Advertisement

Luke Donald

"Absolute madness," says their former Walker Cup captain Peter McEvoy.

"There is nothing like previous success to give you confidence and I can't think of a good compelling reason not to.

"It looks an obvious one to me. It is no surprise to me that they have made the Ryder Cup team already - and they will keep making it.

"Luke comes across as a nice boy-next-door type, but he is very tough and totally self-motivated. He has always had good rhythm, but now he has got stronger and is no longer the skinny, weak kid I first met."

McEvoy, who called Donald his "silent assassin", is a big fan of Casey too.

"Paul's talents are all physical," he observed. "He is a bit more up and down than Luke, but as strong as a bull and aggressive."

McEvey's call goes against common  practice - it is rare indeed for two new caps to be made partners in the opening session of the Ryder Cup, and far rarer for it to produce a win.

Normally they are either kept waiting in the wings so they can sample the atmosphere without actually hitting a shot, or they are given a player with experience to 'hold their hand'.

Seve Ballesteros and Paul Way, Nick Faldo and Lee Westwood. and then Colin Montgomerie and Paul Lawrie are examples that worked out well.

European captain Bernhard Langer will start to reveal his thinking on Tuesday when the two teams have their first practice session at Oakland Hills near Detroit.

Casey has already let it out that he put down the names of Donald and Montgomerie when asked by Langer who he most wanted to play with.

Donald probably went along with that, but with the addition of Sergio Garcia to his three-man list.

Both members of the US PGA Tour, Garcia and Donald, the two youngest members of Europe's team, have become good friends.

But Langer might well want to link up Garcia with Lee Westwood again - for the start of the match at least - after they collected three points out of four together at The Belfry two years ago.

And Montgomerie may be earmarked for Padraig Harrington.

They ended the unbeaten run of Phil Mickelson and David Toms on the second afternoon last time out after Langer, unbeaten with Montgomerie in the first three sessions, asked to be rested.

Casey and Donald were both American college stars when they were picked for the 1999 Walker Cup at Nairn, although Casey admits he arrived for the match expecting to play with Yorkshire's Simon Dyson.

Up to that point, just one Britain and Ireland player - Andrew Oldcorn at Hoylake in 1983 - had ever won a maximum four points in the match, but Casey and Donald both achieved it in helping defeat the United States.,

McEvoy speaks only in glowing terms of the talent of the two.

"They were our two best players and that is why I put them together - I wanted us to get off to a flying start," he said.

"It is lovely to be able to drop back to the following games and tell them that the boys up ahead are three-up, four-up or whatever.

"They have very different styles of playing, but they were comfortable with each other and that is the most important thing.

"I had never seen Paul play when he came for a squad session at Nairn. It was February and there was horizontal sleet, but his drive off the first tee was all I had to see to realize what ability he had."

Casey, twice English amateur champion, remembers the occasion well.

"I had never played international golf with Luke because I never played with England (a clash of personalities, he admits), but we got to know each other on the American college circuit and got along very well," he said.

"We were rivals, but we tried to learn from each other. Luke was an incredible iron player and I was all over the place, but very long. We respected each other.

"It worked out very well at Nairn. We did not have to say a lot to each other, but we had confidence. It was picked up on television at one point when Luke said 'where would you like it?' and I said 'anywhere. I'll knock the putt in.' Typical arrogant kid, I was."

Casey was the first to turn professional, but Donald stayed amateur for another Walker Cup - and won three points of four in another win, this time on American soil.

Both had victories in their rookie seasons, Casey in Scotland and Donald on the US tour, and they have had more success since.

Casey, considered for a wild card by Sam Torrance in his first full season in the paid ranks, qualified automatically this time.

Donald was given a wild card ahead of Swede Fredrik Jacobson, the fourth highest European on the world rankings.

It is his steadiness, solid play and hot form - a win just before and then straight afterwards - that led Langer to pick him, but that 1999 Walker Cup performance alongside Casey certainly enhanced his claims.

Back together or not, they have high hopes.

"A lot of the members of the European team are playing well, so I think we are going to be fine no matter who is our partner," commented Donald.

Get great value Official Tiger Woods merchandise here