Spent Casey may consider dropping out

Paul Casey’s Ryder Cup hangover was in evidence again today as he finished his third round in the American Express World Championship long before runaway leader Tiger Woods has even begun his.

Casey admits his batteries are running low after two weeks in which he won the £1m (€1.5m) World Match Play title and then helped Europe to another record margin of victory over the Americans.

Next-to-last of the 60 starters at the halfway point at The Grove near Watford, the European Order of Merit leader was able to move up only one place when a one-over-par 72 left him eight over – a massive 23 strokes Woods.

He was also then left to consider whether his best move was to pull out of the event and gear himself up for next week’s Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.

“I’m very tired – what I really wanted to do this morning was sleep,” said the Surrey golfer, who will probably lose top spot on the money list to David Howell if his Ryder Cup partner, joint second overnight, finishes in the top six tomorrow.

“I’m trying very hard,” Casey added. “Actually, I tried less hard today because I tried hard the first two days and that didn’t work. But I’m making errors and poor swings.”

A week ago, of course, he made a perfect swing and holed in one at the K Club to give himself and Howell a foursomes win, before defeating world number three Jim Furyk in the singles.

Casey had hoped the Order of Merit battle would keep the adrenaline flowing, but he has simply run out of steam.

He had bogeys sixes at both the 15th and 18th, the second of those after he was just short of the green in two.