McGinley is lively longshot

Ryder Cup Irishman Paul McGinley plays only his second US Open this week - and he could hardly have chosen two tougher ones.

When McGinley made his debut in 1997, the Congressional course just outside Washington was the longest in the event’s history at 7,213 yards. He missed the halfway cut by one.

Now he is back at Bethpage Black on New York’s Long Island - the course which, at 7,214 yards, makes Congressional the second longest.

McGinley obviously hopes to do better, but he admits that given the way his game has been for the past month or so he would consider a top 20 finish a good week.

That might seem a modest target given that he was 18th on his maiden appearance in the Masters in April, but he says: ‘‘Form is a fickle thing.

‘‘I was buzzing for a while, but I’ve played poorly lately and it’s taken me by surprise.

‘‘We all have peaks and troughs, though, and I expect it to come around soon and I’m not panicking - I’ve had peaks and troughs already this year.

‘‘Hopefully this will be the starting point for a strong summer. I really want to perform well in the majors - and then be ready for September, of course.’’

His Ryder Cup debut, of course.