Casey comments prove costly

The fall-out from Paul Casey’s anti-American comments have taken a new and potentially expensive twist with his sponsor Acushnet – makers of Titleist clubs and balls – announcing they will not be renewing his contract next season.

Casey, who with Luke Donald was trying to defend a five-stroke halfway lead for England in the World Cup in Seville today, told a journalist following September’s Ryder Cup win: “We properly hate them.”

He also said Americans have a “tendency to sort of wind people up” and questioned the wisdom of Tom Lehman’s appointment as next United States captain.

In a statement Wally Uihlein, chairman and chief executive officer of the Acushnet company, said: “First and foremost, we want people to understand that Mr Casey’s comments do not reflect the views of the Acushnet Company and were not made in his capacity as a endorser of our products.

“In addition, Mr Casey’s contract expires on December 31 and both parties have mutually agreed that it will not be renewed or extended.”

Casey is now full of regret for his comments and after initially expanding on them in Spain this week has asked for no more questions on the subject.

He admitted it kept him awake on Wednesday night and has played on his mind in the tournament.

His views were made to a Sunday Times journalist in the course of an hour-long interview, but were then turned into a tabloid headline: “Americans are stupid. I hate them.”

The backlash started immediately. When Scott Verplank, partnering Bob Tway for the United States this week, was told that Casey, sixth in the Masters at Augusta in April, now had a US Tour card and planned to play more there next year he stated: “If he’s really that uncomfortable or that annoyed or anything I don’t think anybody would miss him if he went back to England.

“I wouldn’t think that would be the smartest thing to do if you’re going to stay over in the United States. The temperature around him might cool off a little bit.

“I mean, how can you say derogatory things towards a group of people and generalising them all and not expect to have some guys not take it personally?”

The wife of South African player Rory Sabbatini confronted Casey yesterday with a T-shirt on which she had pinned the words “Stoopid Amerikan” and commented: “Call this my political statement. I saw what he said about us and didn’t like it, so I printed this last night.

“He saw me and smiled, but then he read what my T-shirt had on it and quit smiling.”