'Beaten up' Casey battles on

Paul Casey described himself as feeling “like I’ve been beaten up” after a second round 72 in the Volvo Masters at Valderrama today.

Better than he was, but still “weak and lethargic” because of suspected food poisoning, the European Tour Order of Merit leader reached halfway in the season-ending event down on six over par, 11 strokes behind leader Jose Manuel Lara.

Casey then waited to see how the three players chasing him – Padraig Harrington, David Howell and Robert Karlsson – fared in their bid to grab the number one spot.

With three holes to play Harrington, needing a top-three finish, was in joint 22nd spot at one over, while Karlsson and Howell, who have to be first or second on Sunday, were 14th and 22nd respectively.

An attack of stomach cramps had contributed to an opening 76 from Casey and when he was sick back at his hotel and then suffered more diarrhoea he was not sure whether he would be able to continue in the tournament.

“I’m over the worst now,” he was happy to report after his round. “I managed to eat half a sandwich, which was the first thing in almost two days.

“I’ll finish the week now.”

He was not the only player under the weather. Fellow Englishman David Lynn had gastric trouble too and even went to hospital for treatment before resuming on two under and in joint seventh place.

Lynn improved to fifth with a birdie on the fifth and was only two behind Lara, the Spaniard setting off again with two pars while playing partner Graeme McDowell bogeyed the second.

Howell, who had been “50-50 at best” on Wednesday because of his shoulder injury, covered the first eight holes in two over, while Karlsson’s hopes of the Order of Merit crown had a bad setback when he double-bogeyed the fifth to drop to one under.

Casey’s round nearly got off to a nightmare start. He hooked his opening drive into such a bad lie in the rough that caddie Craig Connolly walked past the ball and had to be told that it was just behind him.

If he had trod on the ball it would have been a one-shot penalty.

Casey bogeyed the hole, but worse was to come. Feeling stronger on the 11th tee he decided to hit the ball much harder, but carved it out to the right.

“It was the worst thing I could have done,” he commented.

The ball was never found and he ran up a double-bogey seven, but there were also three birdies on the back nine to raise his spirits and he added: “I certainly would have taken 72 at the start of the day.”