McGinley delighted by Seve Trophy experience

Paul McGinley declared he now has 20 players better prepared for Ryder Cup selection following the dramatic conclusion to the Seve Trophy at St Nom-la-Breteche yesterday.

Italy’s Francesco Molinari was a European team hero for the second time in 12 months when he birdied the 16th hole to defeat GB & I’s Chris Wood and deliver Jose Maria Olazabal’s side a two-point win for a 15-13 victory.

A year ago, Tiger Woods conceded the overall Medinah winning putt to Molinari.

Frenchman Gregory Bourdy, competing in the event for a first time, emerged undefeated to win all five matches while Miguel Angel Jimenez, who played in the only other winning Europe Seve Trophy team in 2000, handed out the biggest singles defeat of 6&4 to GB&I’s David Lynn.

“The 20 players who have competed here hopefully will walk away better prepared first of all to face the battle to qualify for the Ryder Cup team, and secondly if they do manage to qualify and win that battle and make that team, then they will be better prepared to play the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles,” said McGinley.

“So the Seve Trophy continues to serve well for the European Ryder Cup cause and the experience these guys will have, of winning and losing, will stand them in very good stead.”

And ‘Captain Fantastic’ as losing GB&I captain Sam Torrance described Olazabal, is just as certain McGinley will be better prepared having witnessed firsthand the encounter on the outskirts of Versailles.

“Paul will have taken a lot of notes this week regarding certain players, not just their performances but their attitude on the course,” said Olazabal.

* Tiger Woods secured victory last night for the USA in the Presidents Cup at Muirfield with his 18th hole victory against Richard Sterne earning the Americans a 18½-15½ win over the internationals.

“It feels good,” Woods said. “It was a team effort this whole week.”