Casey wins Valspar title

OVERVIEW
It took nearly nine years between PGA TOUR wins for Paul Casey, a drought he doesn’t intend to replicate.

The 41-year-old veteran buried some demons on U.S. soil at the Valspar Championship last season, a feat more incredible given Tiger Woods was on of the closest pursuers. The raucous crowd was willing Woods home but they could not deter the Englishman, who posted a final-round 65 and watched as Woods and Patrick Reed failed to match him.

It has now been four straight seasons with a TOUR Championship berth for Casey, where he has notched up 29 top-10s. But he knows he should have more wins. He led the Travelers Championship by four through 54 holes last season and dropped to a runner-up finish.

As he gets closer to the end than the beginning of his career, he knows he must make more chances count. His fall series once again showed his consistency as he posted three top-25 finishes from as many starts to turn into the new year at 42nd in the FedExCup.

As has been the case throughout most of his distinguished career, Casey once again look to rely on his impressive approach game and then ride the rounds where his putter gets hot. In the last five seasons he’s finished no worse than 13th on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green.

“The way I strike the golf ball … I don't stress about technique, I never have,” Casey said after his win last season. “I figure everything out and I pick the target and hit it. If it's a good shot, great. If it's a bad one and went slightly off line, maybe I make a small adjustment and try not to do the same with the next one.

“I've never done with that the putting (before). I've always been super critical and try to have a great stroke. Now I'm approaching it the same way I approach the rest of the game. It's carefree. And If it's not, I'm not beating myself up.” -- By Ben Everill

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