Paul Casey conceded his second match on Thursday against Alex Noren due to a lingering back injury; he had already conceded his opening contest with Corey Conners on Wednesday; Casey will not play his final group game on Friday
Friday 25 March 2022 08:05, UK
Paul Casey is out of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play after conceding his second match of the week, this time without hitting a single shot.
Casey completed two holes of his opening contest with Corey Conners and hit his tee shot on the third before withdrawing due to back spasms on Wednesday.
The 44-year-old Englishman had hoped to be fit to face former Ryder Cup team-mate Alex Noren on Thursday, but withdrew at the last minute, with a somewhat bemused Noren already on the first tee.
Casey said he was taped, underwent physical therapy and also treated with heat and ice before making the decision to miss another round-robin match at Austin Country Club.
"Purely, it's a thing when you get to your 40s. But that's I guess what's causing the pain in the spasms up the back," he said.
"I've had it, I've probably had this like four, five times in 20 years, so it's not an injury, it's just, what is it? Fatigue? [It] could be back from the Players and the cold weather and all sorts of stuff and traveling.
"And I wanted to play today, but you just, you just saw it. I mean it's like, it hurt -- I was in there [the PGA tour physio truck] for a good hour this morning getting more treatment, hoping I could go. [It was] just tender on the putting green and then started to feel it on the chipping green and then couldn't get past a 9-iron, so ..."
Casey came in for criticism on social media for starting his match against Conners, thereby denying first reserve Bernd Wiesberger a place in the field.
However, Austrian Wiesberger, who would have needed to reach the semi-finals to potentially qualify for the year's first major at Augusta National, defended his Ryder Cup team-mate.
Writing on Twitter after Casey's concession to Conners, Wiesberger said: "PC is a good friend and I wish him a speedy recovery. Hopefully he'll be able to play tomorrow!"
Casey has now confirmed that he will not play Friday's match against Louis Oosthuizen and as a result, Oosthuizen will receive the match point.
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