Paul Casey warned anyone who would listen entering the final round of the European Open that he was the player to beat on Sunday.
Casey delivered on his warning with a 6-under 66 to scratch out a one-shot victory at 14-under over Matthias Schwab, Robert MacIntyre and Bernd Ritthammer on Hamburg, Germany’s par-72 Green Eagle Golf Course.
Casey, 42, earned his 14th European Tour victory and his first since winning the KLM Open in 2014.
The Englishman Casey – ranked No. 17 in the world before the long-awaited victory – called himself “dangerous” after finishing the third round just one shot back of MacIntyre and Ritthammer.
Scores: European Open
Casey led the European Open after 18 holes but stumbled with a 73 in Round 2. He picked up nine shots over the final 36 holes with a 69-66 to earn the trophy.
Casey ran England’s streak in winning this event to three years in a row following Jordan Smith in 2017 and Richard McEvoy in 2018.
“I saw the leaderboard, but there’s a long way to go. Usually the guys who struggle on Saturdays play well on Sundays. There’s a lot of guys out here where this is a very big week for them. It’s big for me too, but I’m in a different position because I’ve been there and done that,” the prophetic Casey said on Saturday.
“I’m at the stage where I’m pretty content. As [Lee] Westwood says, ‘If you don’t care as much, you’re dangerous.’ I’m kind of falling into that category, so that makes me dangerous tomorrow.”
Just dangerous enough to win.
