McGinley: The Making of a Captain - Watch our documentary on Sky Go and On Demand now!
Last Updated: 19/09/14 2:02pm
Paul McGinley has been a Ryder Cup vice-captain twice before – but at Gleneagles he will be the main man.
So how has the 47-year-old made the journey from talented Gaelic footballer to skippering Europe in the biggest event in world golf?
Sky Sports found out in documentary McGinley: The Making Of A Captain, which you can watch on Sky Go or On Demand right now or on Sky Sports Ryder Cup (channel 405) at 6pm on Tuesday evening.
The programme charts McGinley’s sporting career and his playing days in the Ryder Cup, including when he sunk the winning putt for Europe in the 2002 event at the Belfry.
Here’s a brief taster of what’s in store:
McGinley on the team environment: “I always performed extremely highly when I did play as part of a team. Some psychologists might explain it back to my Gaelic football days. My heart ticks a bit faster, my adrenalin goes more and I just love the whole environment of being in a team."
McGinley on his maiden Ryder Cup: “I went in off form and with a certain degree of trepidation but I rose my game and increased my level during that week and I think a lot of that was down to Sam Torrance’s management of me. I was very lucky, though, to be playing Ryder Cup with some great team mates and really good players that seemed to win a lot of Ryder Cups.”
McGinley on taking the plunge in 2002: “As they say in Ireland: 'I was thrown in the pond'. I didn’t have a choice about it. I was doing an interview and I was I was pulled away and marched. They had me on their shoulders walking down towards the lake and I knew where I was going. I remember it being very shallow but that’s just as well as obviously I’m not very tall.”
McGinley on captaincy: “There’s only so much you do. We’ll have our meetings most evenings but they won’t be very long. They’ll be short and sweet as most of my management as a captain will be going on an individual basis rather than collectively in the team room. The captain’s job is setting the tone and setting the field behind the scenes, creating an environment for the players to go out and play their best golf and be passionate.”
Watch McGinley: The Making of a Captain on Sky Go and On Demand now and on Sky Sports Ryder Cup at 6pm on Tuesday.
Then make sure you catch exclusive coverage of all three days of the 2014 Ryder Cup - Sep 26-28 - on Sky Sports' dedicated Ryder Cup channel and via the Sky Sports for iPad app's Ryder Cup Match Centre.
