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Casey would relish front row seat at Tiger's return

WITH MOUNTING speculation Tiger Woods could be only two weeks away from his comeback, England’s Paul Casey said yesterday he …

Wed Mar 10 2010 - 00:00

WITH MOUNTING speculation Tiger Woods could be only two weeks away from his comeback, England’s Paul Casey said yesterday he would like to be right up close when it happens.

The world number one has been out of the game since allegations about his private life emerged following a car crash in November.

“I’ve got to say yes,” commented Casey when asked if he fancied being a playing partner for Woods’ return. “It could be interesting, though. The sort of scrutiny will be on a level that’s probably something we’ve never witnessed before.

“I’ve always enjoyed playing with the best players in the world, and especially the number one player in the world. There’s always a lot of extra sort of distraction out there, but this time around it could be even more so.”

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Woods’ last tournament was the Australian Masters he won in November. Two weeks later came the car crash outside his home that sparked all manner of stories about his private life.

Admitting infidelity and then announcing an indefinite break from the game, Woods did not appear again in public until his televised statement on February 19th. During that he said he was not sure to make his comeback this year but he is thought to be back practising now.

His first competitive golf could be the Tavistock Cup at his home club of Isleworth in Florida on March 22nd-23rd.

That is a private match against Lake Nona but later the same week is the Arnold Palmer Invitational at nearby Bay Hill – he is the defending champion – and, if he is to play a tournament before The Masters on April 8th-11th, that seems the obvious one.

In the meantime, Casey hopes to take further advantage of Woods’ absence at the CA world championship in Miami starting tomorrow. The 32-year-old is one of the favourites after finishing runner-up to fellow Englishman Ian Poulter at the WGC-Accenture Match Play and then coming fourth at the Honda Classic on Sunday.

This week’s event has only 68 players in it. Almost a third of the field are Europeans, including the Irish trio of Pádraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy.