| Casey makes point to Montgomerie • Casey comes within one shot of winning BMW title in Chicago• Englishman hits back at accusations of 'disloyalty' to EuropePaul Casey came tantalisingly close to delivering the ultimate rebuke to those who left him off Europe's Ryder Cup team when he finished second at the BMW Championship in Chicago.The Englishman, who was denied a wild-card pick by Colin Montgomerie, despite being ranked eighth in the world, was leading the field by three shots during the final round but a run of three successive bogeys from the 13th, allied with some brilliant tee-shots by the American Dustin Johnson over the closing holes, saw him finish one shot behind the winner.It was a disappointing finish for Casey, who started the day in a tie for fifth alongside Ian Poulter. The two played alongside each other, although Casey quickly established himself, running off five birdies in his opening 12 holes.For Johnson, whose year has been notable as much for his final-round escapades at the US Open (where he lost a three-shot advantage) and the PGA Championship (where a two-shot penalty on the final hole cost him a place in a play-off) as for his United States Ryder Cup selection, the win confirmed his reputation as the coming man.For Casey a second-place finish amounted to more than a measure of vindication in the aftermath of his controversial omission from the European team, who will face the United States at Celtic Manor in just over two weeks' time. He now stands fifth in the FedEx Cup rankings and with one play-off event remaining, the Tour Championship in Atlanta, he has a strong chance of winning the $10m bonus prize awarded to the player who collects the most play-off points.The tournament in Atlanta finishes five days before the opening tee shot in Wales. Casey, meanwhile, will be heading off to Canada for a bicycling holiday, leaving behind an argument over his non-selection that is likely to endure until the Ryder Cup is decided.If Europe win, no one will care that one of the best players in the world was left off the team. But if they lose, Montgomerie, along with his three vice-captains – Paul McGinley, Darren Clarke and Thomas Bjorn – will face wholesale criticism for picking the wrong team.In particular, attention will be focused on the decision to select Padraig Harrington over Casey, not least because he played fewer events in Europe this year than did the Englishman.Those close to Casey are privately upset that he has been accused of not showing enough loyalty to the European Tour. "I know the facts,'' the player said this weekend. "I know how many I played in Europe compared to guys who were picked, so I'm not even going to get into that."Paul CaseyRyder CupColin MontgomerieLawrence Doneganguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
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