No wonder England 's renaissance man Paul Casey turned up at Doral yesterday for the WGC-Cadillac Championship with a broad smile on his face . Yes , it had to hurt a little that he had glorious opportunities to win the last two events on the PGA Tour and did n't close the deal in either instance . But this is a man who had fallen so far in America he had n't registered a top-three finish here in five years , let alone two in a row . Now , after becoming the last man to earn a spot in this elite field and on the verge of earning his first invitation to the Masters for three years , it is not surprising the 37-year-old has no trouble dwelling on the positives . England star Paul Casey is standing on the brink of a Masters invitation for the first time in three years . ' I 'm fine about not winning because the first thing was to earn loads of world ranking points to get me back into the top 50 , ' argued Casey , who has moved from 83rd to 45th — his highest ranking since 2012 . ' I 'm happy on the course , happy off it , and I really think I can build on what I have achieved these past two weeks . There 's better golf ahead of me . ' Casey has turned his professional life around after making what he describes as 'the hardest decision of my career ' . Three months ago he resigned his European Tour membership and woke to headlines proclaiming he had spurned the chance to play in the Ryder Cup , since you have to be a member to make the team . ' I understood the stories and if it had n't involved me , it 's what I would have thought , ' he said . 'But I have n't given up on the Ryder Cup . Anything but . My dream is to play in several more but I just have n't figured out how to yet . 'My energy has been focused on getting back in the top 50 because that 's where I will be of most use to Europe . ' 37-year-old Casey secured a third-place finish at the Honda Classic as he continues his renaissance . Casey was such a European Tour loyalist he served on any number of committees . 'It was such a difficult decision to resign that I took a few months to tell my manager Guy Kinnings because I felt I was betraying him and the Tour , ' said Casey . 'But I was running out of second chances . I was going back and forth across the Atlantic and it was clearly affecting my golf . 'Now I feel so relaxed knowing I do n't have to run myself ragged . I ca n't tell you the difference it is making . ' Becoming a father has also helped . Golf author Keith Elliott highlighted long ago the positive effects the 'nappy factor ' can have on a top pro and Casey is another paid-up subscriber . 'The great thing is I do n't take my work home with me any more , ' said Casey , who lives with wife Pollyanna and infant son Lex in Arizona . ' I used to hang around the golf course all day at home wasting time but now I 'm much more savvy . ' The world 's top 50 players get invitations at the end of this month to the Masters , so no prizes for guessing the next target for one of Europe 's best ball strikers . Ranked world No 3 in 2008 , it 's exciting to think where this second act might take him . Casey has scaled the world rankings from 83rd up to 45th , his highest placing since 2012 .
Paul Casey is on the verge of returning to the Masters tour . he earned a third - place finish at the Honda classic . He has scaled the rankings from 83rd to 45th , his highest placing since retiring .