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On recent evidence, Paul Casey has the look of a lamb going to the slaughter ahead of his tee-off in the US Open at Pinehurst on Thursday.

Seven months on from winning the World Cup for England with Luke Donald, Casey's game seems to be in shreds and in no shape to take on what Vijay Singh calls the toughest US Open course he has ever seen.

The 27-year-old Ryder Cup star is an horrific 31 over par for his last six rounds, slumping to an 80 at the Forest of Arden to miss the halfway cut in the British Masters and then having two rounds of 78 in the BMW Championship at Wentworth.

His last appearance in the United States was the Masters in April - and his problems were apparent there as well where he posted rounds of 79 and 78.

But whatever the next two or four days hold for him, Casey is convinced the worst is behind him.

"It wasn't fun for a while - it can't be when you don't know where the ball is going to go," he said.

"I became paralysed over the ball and was beating myself up on the course. But all you can try to do is smile and battle through it.

"I am starting to hit some good shots again now. There are still some errant ones and I am not saying this week is going to see me back, but I am always the optimist. The glass is always half-full, never half-empty."

After Wentworth, Casey headed back to his base in Scottsdale, Arizona, and spent time with his coach Peter Kostis.

The key thing they agreed on was that as a feel player he needed to clear his head of technical thoughts.

"We did a lot of playing rather than standing there thinking about how to cure this. It was getting back to basics really.

"Now I am picking a target and hitting it rather than worrying about where my feet are or how my shoulders are lined up.

"I am enjoying the game again and I am going to stay upbeat. I am looking forward to the rest of the season.

"The one time I have played well this year I have won."

That was the TCL Classic in China in March, when he beat Paul McGinley in a play-off.

That apart, the follow-up to the World Cup win in Spain in November has been grim.

In fact, that week had its downside too because it was where the row over some anti-American comments he made after the Ryder Cup surfaced.

Casey had to put up with some heckling and adverse comments from other players on joining the US Tour, then a back problem kept him out for a while.

Meanwhile, world number two Singh has already told Tom Meeks, the United States Golf Association's senior director of rules and competition, that he had better find a place to hide if the course gets away again like it did last year at Shinnecock Hills.

Twenty-eight out of 66 players failed to break 80 on the last day and play had to be suspended for emergency watering of the short seventh after three of the first four players putted off the green and triple-bogeyed.

Ernie Els described conditions as "out of control" and Jerry Kelly said of the USGA: "When are they going to grow a head? If they were smart they would realise they look really stupid."

Phil Mickelson commented after one practice round earlier this week: "Without rain we have potential for 18 holes that could be like number seven at Shinnecock - very conceivable."

Singh added: "If you are not careful you can make bogey on every hole with good shots.

"If it does not rain you can't stop the ball on the greens. I don't think they are going to lose the course like last year when they made a mistake and it was impossible, but if they don't watch it, it will get over the edge in a heartbeat."