Paul Casey: World No 15 to rejoin European Tour in bid for Ryder Cup return

Casey has only won once on the PGA Tour - the Houston Open in 2009

England's Paul Casey will rejoin the European Tour next season, ending a three-year absence in a bid to return to the Ryder Cup.

The 40-year-old, who will also continue to play on the PGA Tour in the US, said he had "missed contributing to English golf, which is very important to me".

He added: "I want to play another Ryder Cup. That's why I need to do this. But it's not just the Ryder Cup.

"What excites me more is the role I can play supporting the young guys."

Casey, a two-time Ryder Cup winner, said Thomas Bjorn, the European captain in Paris next year, had been a "massive support" in making his decision.

The Englishman's last Ryder Cup appearance was on the losing side in 2008 at Valhalla. Colin Montgomerie overlooked him as a captain's pick in 2010 at Celtic Manor and he missed out through injury at Medinah in 2012.

A combination of poor form, injury and hectic schedules on either side of the Atlantic caused Casey's world ranking to plummet, which led to his decision to focus solely on the PGA Tour.

Now back among the world's top 20 and a consistent performer at the biggest tournaments, Casey said he wanted to help the younger players in the European team such as Tommy Fleetwood, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton.

Europe will look to regain the trophy at Le Golf National in Paris in September 2018.