PAUL CASEY has revealed an agonising hidden reason he joined LIV Golf.

The English star explained for the first time that his “dear caddie” Johnny McLaren had a brain tumour removed last April.

Casey, 46, believes the PGA Tour would have been too hectic for McLaren.

And the former world No3 also says there were “breaking points” with conditions on the old tour.

These included being trapped in a hotel room for 10 days in Japan due to lots of “false positive” tests during the Covid pandemic.

But McLaren’s health was the most emotional factor in Casey’s shock move to the controversial LIV tour.

He told the Are You Not Entertained? podcast: “This is something I have not talked about but people know it on LIV and the DP World Tour, PGA Tour as well. 

“You know my dear caddie, Johnny McLaren? Johnny ‘Long Socks’ McLaren as he’s affectionately known. 

“Anybody who wonders what that means just has to look up a picture of Johnny and they’ll see a 50-year-old guy wearing his Jordan 1s and his big long socks lolloping around the golf course. 

“Johnny and I have been best mates and a team for the last eight years. Well, Johnny had a brain tumour removed last April. 

“So when you’re never quite sure what is going on in peoples’ lives, there’s a lot. 

“That is something Johnny and I spoke about and that is another reason why we went to LIV because we couldn’t keep doing what we were doing.”

Casey also claims PGA Tour boss Jay Monahan should have acted quicker over the divide with LIV.

Monahan finally announced last June a deal could be struck with LIV’s Saudi backers.

But Casey reckons the delay meant fellow players like Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson were “thrown under the bus” as frustration from fans grew. 

He added: “We take the blame for this, as players, but I’m not sure the blame rests squarely on our shoulders.

“For the longest time we’ve just wanted to play golf. That’s it.”

Casey also suggested strict Covid protocols in 2021 helped persuade him to join LIV, despite him once previously refusing to play in Saudi Arabia.

He said: “We were throwing out false positives on our way to Japan where you were going to get locked in your hotel room for 10 days… we both hit a breaking point and said we can’t do this anymore.

“Knowing Johnny’s health issues at the time and what we were dealing with, that’s a little bit more insight into why I’m doing what I’m doing.”