It was a great privilege to spectate at the Ryder Cup at
Gleneagles at the weekend. The setting
was incredible, it was sometimes hard to take your eyes off the scenery to
watch the golf! Aside from all the
brilliant golf that’s played, the great character of the players (top
favourites this year were Dubuisson the Magician and Reed the Pantomime
Villain), I find the battle between the two captains fascinating. They don’t hit a drive, they don’t stand over
any nervy 3 foot putts, yet somehow the work they put in before the tournament,
the pairing decisions they make during the weekend and the overall atmosphere
they create for the players manifests itself on the final scoreboard. I feel for Tom Watson, the man is a legend
and loved in Scotland, so no comments to make on his captaincy. But there were lots of aspects of the conduct
of Europe’s victorious captain, Paul McGinley, that I found very
impressive. First and foremost, he made
an enormous effort to build strong
relationships with his players over a two year time period. Attending 25 events this year alone, he was
in constant contact, sometimes over dinner with individual players, making a
daily phone call to others. In the case
of the enigmatic young French debutant Dubuisson, McGinley spent 3 days at his house
in France getting to know him and what made him tick. Next, McGinley set the right tone for his team, marked as strong favourites in
betting markets, by bringing in the legendary football manager Sir Alex
Ferguson. Ferguson spoke with them about
the pressures of being favourites, and how they should not fear it or be
ashamed of it but embrace it. In his
pairing selections, McGinley clearly had a
very well thought out plan that was nevertheless flexible. Unleashing McDowell/Dubuisson in the foursome
format was a planning masterpiece, whilst accommodating the out of sorts
Poulter and protecting the under pressure home player Stephen Gallacher but keeping them invested in the team goal
showed a great response to unexpected events.
Finally, McGinley helped his team avoid
complacency by reminding them of what had happened at Medinah when the
Americans led by the same 10-6 scoreline on the Saturday evening.
