Golf: Casey close to tears after missing out on Ryder Cup

Casey kept his composure in interviews after playing the final round of The Barclays event in New Jersey with Padraig Harrington - chosen by European captain Montgomerie along with Luke Donald and Edoardo Molinari.

But, as he began signing autographs, it appeared the emotion of missing out along with fellow Englishman Justin Rose was building up.

The world No 9 guessed he was out of the team when Harrington's wife, Caroline, said nothing after giving her husband's caddie the thumbs-up on the course.

"I've not really officially heard and I haven't looked yet to see if I have a text or voice message, but I saw Caroline gave Ronan (Flood] the thumbs-up on the seventh hole and then it went fairly quiet," said Casey.

"I figured that was it. Caroline's a great friend - she would have said something to me if I had been picked, so at that point I kind of knew that I hadn't.

He added: "I'm not going to stand here and sort of plead a case for why I should be on the team. It's done and dusted. I tried my hardest and I didn't make it.

"I wasn't picked. I didn't qualify automatically. I wish I had. Coming off last year being injured, you're not making any points - really last year hurt my ability to qualify automatically for the team.

"My best wishes go to the team and I'll be supporting them in the match and I want them to win."

Harrington commented: "It was going to be a difficult situation. As I've said all along, if you don't qualify for the team you don't have an automatic right to be on the team.

"I think Edoardo Molinari did an incredible job birdieing the last three holes to force his hand and fair play to him. The picks are generally reserved not for rookies, but by God did he deserve to get that pick.

"But obviously that left a very awkward situation and there's two good players who would have added to the team in any other year.

"On my own side, maybe it was obviously experience as the team is a young team. I won't normally play the age card, but this time it obviously suits me.

"You can go to the ends of the earth to try and say that one player is going to be of any benefit to the team more than another player. You know, there's pros and cons for both sides and it's tough on the two boys."

Donald, who got a text from Montgomerie earlier in the day telling him the timing of the announcement, looked like a man on a mission as he birdied his first six holes.

He eventually turned in 28 - which put him two strokes off the lead at 10 under — before he got the word and his concentration was shot. He came home in 40.

"(It was] probably one of the craziest selections for a Ryder Cup ever," Donald said. "Guys in the top 10 (in the world] didn't know if they were going to be playing.

"It was very anxious moments and there was some relief to be back on the team and to be part of the Ryder Cup again. I missed it back in 2008."

Meanwhile, Scotland's Martin Laird squandered a five-shot lead to miss out on a second US Tour victory in New Jersey, the opening event of the lucrative FedEx Cup play-off series.

Laird began the final round with a three-shot lead and extended that to five with birdies at the first two holes at Ridgewood Country Club, only to run up a double-bogey 7 on the third and bogey on the fourth.

After reaching the turn in 36, one over par, the 27-year-old regrouped and birdied the 12th and 17th to take a one-shot lead to the 72nd hole, but then three-putted from 20 feet after charging his birdie attempt seven feet past.

That gave Laird a 71 and left him tied with American Matt Kuchar on 12 under par, Kuchar having set the clubhouse target after a final round of 66.

The pair returned to the par-four 18th for the first play-off hole and both missed the fairway off the tee, Kuchar to the left and Laird to the right.

However, Kuchar's approach ran up the green and almost over the back before curling back toward the hole and eventually finishing just two feet from the cup.

Laird also found the green and this time two-putted for par, but it was not enough as Kuchar tapped in for birdie to claim the first prize of $1.35million.