McGinley feels fantastic as Ryder Cup hero

Ryder Cup hero Paul McGinley admitted he had discussed his potential date with destiny over the Sunday morning breakfast table.

McGinley holed from eight feet for par on the 18th to halve his match with Jim Furyk and ensure Sam Torrance’s side would regain the trophy lost three years ago at Brookline.

The Dubliner followed in the footsteps of Christy O’Connor Jnr (1989), Eamonn Darcy (1987) and Philip Walton (1995) in striking the killer blow as the home side equalled their best-ever singles performance in unforgettable fashion.

Torrance’s strategy of putting out his strongest players first to get plenty of blue on the scoreboard early on paid dividends, but McGinley correctly calculated that it would still come down to one of the lesser lights to actually seal the triumph.

After a striking a victorious pose in the lake at The Belfry with the Irish flag draped over his shoulders, McGinley revealed: "I had breakfast with Phillip Price and Pierre Fulke and said one of us could be the hero because it’s unlikely all of the first six are going to win their games."

Price was undoubtedly the other unsung hero in beating world number two Phil Mickelson 3&2, while McGinley’s winning putt meant Fulke was able to settle for a half in his match with Davis Love III, which became a formality.

The cup’s tradition of throwing up Irish heroes should have meant McGinley’s matchwinner came as no surprise, and he acknowledged he was continuing the line of success for his country.

"There’s something about the Ryder Cup and the Irish," said an ecstatic McGinley.

"First of all to have the opportunity, and secondly to actually do it, is fantastic. It was an unbelievable day.

"I’m following a long line of Christy, Darcy and Philip Walton in securing the point that won the Ryder Cup and it’s just an amazing feeling. It’s unbelievable, the three guys have been unbelievable in what they’ve done and now I know how they feel and I appreciate their achievements even more because it’s not an easy situation to be in.

"I was actually within two yards of where Christy hit his famous 2-iron from (to beat Fred Couples and retain the cup) and I was praying the ghost of Christy wasn’t going to come back to haunt me.

"When I holed the putt on the 17th for birdie to get back to all square and heard the cheer, and when everybody was watching my game I knew that it was crucial.

"When I got to the green Sam said 'do it for me’ and I knew then that it wasn’t won. I knew then a half point would be good enough."

McGinley still had to get up and down from 15 yards left of the green to be sure of a half, and after pitching to eight feet could only watch as Furyk almost emulated Paul Azinger by holing out from the greenside bunker in his match against Niclas Fasth.

"I had that putt two years ago in the Benson and Hedges to finish second and I made it for birdie, "McGinley added.

"I knew the line, it was a matter of having the nerve to hit it on the line and fortunately it came right out of the middle of the putter and into the middle of the hole. That was a lot of fun.

"Standing over the putt I knew what was at stake. It wasn’t a mixture of nerves, it wasn’t a mixture of fear, it was a mixture of excitement, adrenalin and focus, all those things combined.

"This is my chance, this is my opportunity and I relished it."