McGinley expected to name assistants

The composition of Paul McGinley’s Ryder Cup backroom team for Gleneagles in September should become a little clearer today when the Dubliner hosts a European Tour press conference in his home town.

With McGinley’s Europe locking horns with a Tom Watson-led United States, the Irishman is expected to name at least one and maybe two of his vice-captains at Government Buildings today (11:30am).

Veterans Des Smyth and former winning captain Sam Torrance are believed to be in the frame for McGinley’s set-up as Europe bid to retain the Ryder Cup for a third time in a row, following victories at Celtic Manor and Medinah. This year’s captain, 47, was a vice-captain on both of those winning teams, captained by Colin Montgomerie in 2010 and Jose Maria Olazabal in 2012, while Torrance was McGinley’s first skipper as a player in 2002 at The Belfry, where the Irishman famously sunk the winning putt for Europe.