Focused McGinley plays down Clarke rift

Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley has pledged to draw a line in the sand over any ill feeling with Darren Clarke over their rival candidacies to lead Europe against the USA at Gleneagles next year.

The Irish pair will tee off together alongside US Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson in today’s opening round of the 95th PGA Championship seven months after going head-to-head in a bid to captain the European team.

McGinley, 46, had been widely assumed to have a free run at the captaincy, with 2011 Open champion Clarke, 44, following him into the role for the 2016 contest at Hazeltine, Minnesota.