While golf is an individual sport at its core, having a strong support system can sometimes be the most important tool in separating a player from the rest of the pack.
Paul Casey, whose cheering section is led by his wife, Pollyanna Woodward, and his children know that as well as anyone. His life off the course hasn’t always been stable, as it was sometimes the target for tabloid fodder, but his family is now as strong as can be, and the results are indicative of that.
Here’s everything you need to know about Paul Casey’s wife and family:
1. Paul Casey’s Wife Is a Famous Television Presenter
Marrying a pro golfer, especially one as good as Casey, can often shed an unwanted spotlight on significant others, but Pollyanna Woodward, 35, was already used to fame before she met Casey.
The 35-year-old England native has had a long career in television, ranging from work as an actress (“Ghost Squad,” “Doctors”) and driving stunt double (“Eleventh Hour”) to a reality-show contestant (“Popstars: The Rivals,” “Splash!”) to presenter. The latter is where she was most successful, most notably serving as the host of “The Gadget Show.”
Casey and Woodward met in 2011 at the F1 Abu Dhabi, Grand Prix, according to Golf Digest. They were engaged in late 2013 and married in January 2015, Golf Digest reported.
“Pollyanna’s fantastic and understands me very well,” Casey said. “Those that have met her will understand the positivity she carries with her. It’s very infectious and it’s something that’s nice to have around. I’m not that way and I need to be. She is very calm, and I think that’s been a very positive influence on my golf and on my life in general.”
2. They Have 2 Children, a Son & Daughter
On September 1, 2014, Casey and Woodward welcomed their first child, son Lex, to the world. Casey won the very first event he played as a father (the KLM Open in Netherlands), and at the beginning of the following year he decided to stop playing full-time on the European Tour, citing his growing family as the reason.
“It was a decision I didn’t take lightly, and I stewed over it for a long, long time,” he said. “I became a father in September, which is by far the greatest thing ever, and that’s become really the focus for me, being at home with Pollyanna and Lex.”
“Lex has no idea what a game changer that’s going to be,” wrote Casey.
Their second child, a daughter, Asteria, was born in September 2017, according to USA Today’s Golf Week. After the birth of his daughter, Casey told Golf Week, “Golf is not the most important thing that I do. Looking after my family and making sure that they’re healthy and happy is the most important thing. You’ll see a trend where guys have played really well after becoming fathers, and that’s likely because they have something to play for. … I’ve maybe not practiced as hard the last couple of years as I would normally have worked through my career. But I guess I prioritize better than I maybe have done in the past.”
Casey added, “If anything, it’s a joy because when I get home I’ve got something to focus on. And in the past maybe I would’ve focused on more golf. So maybe the extra work is detrimental.”
3. Casey Said His Children Are ‘the Life and Soul of Everything I Do’
Becoming a father often provides players with a new perspective on life, and the same can be said for Casey, bboth on and off the course. As part of a campaign to donate $100 to UNICEF for every birdie he hits between May and December 2017, Casey explained what parenthood means to him:
Having children was a game-changer for me, too. The joys of parenthood are completely eye-opening. I have always felt blessed to be without terrible hardship and have thought for years about how I might help others less fortunate. But I struggled to find the right focus — until I became a father.
My son is the life and soul of everything I do. Children are now what I notice day-to-day. On the golf course, I smile to the kids, because I want to make sure they have the greatest experience they possibly can. And even on the golf course, I think, if my son was here right now, how would I behave? How can I make the world a better place for him, and how can I help other children, too? I chose to align with UNICEF because to me, UNICEF is the pinnacle of putting children’s needs first — across the world.
4. Casey Has Pollyanna on His Phone Case
Paul Casey’s phone case…
Even when he’s walking the golf course, Casey will always have his wife close to him. That’s because–as the world found out when he pulled out his phone during practice before the 2017 US Open–he has a picture of Pollyanna on his phone case:
And it doesn’t stop there. She’s also on the inside of his jacket:
“(Pollyanna) is everything he needs,” Peter Kostis, Casey’s long-time mentor and coach, told Golf Digest. “Positive, funny, upbeat all the time, the soul mate he’s needed.”
5. Both He & Pollyanna Were Previously Married
When Casey and Woodward met in 2011, they had something important in common: They were both coming off public divorces. Casey had separated from his first wife, Jocelyn Hefner, which he later admitted took a significant toll on him, and Woodward was coming off a marriage to Lee Clark, a former QVC presenter.
“You know what, I don’t dwell on that at all,” Casey told Golf Digest in 2014. “If you met Pollyanna, you’d know she is one of the most positive people on the planet. She’s got a perfect name for it. [The previous marriage] is done. I’m very much right now.”
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Paul Casey’s Wife & Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know