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Editor's note: Last month, England's Paul Casey created a firestorm with comments in an interview with The Sunday Times writer Paul Forsyth in which Casey spoke about Americans and the Ryder Cup. In the story published Nov. 14, Casey was quoted saying about the American Ryder Cup team: "Oh, we properly hate them. We wanted to beat them as badly as possible." He also said that "Americans can be bloody annoying" and that "the vast majority of Americans simply don't know what's going on. They have no concept of the UK, for instance."

On Thursday, Casey, who lives in Scottsdale Ariz., attended Arizona State University and whose girlfriend is American, appeared on The Golf Channel's Golf Talk, hosted by Kelly Tilghman. The Golf Press Association would like to thank The Golf Channel for allowing us to transcribe portions of the interview for today's edition of The Wire.

To read The Sunday Times story, go to http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2094-1357495,00.html.

Below are excerpts from Casey's interview on Golf Talk.

Q.: You've been the point of a lot of controversy as of late in the golf world and we are here to set the record straight. We're getting Paul Casey's side of the story. How are you Paul? How is the fall out there for you?

PAUL CASEY: It's been very difficult. I've been, to be honest with you, depressed by it, saddened by it, comments that I made in an hour long interview that went into a, into the Sunday Times piece I felt was fine. And then an article that ran two days later in a UK tabloid, the Daily Mirror, really sort of set things alight. And it really sort of, as I say, I'm depressed by what's happened.

Q.: Let's take a look at the quotes that were written in the English tabloid, as you say, The Mirror, and here they are. "Oh, we properly hate them." This, the European attitude toward the U S Ryder Cup team winning competition. "We wanted to beat them as badly as possible. Americans can be bloody annoying. The crowds were really behind them at the Ryder Cup and then once we had won the thing they turn around and say, 'You know what, we really like Europeans, we wanted you to win all week.' And I said, 'No, you didn't. Don't try and tag on to the winning team. Two hours ago you were chanting 'USA' and now you love us." In regards to the American reputation worldwide, sometimes they infuriate me. In Scottsdale it's not so bad because people there have traveled and you can have civilized conversations with them, but the vast majority of Americans simply don't know what is going on, they have no concept of the UK, for instance." Where were you misquoted as you say?

PAUL CASEY: In that piece, to be honest, a lot of that stuff that was said, I mean, that is correct. Off the cuff remarks, unfortunately. The bit that really saddens me was the headline in the Daily Mirror. Stupid was never said. I never used stupid once. I came to the US for an education, it's just something that really, that actually angers me, that really does anger me. Americans Are not stupid, there's some very, very bright people in this country. That is why I'm here, to forward my golf career and forward Paul Casey as a person.

In terms of hating Americans, you know, that is untrue, that was taken out of context. That was a line which was talked about, when I said the line, I was discussing trying to motivate myself for the Ryder Cup. I think anybody, if you look at a true competitor, they probably said that line at one time or another, that they hate the opposition. And that's all I really said. I mean, we could put that into, you know, Arizona State played the U of A over the weekend and unfortunately they lost. But I'm sure there are plenty of U of A fans sitting in that stadium down in Tucson who said, "You know, we hate the Sun Devils." Which is effectively all I said. That's how I motivate myself when I'm playing, I'm a passionate, a competitive, very, very competitive person. And that's how it was said. Of those 14 guys, the US team at the Ryder Cup this year, I get along well with all of them. I don't have any issues with any of them, really. Those are the sort of guys, when you play a match you want to go out and beat the other guy, but golf that's, it's a fantastic sport, you can walk off the 18th green, shake your hands and go have a beer together. And that's effectively the 24 players and the two captains, everybody could have done that this year, which was a fantastic thing and unfortunately, you know, one word really has got me into trouble here.

Q.: One of the articles written in your adopted hometown of Scottsdale, Arizona, made reference to the fact that you live in America; you love in America, you have an American girlfriend; and you learn in America, you attended ASU; yet you can say these things freely about American reputations. Please put into context what you meant about Americans in general.

PAUL CASEY: Again, it's something that is sort of dragging, I'm going to drag out the sort of stuff I don't want to drag up here. I think, you know, I said these things and a lot of them I didn't say and I can't take them back. They were off the cuff remarks. It's very, very difficult. I will stand by a couple of things. I do think sometimes the Americans can be a little insular. However, it's nitpicking, it really is. I wouldn't -- the States is difficult to live in. I'm a European player. I predominantly played on the European TOUR and next year I'll be playing a little bit more in the States. However, it's not the easiest place for me to live. I do it out of choice. I played three full seasons at Arizona State. I was there for four years. And I was there predominantly there to forward my golf career. That's why I came over. And I absolutely loved it. It has given me fantastic opportunities. It still does. This is a wonderful country. I'm sure a lot of Americans have said, you know, silly things about the UK. You know, the food's terrible, whatever it may be, the weather sucks. And if that's really the sort of -- it was general sort of bar chit chat. And a lot of those things you know, maybe they're true, maybe they're not. They were views, they're opinions, I have a lot of opinions, unfortunately, that's just the way I am. I like to speak my mind. I certainly don't hold a grudge against anybody who likes to speak their mind and if they have a different opinion to me, that's great. I don't hold grudges against them. This is a wonderful country that has freedom of speech. And unfortunately that got me an into trouble.

Q.: We have received a number of e-mails in regards to this topic, some of them against what you've said and others actually in support of what you've said. And we will feature some of those a little bit later as Golf Talk continues. Also coming up the aftermath, the question is, how long will it linger. The week that the comments were released around World Cup time, another incident happened in the sports world that surrounded the NBA, Ron Artest and company and it really lit up the headlines and fortunately for you, your story was buried a bit because of this. But I'm curious, in your corner, how big did this story get? Maybe overseas or at home.

PAUL CASEY: I think because I was at an event on the mainland Europe that I was very focused on trying to play the event. It was very tough to switch myself sort of on to the golf and away from everything else that was going on in the media when I got to the golf course. But that's what I had to do. So maybe it was a big deal. I mean, it was a huge deal. I only read papers on Sunday evening on the plane back home. I tried to ignore everything else that was going on during the week and obviously there was press conferences every day covering the story, which I had to deal with.

Q.: And you won.

PAUL CASEY: It was, I would have to say it was probably more of a relief than -- you know, I won three times now in Europe. But the win at the World Cup with Luke Donald was more of a relief than anything else. I felt a lot of pressure.

Q.: How did you rise up and bring home the World Cup a mid all that controversy?

PAUL CASEY: I don't know. It was, I think I found a new level that week inside me. I mean, it really shows what you can do when you put your mind to it. There was I think trying to channel any sort of anger or any sort of annoyance or depression away and focus on the job at hand. The anger I had was towards obviously the Daily Mirror and, but I'm not somebody who, as I say, I don't hold grudges, I just try and get on with what I'm paid to do, and that's play fantastic golf.

Q.: I'm sure you're hoping to tap into that same intangible source of power when you return to Scottsdale for the first extended period of time since this incident and also for your upcoming US start on the 2005 PGA TOUR, you have some tentative feelings about these situations and these possible moments that will occur?

PAUL CASEY: Yeah, I do. The bit that really saddens me is I feel that people have really been given an opinion of me through one article. Which is what really saddens me. I can't blame fans or anybody like that. I mean, there was a, you know, there will be some guys who stand up there and want to heckle me. And I don't, I don't blame them, I'm not, I can't be angry at them. That's the bit I got to really sort of focus on. The media, that's the people who I felt who have let me down, especially the tabloids in the UK, are the ones who have let me down here. And that's something I'm just going to have to deal with. I want to let the clubs do the talking as much as possible from now on. I feel that sort of almost I want to hide away and just sort of not talk to anybody from this point on. That's not something I'm going to do. I'm going to be myself and try and rise above this and show people that I can play fantastic golf and whatever was said was, is not Paul Casey.

Q.: You mentioned letting the clubs do the talking, that was actually another repercussion, it if you will, from what happened. You and Titleist, the Acushnet company, split ways. A lot of people are under the impression that this happened because of the comments that were released. Is that the case?

PAUL CASEY: As the press release says it was a mutual decision. I've had a very good relationship with Titleist Footjoy, the Acushnet Company for the last four years and they have been very supportive to me in that time. It was possibly an inopportune moment for that press release to come out. That's probably the best way of saying it. You know, we will move on from that and we will, I will go forward and focus on the golf.

Q.: On your own web page, PaulCasey.com you wrote that you had expressed a desire to the Acushnet Company for a change in your situation there. Can you elaborate on what that would be? This all happening before the comments were released.

PAUL CASEY: Yeah, I think that there have been discussions, you know, I talked to Wally about my future. Wally's always been very very helpful in discussing sort of future plans. And, you know, the best thing to say was it was a mutual decision at the end of the day. Again, they have been very, very supportive and the change is on the horizon and I'm very, very excited about that. You know, I'll be using new equipment next year and I can't say who that is, but I'm looking forward to it, it's a new chapter.

Q.: But you are in talks with someone right now and a deal is going to be in place when 2005 begins?

PAUL CASEY: A deal will definitely be in place when 2005 begins.