OMEGA DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC

January 28, 2021

Paul Casey

Emirates Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q When we spoke on the golf course, you were 4-under after your first four holes. Give us your verdict on 67, 5-under.

PAUL CASEY: Still a great day. This is a difficult golf course. The last time I played here was seven years ago. It was difficult then. It's grown some teeth in the last few years, some new tees. Very happy. It's difficult to read the greens and make putts around here. They have always been tricky, a bit of grain in there. Yeah, very happy with that start.

Q After your second-place finish at the PGA Championship last year in August, you went a bit quiet for the end of the year but come out pretty sharp straightaway, 8th last week and now this. Talking to John McLaren, your caddie said you've been playing more rather than practising. Tell us about that?

PAUL CASEY: Yeah, feel lucky because golf courses are open in Arizona. Even various other places across the state line, they are not. I feel for everybody in the U.K. where golf courses are closed right now.

To be honest I took advantage of it. I spent a lot of time playing. It's maybe something I've not done as much of over the last few years. I put a new driver in the bag the last couple of weeks.

Yeah, just small little changes, but I feel -- I mean, 2020, you know, like a lot of people, I just -- let's just move on and I feel optimistic this year, we're still in the middle of a pandemic, things are still difficult around the world. We are very lucky that we're playing golf and I feel that sort of fortunate place that we're in to play, I feel that I'm going to take advantage of that, while I'm out here, make hay.