No wonder England's renaissance man Paul Casey turned up at Doral yesterday for the WGC-Cadillac Championship with a broad smile on his face. Yes, it had to hurt a little that he had glorious opportunities to win the last two events on the PGA Tour and didn't close the deal in either instance. But this is a man who had fallen so far in America he hadn't registered a top-three finish here in five years, let alone two in a row. Now, after becoming the last man to earn a spot in this elite field and on the verge of earning his first invitation to the Masters for three years, it is not surprising the 37-year-old has no trouble dwelling on the positives. England star Paul Casey is standing on the brink of a Masters invitation for the first time in three years . 'I'm fine about not winning because the first thing was to earn loads of world ranking points to get me back into the top 50,' argued Casey, who has moved from 83rd to 45th — his highest ranking since 2012. 'I'm happy on the course, happy off it, and I really think I can build on what I have achieved these past two weeks. There's better golf ahead of me.' Casey has turned his professional life around after making what he describes as 'the hardest decision of my career'. Three months ago he resigned his European Tour membership and woke to headlines proclaiming he had spurned the chance to play in the Ryder Cup, since you have to be a member to make the team. 'I understood the stories and if it hadn't involved me, it's what I would have thought,' he said. 'But I haven't given up on the Ryder Cup. Anything but. My dream is to play in several more but I just haven't figured out how to yet. 'My energy has been focused on getting back in the top 50 because that's where I will be of most use to Europe.' 37-year-old Casey secured a third-place finish at the Honda Classic as he continues his renaissance . Casey was such a European Tour loyalist he served on any number of committees. 'It was such a difficult decision to resign that I took a few months to tell my manager Guy Kinnings because I felt I was betraying him and the Tour,' said Casey. 'But I was running out of second chances. I was going back and forth across the Atlantic and it was clearly affecting my golf. 'Now I feel so relaxed knowing I don't have to run myself ragged. I can't tell you the difference it is making.' Becoming a father has also helped. Golf author Keith Elliott highlighted long ago the positive effects the 'nappy factor' can have on a top pro and Casey is another paid-up subscriber. 'The great thing is I don't take my work home with me any more,' said Casey, who lives with wife Pollyanna and infant son Lex in Arizona. 'I used to hang around the golf course all day at home wasting time but now I'm much more savvy.' The world's top 50 players get invitations at the end of this month to the Masters, so no prizes for guessing the next target for one of Europe's best ball strikers. Ranked world No 3 in 2008, it's exciting to think where this second act might take him. Casey has scaled the world rankings from 83rd up to 45th, his highest placing since 2012 .
Paul Casey is on the verge of returning to the Masters tour . Casey secured a third-placed finish at the Honda Classic . He has scaled the ranks from 83rd to 45th, his highest placing since 2012 .