McGinley applauds Irish Ryder Cupbearers

THE €10 million or so that it cost to bring the Ryder Cup to Ireland is regarded as a “bargain” in many quarters and it undoubtedly is.

But Paul McGinley, a hero of Europe’s victories in 2002 and 2004 and a man with his heart set on playing at the K Club next September, prefers to regard it as “huge foresight on the parts of people in power, and basically Pádraig Ó hUiginn and Michael Smurfit”.

“They saw the way the Ryder Cup was going, how big it would be for Ireland, they made a huge play for it and deservedly got it.”

Ó hUiginn was of course a former secretary to several Taoisigh and has done a huge amount of good for tourism and the promotion of young golfing talent. He was responsible for setting up the golf trust, which enabled many sportsmen and women to achieve their potential, including McGinley.

He admitted: “I wouldn’t be where I am today without him and that goes for many others as well. The Ryder Cup is going to be massive for Ireland; it’s one of the biggest sporting events in the world and I just know we’re going to do a great job on putting it together. The bigger the task, the better we are at staging it and this is something we have proven time and again in the past.”

As one of the most momentous weeks in Irish sport looms, McGinley has noted on his trips to the US an increasing confidence among the Americans that they are set to regain the trophy they last held after a hugely controversial victory at Brookline in 1999.

It looks like they have not learned from their drubbing at Oakland Hills last year and their four defeats in the last five Ryder Cups, but that’s fine with McGinley.

“We may think they are overstating their chances but try telling them that,” he observed.

The Dubliner said he had “no sympathy” for John Daly, with whom he played for two days on the week the ‘Wild Thing’ threw away the recent American Express World Championship.

He referred to the putt Daly missed in extra time to hand the title to Tiger Woods as “well missable”.

“He was in a no-win situation. He was expected to make this putt. From having a putt to win that he just missed, he’s on a bit of a downer and has to hole this one to stay in it. The momentum has switched, he’s got to tidy up and it wasn’t a foregone conclusion.

“I don’t feel for him. I’m sure he didn’t feel for me when I lost in the World Match Play, it’s a dog-eat-dog business out there.

“But it is fantastic to play with Daly. We were in the group behind Tiger and there was such an atmosphere. It was a sell-out crowd and we had 80% between the two groups. I loved it. I like to play with a noise and a hum in the background. It doesn’t bother me. I’m lucky.”

As the season winds down, McGinley has plenty to concentrate his mind before he decides whether to have an operation on a nagging knee injury.

The World Cup at Villamoura, Portugal, next month is a major concern, as he and Pádraig Harrington, playing together for the ninth successive year, attempt to repeat their victory at Kiawah Island in 1997.

McGinley believes they will derive confidence from finishing third and challenging right to the final green 12 months ago in Seville.

“Pádraig and I agree that last year was the best we ever played in the World Cup. We enjoy playing together. I’ve never apologised to him for hitting a bad shot. Neither has he. Put the club back in the bag and walk on. One of the reasons we do so well is we don’t get in each other’s faces.”

Harrington and McGinley’s friendship dates back to their teens in the Rathfarnham area of Dublin, and though things haven’t been going all that well for the former recently, McGinley is satisfied that the graph will shortly be on the way back up for Harrington his World Cup partner.

“He’s had a tough year and would just like to wash it out of the way and start again in 2006. I feel he’s just playing out to the end of the year, to get through it, have two months off like he always does, rejuvenate himself and start again. I think that’s what’s on his mind more than anything.

“I noticed at the Seve Trophy his concentration was nowhere near what it’s usually like, and concentration is one of his biggest attributes. He wasn’t with it and it’s understandable.”

Whether it happens at Valderrama or Villamoura, McGinley needs a win that would console him for failing to capture three big tournaments this year, especially the BMW PGA and World Match Play Championships.

He is only getting over the latter disappointment.

“Nobody ever has a positive after a defeat. You’re totally deflated. Every bit of energy was gone but I had put so much into it. It’s a cliché to say the money doesn’t matter, of course the money is important, but it was such a huge title, as was the BMW.

“To not play as well in the final, as I did in the first three days, only to claw my way back and give it away like I did was very disheartening.

“I had never looked like winning a tournament with six holes to go and on three occasions I was in that situation, so that was a plateau, a new level I hadn’t reached before.”