Casey and Poulter boost hopes

Paul Casey and Ian Poulter did nothing to harm their Ryder Cup chances during the opening round of the Deutsche Bank Championship today.

Casey and Poulter are among several players vying for Nick Faldo’s two captain’s picks on the European team, and both teed off knowing a bad round could hardly come at a less opportune time.

Casey made a slow start with 11 successive pars on a pleasant morning at the Boston TPC, before finishing strongly for a three-under-par 68, while Poulter carded 70.

“I struggled for a bit. It’s frustrating, because the greens were good and I just was not really making anything,” Casey said.

“I finally hit one close on 12 and got the round finally going. It’s nice to get off to a half-decent start.”

Casey picked up further birdies at the 15th and 16th holes to trail leader Vijay Singh by four strokes with half the field back in the clubhouse.

Poulter, meanwhile, carded two early birdies, but could not continue his momentum, parring the final 11 holes.

“One-under is okay,” he said. “I drove it well, hit my irons well, and I felt like I putted well, only one bogey on the card. I hit some good putts (and) a couple slipped by.”

Casey and Poulter have only one more day to impress captain Faldo, who on Sunday, while the third round is in progress here, will name his two wild-card choices for the team to take on the Americans in Kentucky in four weeks.

Both insisted they were trying to put the Ryder Cup out of their minds while they were on the course.

“You just have to try and concentrate on what you’re doing and I had a job to do today, and that’s play 18 holes,” said Poulter.

“I thought I did a pretty good job. I kept it out of my mind as much as I possibly could.”

Casey added: “I’m as relaxed as they come. I’m focusing on every shot, one at a time.”

While Casey and Poulter started smoothly, the same could not be said for Padraig Harrington, who ran up a triple bogey at the par-five 18th for a four-over 75 that left him dead last.

Harrington now faces the distinct probability of missing next month’s Tour Championship, even though he has won two majors this year, such is the way the PGA Tour’s points system punishes players for missing the cut in the four-event play-off series.

Singh, meanwhile, continued the sizzling form that took him to victory at last week’s Barclays Championship, reeling off eight birdies in a seven-under 64.

“I have a great attitude on the greens,” said Singh, who recently reverted to the mid-length belly putter after struggling for a while with a regular putter.

“I just listen to my head, and my head’s very positive. I think that’s the best attitude you can have, just listen to your own mind.”

As well as he putted, stellar iron play was perhaps the strongest part of Singh’s game, with all of his birdies coming from inside seven feet.