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By Kent Gray
Beware the injured golfer? Paul Casey is familiar with the cliché but knows winning the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic is tough enough when body and mind are at 100 percent.

It’s why the defending champion prayed he woke up for moving day at Emirates Golf Club on Saturday able to, well, move a little more freely.

The 44-year-old twinged his neck bending down to pick up a tee on the range before his second round. He somehow managed to stay in contention, a 68 to go with his opening 70 taking the Englishman to six under, five strokes behind leader Justin Harding. 

“Seriously, I need full physical ability if you want to try and compete against the guys at the top of the leaderboard,” said Casey when a journalist trotted out the old “injured golfer” adage.

“I’m hoping I actually feel better tomorrow. To be honest, I will. It’s probably just something as simple as not being hydrated. Maybe not — definitely not enough sleep last night, and that’s what happens, isn’t it.”

Jet lag coming in from your tie for 16th at last week’s Singapore Open, presumably?

“Pillow’s too soft,” Casey retorted.

“It’s just a muscle, I don’t know what it is, stiff neck, basically, plain and simple. I’m not a doctor so I have no idea.”

All things considered, Casey is happy with his play.

“Nigel Tilley, one of the physios on the tour out here who is amazing, he’s been sticking his thumb in it as often as he can trying to loosen it up. In fact, Nigel was with me at the Olympics last year, so he’s always here to help myself and others.

“I did a really good job of managing it and hitting it around. I didn’t hit some very good golf shots, but sometimes you have to just manage things and I did.

“So, not unhappy. I’m actually quite happy.”

The trick now, if he is physically able, is to come to grips with the Majlis’ renovated putting surfaces. 

“The difficulty is the greens and they are very new, and they have done a wonderful job of getting the grass down. It’s just the nuances and all the previous knowledge that you would have had, guys like myself, and how the putts break is basically out the window.

“You’re seeing the ball wander a little bit because the greens are not quite there yet. [But] this place has great character, and the holes and the shot values are still very much the same.”

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