McGinley masterminds great European victory

A gritty fight back from three down by Graeme McDowell to beat Jordan Spieth 2&1 together with Martin Kaymer’s win over Bubba Watson and another resilient display by Justin Rose for a half took them to the brink

And the victory was completed by Welsh rookie Jamie Donaldson who saw off the challenge of Keegan Bradley to win 4&3.

“I felt great pride for my family and to represent the 12 guys as captain was a great honour” said McGinley in the wake of his team’s 16.5 to 11.5 triumph. “I’m lucky, I have a lot of experience. Three Ryder Cups, two as a vice captain. I’ve observed, I’ve listened, I’ve watched.

“If I wasn’t quite sure, I’d ask. I’m not afraid to ask. So I’m collecting information the whole time. This is a kind of combination of a lot of those things.
“Personally it’s gratifying, but it’s more what I’ve given to everybody.
“The pleasure I’ve given in every pub in Ireland and every golf club in Ireland, that people were shouting and screaming I’m sure at every putt that went in, that sense of bonding that I’ve given to the players and towards each other that they’ll have for the rest of their lives- they’re the kind of things that the Ryder Cup is all about.

“They’re the kind of things that draw me to the Ryder Cup, more than the glory of raising the trophy”

“It’s what it gives, the joy it gives so many people and particularly the 12 players” he said.
Certainly the players were quick to pay tribute to the coloassal work McGinley had put in to Europe’s preparation for this challenge with Sergio Garcia saying “He has been so methodical.
“Every single aspect he needed to touch on, he did. I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of great captains but Paul did things a little bit differently but with great style.
Rory McIlroy echoed these sentiments saying “Paul McGinley has been absolutely immense this week.
“He has left no stone unturned. He has given this week a lot of thought over the last two years. I am just glad it worked out for him.”
Among those who was at McGinley’s side throughout the weekend’s drama was one of his five vice captain’s and close friend, Padraig Harrington.

“I was very nervous for Paul on Sunday because once he put his team out, there wasn’t much he could do” said the three-time major winner.

“He was such a good captain that it would have been a shame if things went against him.
“He was prepared, that was really it. He’d watched what had gone on before, he’d done his homework coming into it and I’m sure nobody had done the preparation he had put in to a Ryder Cup, that’s for sure.

“He had just more detail and applied it. He had all the information he could ever possibly use and he used it in the right way” he explained.