Thursday 23 November 2017 10:32, UK
Paul Casey will represent Europe for the first time in over nine years in January after being selected as a wildcard for the EurAsia Cup.
Casey was part of the winning Ryder Cup teams in 2004 and 2006 and last played for Europe in the 2008 defeat to the United States at Valhalla.
He was controversially overlooked by captain Colin Montgomerie in 2010 despite being ranked inside the world's top 10 but after re-joining the European Tour for 2018, the world number 14 will now be in the frame for a place in the Ryder Cup team at Le Golf National in the autumn.
Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn will also lead Europe against Asia at the EurAsia Cup in Malaysia early in the new year and he is delighted to have Casey back in the fold.
"Once Paul announced he was rejoining the European Tour, and therefore making himself available for selection, that decision was a no-brainer for me," he said. "He is a wonderful player with a lot of experience and I think the young guys can learn a lot from him.
"He's also got a fantastic match play record and not just in Ryder Cups. He is comfortable with where he is in his life right now and him wanting to part of the EurAsia Cup team also shows his commitment to the European Tour and the road he is now on."
Frenchman Alexander Levy is the other wild card selected by Bjorn to play alongside ten automatic qualifiers, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Ross Fisher, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Paul Dunne, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Bernd Wiesberger, Thomas Pieters, Alex Noren and Henrik Stenson.
It is the last chance for Europe, who won the 2016 EurAsia Cup 18.5-5.5, to play in a team match play format before they attempt to regain the Ryder Cup in Paris.
