup in two years, and everything else falls into that," said Casey, who was considered for a wild card by captain Sam Torrance in 2001 the year he won the Scottish PGA Championship and Rookie of the Year honours before the contest was postponed for a year.

"You want to be in a position when the Ryder Cup qualifying starts, to be in the world's top 50 and the majors, to rack up some good points. I definitely want to be there."

Casey could be just one of the new generation of young English stars to make the team, with defending champion Justin Rose, close friend Ian Poulter, Nick Dougherty and Luke Donald all possible contenders.

Meanwhile, overnight leaders Dredge and Dodd are both seeking their maiden wins on tour, Dredge losing out to Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer in the Volvo Masters at the end of last season, and Dodd leading going into the final round of the Hong Kong Open in December.

"Looking back over the tournaments where I've come close, I think it's getting to the point where I wouldn't have done anything differently so I'm learning all the time and I've just got to be patient," said Dredge.

The Welsh duo had a one-shot lead over Zimbabwe's Sean Farrell and South African duo Callie Swart and Louis Oosthuizen, with Casey in joint sixth alongside Sheffield's Mark Roe and Leeds' Ben Mason only in the field as a last-minute replacement for sunstroke victim Andrew Oldcorn.

Defending champion Rose could only card a 73 at Houghton a course where he is collectively 40 under par for the last two tournaments while Lee Westwood fired a 71, but did have a hand in Oosthuizen's success.

The 20-year-old South African used a putter given to him by Westwood they share club manufacturers in his 66, the pair having met at Open qualifying last year.

Oosthuizen can also call on the advice of Ernie Els as a member of the Open champion's golf foundation, but may not need too much of it after shooting a 15-under-par 57 at his home course of Mosselbay late last year.

Oosthuizen carded 11 birdies and two eagles in his stunning round, and even missed a four-foot eagle putt after driving the green on the par-four 13th during a game with two friends.

He missed out on gaining his European tour card through qualifying last year, but is keen to secure one this season, and victory on Sunday would do precisely that.

"I missed out in the first stage of qualifying last year but I'd love to get my card in Europe," he said. "I don't like to bother Ernie or Lee too much because I think when they're off the course they don't want to talk about golf, but when I really want to know something I will ask them."