Unflappable McGinley now turns focus to his own game

So what does a Ryder Cup captain do, once he’s delivered the trophy to his bosses at the European Tour?

Well, if you’re Paul McGinley, the last thing you want to do is go for a long lie down, which was precisely what this column, after a long week at Gleneagles, had in mind.

McGinley, though, is made of stronger stuff, and no doubt fuelled by the adrenaline of a famous victory over the USA in Scotland at the weekend, he yesterday replied by floating the idea of getting right back out there as a player at this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship over Scotland’s east coast gems the Old Course, St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.

“No, I don’t think a lie down,” McGinley said, shattering the golf column’s hopes he was a kindred spirit. “I’m not tired and I don’t feel like I want to pull away.

“I think it’s been great. I’ve really enjoyed the ride the last 18 months. It’s been an absolute thrill and privilege and an honour. I’m seriously considering playing in the Dunhill this week. It’s a tournament I’ve always enjoyed playing. I love playing on those golf courses.

“God knows where my golf game is. I feel like there’s been no work gone into my golf game the last six months. Everything the previous captains have told me about your golf game struggling has been proved correct. First year, not so bad. Played quite well last year, to be honest; when I played, I played really well. This year, it’s really tailed off.

“When I’ve been on the golf course and on the practice ground, my mind has been drifting. It’s not been there and I’ve not had the intensity and concentration you need to practise and play. So I may play that.

“I know I’m going to play the Portuguese Masters. Got my academy down there and will do a golf day down there with my sponsors and treat them to a day’s golf. I will do that the day afterwards in Quinta do Lago, where my academy is.”

McGinley will also take in a trip to China to appear in the World Celebrity Pro-Am at Missions Hills alongside Hollywood movie stars Morgan Freeman, Jessica Alba and Nicole Kidman, as well as his team members Justin Rose and Ian Poulter, who will officially open their first joint golf course design at what is the world’s largest golf resort.

From Europe to China but in between a trip to Africa, where McGinley will check up on a project close to his heart.

“I’ve got lots going on. I’ve got a little golf design business that does really well down in Ghana and we’re trying to galvanise projects down there and I’m going down there in two weeks’ time. I’m hoping bring this trophy for the first time to African soil, which will be great, and try to promote golf a little bit down there. The R&A are helping us with that.

“We’ve been renovating the golf course there in Accra, the capital city, and that is now up and running we are going to officially open it in two weeks’ time. The King of Ghana is going to come and play in the Pro-Am, which is a great thing and he’s a great guy. I’ve been fortunate to meet him over the last few years I’ve been down there.

“The game has challenges in the modern world, real challenges in the modern world and hopefully I can do a bit of a job in trying to promote that in countries like Ghana. We’ve got some academies down there at the moment, a driving range down there that is absolutely flying and people queue to get in there and it’s great to see.

“So I’ve got lots going on and a young family at home who are all very busy, as well, too. Yeah, I’ve got a lot on my plate but it’s fun, it’s really fun and I feel very privileged and honoured to be able to sit out there, my sixth Ryder Cup and six wins; like a heavyweight fighter, I’ll retire undefeated. Very happy.”

Paul soon home on the Grange

Paul McGinley can expect quite a homecoming when he delivers on a promise to make an appearance at his beloved Grange Golf Club in the not-too-distant future.

The Rathfarnham club in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains has been McGinley’s golfing home since he first took up the game and he has never forgotten his roots, saying recently: “Without the Grange, I wouldn’t be here as Ryder Cup captain, I probably wouldn’t be here as a professional golfer. I’ll never forget that loyalty.”

So, true to form, McGinley will visit his club at the earliest opportunity.

“His time hasn’t been his own with his Ryder Cup commitments but he committed to coming back to us, with or without the Ryder Cup, following Gleneagles,” Grange director of golf Jon Palmer said.

“We’re extremely proud of our association with him, as is Paul with us. He’s always had a very strong affiliation with us and he’s retired a couple of his trophies here. We’ve a Paul McGinley cabinet here, which includes his Walker Cup blazer and a replica of the Ryder Cup he won in the K Club as well his Oki Pro-Am and Austrian Open trophies from 1996 and 97.

“It’s a little shrine to him and a bit of a focal point, especially this year.

“We’re trying to maximise this year as much as possible, Paul’s been great with it and has supported us as much as he could and was delighted to be made honorary captain this year and he kindly wears his club blazer or sweater wherever necessary, and I know he talks about us in professional circles very much as the roots of his golfing career.

“There are members in the club who would have backed him through his early days, as all pros need, and he’s never forgotten that and has made some lovely statements to that effect.”

One gets the feeling there might be a memento from Gleneagles last weekend making its way into the McGinley shrine but whatever happens, the members at Grange have had a great time celebrating their association with a now winning Ryder Cup captain, not least when the man of the hour visited them a fortnight before the tournament for the club’s Paul McGinley Day.

“We’ve run a series of open competitions this year called The Ryder Cup Challenge,” Palmer said. “There were five open stableford events and a sixth which was member-exclusive.

“There were upwards of 120 players in each of them and the top 12 scores from that day formed their own ‘Ryder Cup’ team and played against the other days’ winning teams in the final on Thursday, the day of the opening ceremony. It’s been a lot to organise and we were sponsored by Glenmuir, who also backed the Paul McGinley Day.

“Paul’s been involved throughout and kept informed through a couple of our members, Donal Bollard, one of his best friends and a main man at Allianz, who have been one of Paul’s main sponsors throughout his career, as well as Paul Muldowney, our vice-captain at the moment. They’ve been keeping Paul well in the loop.”