By Rob Hodgetts

Everything revolves around getting into the Ryder Cup team next year Paul Casey

England's Paul Casey has his eyes set firmly on Ryder Cup selection for 2004.

The 25-year-old won his third tournament as a professional with victory in the Benson and Hedges International Open at The Belfry.

Casey, who took American collegiate golf by storm as an amateur, also clinched the ANZ Championship in Sydney in February.

And as the Tour gathers pace on European soil, Casey is gearing up to launch a major assault on the rankings.

"Everything revolves around getting into Ryder Cup team next year," Casey told this website.

"I've got a lot of goals - I'm not in Majors yet either - but everything is based around that.

"I've got a good head start on where I've started in Europe before, so I'm in a good position to have a great year."

Casey, ranked 69th in the world before the Belfry event, hopes to reach the top 50 by the time Ryder Cup qualification starts in September, to guarantee invites to the premier events around the world.

Casey won the ANZ Championship in February Men's rankings

Qualification criteria for the 2004 Ryder Cup in Michigan is yet to be finalised but it is likely to be partially based on the rankings rather than soley on the European Tour Order of Merit as in the past.

But, despite his aggressive approach to the game, Casey admitted that greater consistency would be the key to him becoming a regular fixture at the top of leaderboards.

"I know I'm capable of shooting some very low rounds. It's really just getting rid of the mental errors, not throwing away shots and making sure I'm more consistent," he said.

"If I can do that I can challenge every week."

Casey turned pro at the end of 2000 after breaking a host of records as a student at Arizona State University.

He became the first player to win the Pac-10 Championship - a prestigious intercollegiate competition - three times in a row between 1998 and 2000, beating Tiger Woods' 72-hole scoring record by five shots.

He also broke Phil Mickelson's Arizona State University scoring average in 1999-2000.

Casey was also English amateur champion twice (1999 and 2000) and a member of Great Britain and Ireland's victorious Walker Cup side in 1999, when he became one of only three GB&I players in 77 years to win all four of his matches.

It's a big jump from amateur to pro golf - you have to prove your worth all over again Paul Casey

Casey notched his first pro win in the 2001 Scottish PGA Championship at Gleneagles en route to landing the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award.

But the following year was more a period of consolidation as he finished 46th in Europe.

"The first year as a pro was great - it was fantastic to sneak that win in and get fully exempt in Europe," said Casey.

"Last year was a bit disappointing. I set myself some goals that I didn't attain and it was more of a learning sort of season.

"But most guys go through a stage where their results regress a bit. It's a big jump from amateur to pro golf - you have to prove your worth all over again.

"To get your game heightened to that kind of level quickly is very difficult and few people master that immediately."

But Casey is one of a new breed of young pros - alongside the likes of Justin Rose, Luke Donald, Adam Scott and Trevor Immelman - who are attempting to topple Tiger Woods from his perch as the world's best.

"He's not going anywhere for a while so we will have to be the ones who are going to have to try and dislodge him," said Casey.

And with goals like that Ryder Cup selection should be a doddle.