The USGA were far from happy with Paul Casey after he decided to withdraw from the 2005 US Open at Pinehurst without apparently having a medical reason for his decision.
The US Open 21 years ago proved to be a brutal test. While the leader after two of the first three rounds was at three-under, no one ended the week in North Carolina under par for the tournament, with Michael Campbell winning on level par.
Those on eight over par after two rounds made it through to the weekend. However, one player who did not even begin his second round at the iconic venue was Paul Casey.
The Englishman had decided to withdraw from the tournament after shooting an 85 on Thursday and falling to the bottom of the leaderboard.
Paul Casey upset USGA officials with his decision to withdraw from the 2005 US Open
Casey had done himself few favours after the Ryder Cup the previous year with some clumsy comments regarding American people. As reported by BBC Sport, he would subsequently apologise for the language he had used.
And with Casey walking away from the US Open for no apparent reason, tournament official Marty Parkes hit out, with the New York Post reporting that the USGA were angry with the European.
“Nine thousand people enter this tournament,” he said. “To get a place is a tremendous reward. We do not look kindly at anyone withdrawing without a genuine medical reason. We do not fine players, but we’ll look into any appropriate action that can be taken.”
What Paul Casey said about withdrawing from the US Open
Later in the month, Casey would explain his decision and insist that a reason had been given to the officials.
“Three people – my coach, my sports psychologist and my physio – all told me it was best I got out of Pinehurst,” he said, as reported by the Irish Examiner.
“I was struggling with my game and I thought I would be doing my playing partners Jeff Maggert and Jerry Kelly no favours by playing the second round.”
It was noted that Casey had been 46 over par across his previous seven rounds at that stage.
Of course, Casey has been a teammate with Bryson DeChambeau over the last few years, with the pair representing Crushers on LIV Golf.
So it would be interesting to know what Casey made of DeChambeau’s antics at The Open Championship where he apparently threatened to withdraw after being handed a two-shot penalty following his second round at Royal Birkdale.
Having faced criticism himself more than two decades earlier, perhaps the 49-year-old was among those urging DeChambeau to carry on.