PAUL CASEY'S RYDER CUP
ACE WINS RBS SHOT OF
THE YEAR TROPHY

Paul Casey’s memorable hole-in-one during the Ryder Cup at the K Club in Ireland has been voted the RBS Shot of the Year for 2006 by a panel comprising TV, radio and golfing media. Casey, who won the monthly award for that spectacular shot in September, receives the RBS Shot of the Year Trophy and £2,000 to donate to a charity of his choice.
The 29-year-old Englishman, who was named last week as the European Tour Golfer of the Year, is the fourth winner of the RBS-sponsored award, following Sweden’s Fredrik Jacobson in 2003, David Howell of England in 2004 and Ireland’s Paul McGinley last year.
By coincidence, when Howell won the RBS Shot of the Year Award in 2004 he was partnering Casey in the Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills. Two years on, the roles were reversed with Howell looking on as Casey holed his four-iron tee shot at the 14th hole (213yd) of the Palmer Course during the Saturday four-ball match against Stewart Cink and Zach Johnson 5 and 4.
It was the first time that anyone had closed out a Ryder Cup match in the history of the event, and Casey’s spectacular ace was the first since Howard Clark’s effort at Oak Hill in 1995.
Casey, who finished runner-up to Padraig Harrington of Ireland in the European Tour Order of Merit, said: “It was my first hole-in-one in a professional tournament and to achieve it in a Ryder Cup was an unbelievable experience. I can remember watching countless replays of people like Nick Faldo and Howard Clark making holes in one at previous Ryder Cups and I am looking forward to seeing this one replayed again and again.
“I knew I had struck it very well, turning it on the wind, but when the crowd erupted at the back of the green it was a bizarre moment. I didn’t want to celebrate too soon in case it hadn’t gone in. That’s why you can see my delayed reaction before throwing my arms in the air. It was amazing. How often do you finish off a Ryder Cup match without walking off the tee? It was a very surreal situation and I don’t suppose I will ever replicate that shot under those circumstances.
“I feel very privileged to win the RBS Shot of the Year. There were so many great shots played during the season and I feel very lucky that mine has been voted the best of them. It is a very, very special award.”