Paul McGinley Interview

The European Captain Paul McGinley talks to us about the secrets to his success at Gleneagles last September

With Jamie Donaldson moments after the Welshman had secured the winning point

How did the whole experience compare to playing in the Ryder Cup?

It was great. Listen, I enjoyed every single minute of being a captain - it was a real privilege, a real honour, and it was great being at Gleneagles making decisions and watching things unfold. But I said to the players that, for me, there’s nothing that beats playing. I enjoyed every minute of being a player in the Ryder Cup, and I wanted them to really enjoy the experience of playing – to drink it all in, enjoy every moment of it, enjoy all the memories. It’s very special, and it passes very quickly.

Did you and the players pick up on the apparent disharmony in the American camp?

I didn’t pick up on it at all. To be honest, I was 99 per cent concerned with what we were doing in our own team. I hardly paid attention to America. I didn’t even look at their pairings in the practice rounds to see who was playing with who. All I was concerned about was our team - making sure they were motivated, making sure they were on it, making sure they were focused - and getting our pairings right and managing our hand. My team was my focus, so no I didn’t pick up on what was going on in the US team.

Pages

Click here to see the published article.