"The omission of Paul Casey is, in strictly golfing terms, indefensible."

Lawrence Donegan takes a more diplomatic approach than Oliver Brown did yesterday, but the message is the same: Paul Casey was not selected because of perceived (though essentially unspecified) personality issues.

He's too American.

He didn't play in Europe enough (but more than Donald and Harrington).

He's just not well liked by the other philanthropists on the team and Captain Marvelous.

But Donegan also points out that he's not been press friendly since an incident when he...drum roll please....spoke out about "hating" Americans!

Casey's relationship with the press, or rather lack of relationship, probably didn't help him in the lobbying process either. (A bit of history: Five years ago he gave an interview to the Sunday Times in which some playful remarks about the Ryder Cup rivalry with the US were subsequently spun into a confection by other newspapers about him "hating" Americans. In fact, he went to college in the US, married an American and now lives in America. He was, according to friends, deeply affected by the incident, the upshot being that he treats most journalists' queries as if they were a stick of 40-year-old dynamite. Such reserve might, in the circumstances, be understandable but it has had its consequences.)

I'm fascinated by the Casey bashing for no other reason than there is decent chance he will end up on the European team if Lee Westwood's injury keeps him from playing?  **Reader Stuart reminds me that Justin Rose would get the nod based on his finish in the qualifying points list, though the next person on the list was Molinari and he got picked. So a replacement might be up to Monty. Oh screw it!