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In a career spanning over a decade, English professional golfer Paul Casey has become a firm favorite among fans of the sport and fellow players with his exhilarating skill and consistent performance levels.
His most notable of 11 European Tour victories came in his home county of Surrey at the BMW PGA Championship in 2009, where he held off compatriot Ross Fisher to take the top spot at the highly-prestigious tournament.
Casey landed the win with a seven-foot putt on the 72nd hole of the competition for a one shot victory that elevated him to number three in the official world rankings.
"I have always wanted to get my name on this trophy because of all the great names,'' he said in reference to players such as Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros. "This course is where I got the big love for the game, so it feels great to win here."
More recently, Casey put a 20-month dry spell well behind him to win the inaugural Volvo Golf Champions - where his victory depended on his ability to sink a putt at the 18th hole at the Royal Golf Club.
He closed the proceedings with a four-under-par score of 68 to end the competition at an impressive 20-under, while Sweden's Peter Hanson and Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez were tied for second place.
Born in Cheltenham in 1977, Casey moved to Weybridge, Surrey at the age of six before taking a golf scholarship at Arizona State University years later. He enjoyed a thrilling and distinguished amateur career following his graduation, which saw him break the champion scoring record held by Tiger Woods in 2000 with a 23-under-par 265.
Before joining the European Tour the following year, he became the first man to triumph at three consecutive Pac-10 Championships, as well as victories at the English Amateur and a membership on Great Britain and Ireland's winning side at the Walker Cup in 1999.
Following this, he has recorded a number of achievements in the world of professional golf, including a spot in the victorious 2004 European Ryder Cup squad, along with the WGC-World Cup for England with compatriot and current world number one Luke Donald.
While many have suggested his triumph at last year's Volvo Golf Champions may be the start of a more promising future, Casey was hit with a bout of bad news after he dislocated his right shoulder while snowboarding in California just last week.
Although the 20th ranked player in the world does not require surgery for his injuries, he may be out of the game for up to two months, which comes as a blow to the player at the launch of the 2012 season.