Casey endures Hoylake struggle

Paul Casey found himself in last place in the British Open at Hoylake today and then settled back to see if the leaders would also struggle.

Casey carded a final-round 77 to lie 10 over par and last of the 71 players who made the cut.

The Ryder Cup star had not finished outside the top 30 in any tournament in Europe or America since February before this week, and admitted he was at a loss to explain it.

“I really struggled with the swing. I didn’t have control of the golf ball this week and if you don’t have that round somewhere around here you’re not going to get away with it,” said the 29-year-old.

“Every week is tough but it exaggerates mistakes when you turn up to a major, especially an Open Championship. If this was a US Open I’d just be in the rough all the time and chipping out sideways.

"Here it’s slightly more complex and you end up in trickier positions, I find.

“I will enjoy watching it this afternoon because I thought the pin on 10 was ferocious pin position and 12 as well.”

Fellow Englishman Paul Broadhurst had been going the best of the early starters when he eagled the fifth and the 10th, but a double bogey six on the 11th dropped him back to four under par for the tournament.

The clubhouse target had been set by the oldest and youngest players in the field, playing partners Marius Thorp and Tom Watson.

Norwegian Thorp, just 18 years old, sealed the silver medal awarded to the leading amateur with a round of 71 to finish level par, while 56-year-old five-time Open champion Watson also returned a 71.