Apr4 Casey vWoods

Paul Casey can’t wait to tee it up alongside Tiger Woods in the first round of the Masters tomorrow.

The Brit has been drawn for the first two rounds with the world number one, and he can’t wait to test his game against the best.

“I don’t have his mobile number or anything, but we’re good friends and I enjoy his company. I like playing with him,” said Casey.

“It’s a huge compliment to me. It clearly means I am doing something right and I don’t see it as a hindrance, not on a stage like this.”

While previous playing partners of the world number one have suffered at majors and other tournaments in the past because of crowd movement once he has played, Casey does not expect that to be a big problem at Augusta.

The Englishman’s worst experience of the distractions came when the two were partners in the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai in November, but the 29-year-old from Surrey added: “Here the patrons, as we have to call them, tend to sit down all day.

“Tiger is a funny guy. I want to beat him as badly as anybody else, but I respect him. He has been very cordial, very nice to me – a gentleman.

“It’s the perfect blend. He’s very intense, but he’s aware enough of what his playing partners are doing and is courteous to them.

“I like to see great shots and how he handles himself. I try to pick up his intensity and his ability to stay in the present.

“The first time I played with him [in Dubai three years ago], I spent the first nine holes watching him rather than worrying about what I was doing.

“Now there’s 100% effort on what I am doing, but I try to kind of feed off him. If you want to win, you might as well be up close to him and try to sneak a shot or two.

“We’ve talked when we’ve played in the past, but I think in a major it’s slightly different. It’s going to be good.”

In the last round of the last two majors, Woods has gone face to face with two other leading Europeans, easily beating both Sergio Garcia in the Open and then Luke Donald at the US PGA.

Casey said: “He has been beaten a few times head-to-head, but you need somebody to do it regularly before anything changes and I’m not sure that’s going to happen any time soon.