Paul McGinley: European skipper will keep things simple at the Ryder Cup
Irishman talks uniforms, legacy and water jumps...
Wednesday 24 September 2014 08:34, UK
Paul McGinley plans to stick to the tried and trusted when he captains Europe in the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.
The Irishman has played in three of the biannual Europe-USA showdowns, while he has also served as vice-captain twice, to Colin Montgomerie in 2010 and Jose Maria Olazabal in 2012.
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McGinley was on the victorious side on each of those five occasions and, speaking in his final Sky Sports Q&A before this year’s Ryder Cup, the 47-year-old said he has no plans to drastically alter a winning formula.
The Dubliner holed the decisive putt at The Belfry in 2002 and celebrated by jumping into a lake, but he refused to reveal whether he will take another splash should his charges prevail on Sunday.
Read on for Paul’s musings and then watch his boys in action from September 26 on Sky Sports' dedicated Ryder Cup channel and via the Sky Sports for iPad app's Ryder Cup Match Centre…
Do you know what sort of leader you will be or will that develop over the week?
PAUL SAYS: A lot of things are logical, including pairings that have worked in the past, so there is a template for success there and I see my job as enhancing that template rather than being a maverick and trying to do things very differently. I have a great team around me and four of the vice-captains – with the exception of Padraig Harrington – have been vice-captains before so they are very familiar with the role. I have so much experience in the backroom team so of course I will be leaning on that and consulting them a lot.
What would leading Europe to Ryder Cup victory mean for you?
PAUL SAYS: I don’t know really as it’s not something I’ve thought too much about. I’ve been so wrapped up in getting all the ducks in a row and making sure I give myself the best opportunity to make good decisions that I haven’t thought about legacy or history or anything like that. I don’t know how it will feel being in that position as a captain as opposed to a player or a vice-captain but hopefully I will find out as this year’s event evolves.
Will you be jumping into water if you do win, a la 2002 at The Belfry?
PAUL SAYS: I think it might be hard to find water on the 18th green at Gleneagles, but it will be a nice problem to have! First things first, though, we have to get the job done against a very strong American team, a team we will not underestimate.
Is Gleneagles looking exactly how you envisaged it all those months ago when you got the captain’s gig?
PAUL SAYS: I had images sent down regularly over the last couple of weeks and as the stands have gone up I was able to get a visualisation of what the first tee looked like and where the corporate hospitality and media centre areas were. I had seen all the planning but once the photographs came through it meant I was able to hit the ground running when I got here.
Your uniforms are under lock and key for the moment, but what did you want them to look like and reflect when you were in the process of designing them?
PAUL SAYS: We always honour the home country on the first day – when we played in Wales we wore red and when we played in Ireland we wore green – so there will be an element of Scotland in our kit on the opening day. We will have Royal Blue or Navy Blue on the Sunday, of course, but other than that I have just tried to simplify things and not make them too complicated. I am sure, though, that the players and crowd will like the uniforms.
Did you have an input on the menu, too?
PAUL SAYS: We have the European Tour doctor who oversees all our dietary requirements so he will make sure the food in the players’ lounge each day is balanced and fulfils our needs. The players all have their own dieticians anyway and they are aware of what they do and don’t eat, so I don’t need to tell them what to consume, but we will provide a variety of food for them.
And finally, have you had fun over the last two years in the build-up?
PAUL SAYS: I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I am a lover of sport and a lover of the Ryder Cup and it has been a great thrill being charged with leading my continent into this great event. I feel very humbled to have been given the opportunity and a part of me will be sad when it’s all over, but I am ready for that and will hand things over to whoever the next captain will be and give them my best wishes and tell him I’m happy to help him in any way.
Watch every shot of the 2014 Ryder Cup on Sky Sports' dedicated channel, while for an insight into Paul's journey to European skipper, watch McGinley: The Making of a Captain, on Sky Go and On Demand, or at 6pm on Sky Sports Ryder Cup in Tuesday evening.
