Paul Casey, Ranked 26th In The World, Becomes Latest To Defect From PGA Tour For LIV Golf

The LIV Golf Invitational Series has picked up another one -- as in another PGA Tour player.

The newest name is Paul Casey, who LIV Golf announced Saturday is the latest defector from the PGA Tour. Casey, 44, will make his debut at the tour's third event, July 29-31 at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Casey has missed the Masters, the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open this year, recovering from a back injury. He has not played since the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship in March.

Casey is ranked 26th in the Official World Golf Ranking. LIV Golf now has 22 of the top-100 players in the world on board, with Dustin Johnson (No. 17) the highest ranked player in the field.

The Englishman is a three-time winner on the PGA Tour -- the last coming at the Valspar Championship in 2019. Casey has won 15 times on the European Tour and has represented Team Europe five times in the Ryder Cup. Casey has been teammates on Team Europe with players such as Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood -- all of whom play in LIV Golf.

Casey said in 2019 that he wasn't comfortable playing in the Saudi International tournament, then sanctioned by the European Tour. He skipped the event in both 2019 and 2020, before playing in it in each of the past two years.

LIV Golf is primarily backed by Saudi Arabia, which has been long accused of human rights violations. Players who have joined the upstart league have been criticized by players, both former and current, as well as fans for joining.