McGinley not in awe of Watson
Long before the pair were destined to face off as rival Ryder Cup captains, their paths crossed as players at a British Open.
“When I first met Tom Watson those steely eyes went right through me,” McGinley admitted, “but I’m certainly not afraid of him, and I’m certainly looking forward to pitting myself against him.”
Many believe the Americans hold an advantage ahead of the 2014 clash given Watson’s status as a multiple Major winner. It’s a viewpoint which angers McGinley, the first Irishman to be handed the role.
“Where’s the historical evidence as the argument doesn’t hold up? Now I’m not saying Tom Watson won’t be a great captain. But I am saying that ‘great player equals great captain’ is not a given.”
The early signs are positive for McGinley if the reaction of the public is anything to go by. “It’s nice that people now recognise me more as the Ryder Cup captain and I love people asking me for an autograph or a photo, so in many ways I am walking round with more of a spring in my step. I understand an estimated 500 million people either tuned live or picked up snippets from that Abu Dhabi press conference when I was handed the captaincy. That just shows how big a deal it was and that is the kind of exposure the Ryder Cup now generates.”
McGinley will not compete again until the Avantha Masters in March but of importance in coming weeks is ‘researching’ the possibility of altering the current qualifying process given the number of Europeans now competing in the United States. And that could very well involve going down the same path as Davis Love 111 who had four ‘wildcard’ picks for Medinah.
McGinley revealed: “The big thing going in my head at the moment is the qualification process. It’s the number of picks I’m mainly concentrating on given the high number of our top players who are now members of the PGA Tour which is going to make it more difficult for the very best players in Europe to qualify for the team. So I need to give myself a little bit more manoeuvrability? Do I need to have more picks because of that?
“That is going to take a lot of research and a lot of work certainly over the next three months but then by the time we get to Wentworth (May 23) I should have a better idea of what I want, and what I will be happy with.
“I have my first official meeting with the Tour next Thursday while my golf business project down in Ghana is thriving and moved to a bigger level last month with 12 people now working on the project. So I want to keep a handle on myself and not over-stretch myself and keep myself fresh for my golf.”
Meanwhile, Shane Lowry faces a 10-day anxious wait to see if he qualifies for this month’s WGC – Accenture Match-Play Championship in Arizona.
Lowry (62nd) is certain to drop further down the rankings when they’re adjusted on Monday after missing the halfway cut with scores of 74 and 72 for a disappointing two-over par tally in Dubai .
Lowry needs to be among the top 64 on February 11 to be assured of an Arizona tee-time. Dubliner Peter Lawrie produced a two under par 70 to move to eight under par and just four shots behind South African Richard Sterne who birdied the last also in a round of 70 to move one clear on 12-under.
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