An emotional Paul Casey fought to hold back tears after claiming his first Ryder Cup win since 2008 on Saturday, saying he had "desperately" wanted to return to the matchplay showdown.

After being persuaded to retake a European Tour card by captain Thomas Bjorn in order to be eligible for this year's Ryder Cup in France, he sealed an impressive 3 and 2 victory over Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler alongside Tyrrell Hatton.

"Ask him (Hatton) a question. Let me get my... honestly, let me get my breath," stammered Casey after securing Europe's seventh of eight straight wins at Le Golf National.

The 41-year-old was left out of the side by Colin Montgomerie in 2010 despite being the world number seven, slipping down the rankings after struggling with injuries and poor form.

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Four. Straight. Birdies.<a href="https://twitter.com/Paul_Casey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Paul_Casey</a> is feeling it. 🔥<a href="https://t.co/Cqikx26OQc">pic.twitter.com/Cqikx26OQc</a>
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"Once you taste the Ryder Cup, there's nothing else like it." 
 
Paul Casey &amp; Tyrrell Hatton speak after their match win<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RyderCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RyderCup</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamEurope?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamEurope</a> <a href="https://t.co/VqRCjnugqJ">pic.twitter.com/VqRCjnugqJ</a>
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But he has rediscovered his best over the last four years, and has been in fine fettle this week, having almost inspired a comeback against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas on Friday before reeling off five birdies in the first six holes Saturday.

"It has been 10 years. Desperately wanted to be back on this team because I know how good it is," said Casey after regaining his composure.

"I mean, all these guys are amazing, and you know, once you're a Ryder Cupper, you're always a Ryder Cupper. I can't tell you how proud I am."

Casey became one of only six men in Ryder Cup history to make a hole-in-one at the Ryder Cup at the K Club in 2006 and has now won six points from 11 matches.

"Obviously playing alongside Paul, he's a Ryder Cup legend," added Hatton. "What a player he is. It was the Casey Express train the front nine. I was just trying to help out when I could."

An emotional Paul Casey fought to hold back tears after claiming his first Ryder Cup win since 2008 on Saturday, saying he had "desperately" wanted to return to the matchplay showdown.

An emotional Paul Casey fought to hold back tears after claiming his first Ryder Cup win since 2008 on Saturday, saying he had "desperately" wanted to return to the matchplay showdown. After being persuaded to retake a European Tour card by captain Thomas Bjorn in order to be eligible for this year's Ryder Cup in France, he sealed an impressive 3 and 2 victory over Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler alongside Tyrrell Hatton. "Ask him (Hatton) a question. Let me get my... honestly, let me get my breath," stammered Casey after securing Europe's seventh of eight straight wins at Le Golf National. The 41-year-old was left out of the side by Colin Montgomerie in 2010 despite being the world number seven, slipping down the rankings after struggling with injuries and poor form. Four. Straight. Birdies.@Paul_Casey is feeling it. 🔥pic.twitter.com/Cqikx26OQc — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 29, 2018 × "Once you taste the Ryder Cup, there's nothing else like it." Paul Casey & Tyrrell Hatton speak after their match win#RyderCup #TeamEurope pic.twitter.com/VqRCjnugqJ — PGA of America (@PGA) September 29, 2018 × But he has rediscovered his best over the last four years, and has been in fine fettle this week, having almost inspired a comeback against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas on Friday before reeling off five birdies in the first six holes Saturday. "It has been 10 years. Desperately wanted to be back on this team because I know how good it is," said Casey after regaining his composure. "I mean, all these guys are amazing, and you know, once you're a Ryder Cupper, you're always a Ryder Cupper. I can't tell you how proud I am." Casey became one of only six men in Ryder Cup history to make a hole-in-one at the Ryder Cup at the K Club in 2006 and has now won six points from 11 matches. "Obviously playing alongside Paul, he's a Ryder Cup legend," added Hatton. "What a player he is. It was the Casey Express train the front nine. I was just trying to help out when I could."

Paul Casey revels in first Ryder Cup win for decade

Tiger Woods came up just short of his 80th US PGA Tour title on Sunday at the Valspar Championship, where it was England&#39;s Paul Casey ending a victory drought with a one-stroke triumph.

Woods, the 14-time major champion playing just his fourth Tour event since spinal fusion surgery last April, showed he&#39;s a contender again as he fired a one-under-par 70 to share second on nine-under 275 -- one stroke behind Casey who surged to his second US PGA Tour title with a 65 for 274.

&quot;I think I&#39;ve gotten a little better than what I was a couple of weeks ago,&quot; Woods said.

&quot;I keep getting just a little better and a little sharper. Today I wasn&#39;t quite as sharp as I would like to have had it, but I had a good shot at winning this golf tournament.&quot;

Woods&#39; fusion surgery ended a brief comeback bid last year. He remains in search of his first title since 2013 -- but on Sunday it finally looked as if it wasn&#39;t a question of whether that drought will end but when.

He opened with a birdie on the Copperhead course at Innisbrook Resort near Tampa, Florida, but gave that stroke back with a bogey at the fourth.

Woods didn&#39;t find another birdie until the 17th, where he drained a putt of almost 45 feet to close within one stroke of Casey&#39;s clubhouse lead and send his massive gallery into a frenzy.

He couldn&#39;t repeat the feat at the 18th to force a playoff, however, another long birdie try coming up a couple of feet short.

Woods finished the day tied for second with fellow American Patrick Reed.

Reed opened his round with a 60-foot eagle putt from the collar of the green at the first. He was 10-under through 17, but dropped out of playoff contention with a shocking bogey at the last, where his first putt failed to make it to the upper tier of the green where the pin was located.

Casey had four birdies and a bogey on his front nine, then seized control with three birdies on the trot at 11, 12 and 13 that moved him to 10-under.

Casey &#39;so happy&#39;

He said keeping bogeys off his card over the demanding closing holes was key.

&quot;The clean-ups on 16, 17 and 18 -- fantastic,&quot; Casey said. &quot;I&#39;ve not done that in a long time and that&#39;s the difference. That&#39;s what I need to do.&quot;

The 40-year-old has 17 victories on the European Tour, the most recent coming at the KLM Open in September of 2014.

A three-time Ryder Cup player for Europe, his only previous US tour title came at the 2009 Houston Open.

&quot;To get this one, to get my second one on the PGA tour is emotional. I&#39;m so happy for it,&quot; Casey said, noting that winning any tournament on one of the world&#39;s elite tours is just difficult.

&quot;(Woods) made it look easy for such a long time, and it&#39;s not,&quot; he said.

Spain&#39;s Sergio Garcia put in an encouraging performance as he warms up for the defense of his Masters title, firing a final round 65 to finish alone in fourth on eight-under 276.

&nbsp;

Tiger Woods came up just short of his 80th US PGA Tour title on Sunday at the Valspar Championship, where it was England's Paul Casey ending a victory drought with a one-stroke triumph

Tiger Woods came up just short of his 80th US PGA Tour title on Sunday at the Valspar Championship, where it was England's Paul Casey ending a victory drought with a one-stroke triumph. Woods, the 14-time major champion playing just his fourth Tour event since spinal fusion surgery last April, showed he's a contender again as he fired a one-under-par 70 to share second on nine-under 275 -- one stroke behind Casey who surged to his second US PGA Tour title with a 65 for 274. "I think I've gotten a little better than what I was a couple of weeks ago," Woods said. "I keep getting just a little better and a little sharper. Today I wasn't quite as sharp as I would like to have had it, but I had a good shot at winning this golf tournament." Woods' fusion surgery ended a brief comeback bid last year. He remains in search of his first title since 2013 -- but on Sunday it finally looked as if it wasn't a question of whether that drought will end but when. He opened with a birdie on the Copperhead course at Innisbrook Resort near Tampa, Florida, but gave that stroke back with a bogey at the fourth. Woods didn't find another birdie until the 17th, where he drained a putt of almost 45 feet to close within one stroke of Casey's clubhouse lead and send his massive gallery into a frenzy. He couldn't repeat the feat at the 18th to force a playoff, however, another long birdie try coming up a couple of feet short. Woods finished the day tied for second with fellow American Patrick Reed. Reed opened his round with a 60-foot eagle putt from the collar of the green at the first. He was 10-under through 17, but dropped out of playoff contention with a shocking bogey at the last, where his first putt failed to make it to the upper tier of the green where the pin was located. Casey had four birdies and a bogey on his front nine, then seized control with three birdies on the trot at 11, 12 and 13 that moved him to 10-under. Casey 'so happy' He said keeping bogeys off his card over the demanding closing holes was key. "The clean-ups on 16, 17 and 18 -- fantastic," Casey said. "I've not done that in a long time and that's the difference. That's what I need to do." The 40-year-old has 17 victories on the European Tour, the most recent coming at the KLM Open in September of 2014. A three-time Ryder Cup player for Europe, his only previous US tour title came at the 2009 Houston Open. "To get this one, to get my second one on the PGA tour is emotional. I'm so happy for it," Casey said, noting that winning any tournament on one of the world's elite tours is just difficult. "(Woods) made it look easy for such a long time, and it's not," he said. Spain's Sergio Garcia put in an encouraging performance as he warms up for the defense of his Masters title, firing a final round 65 to finish alone in fourth on eight-under 276.

Golf: Paul Casey defeats Tiger Woods to win Valspar Championship

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Paul Casey revels in first Ryder Cup win for decade

Golf: Paul Casey defeats Tiger Woods to win Valspar Championship