Casey Cracks the World’s Top 3 Players; Qualifies for US Open

Fresh from his victory at Wentworth in the BMW PGA Championship, Britain’s Paul Casey now finds himself ranked as the world number 3 in the latest world rankings standings. Casey, who had started the year ranked 41st is now behind only Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

Casey is keeping some top company in his latest standing, while he also finds himself among an elite group of Britons who have managed to crack the world’s top three: only Sandy Lyle, Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam and Colin Montgomerie have reached the same ranking.

Casey will now be looking to consolidate that position at the top end of the world rankings with a good performance at this week’s Crowne Plaza Invitational at the Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas; his first appearance in the tournament.

A strong field has assembled for the ‘Colonial’, although defending champion Phil Mickelson won’t be competing after taking an indefinite sabbatical from the game to attend to family duties after his wife Amy’s diagnosis of breast cancer.

In addition to breaking into the top three, Casey is also one of 12 players to earn a place in next month’s U.S Open, after this week’s rankings cut-off saw him safely inside the top 50. Casey will be competing in his sixth U.S Open, due to be held between June 18-21 at Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, New York.

South African Rory Sabbatini, following his victory in the PGA Tour’s Byron Nelson Championshp also qualified for the year’s second major, while Britons Luke Donald, Ian Poulter and Justin Rose, Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, Australian Adam Scott, Spaniards Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Alvaro Quiros and U.S. trio Sean O’Hair, David Toms and Nick Watney also secured their places in the line up.