It started with some stern words. The US team trounced Europe 19-9 at Whistling Straits four years ago. Paul McGinley found himself under scrutiny as part of a European Ryder Cup committee that also includes Damon Buffini, Richard Scudamore and Ian Ritchie.
“The narrative was that this was a tired European team and there were no players coming through the ranks to change things against young, dynamic Americans who have figured out how to win Ryder Cups,†McGinley says.
“People said they were going to win the next 10. Itâ€s fair to say I got a bit of a talking to from that committee about taking a more active role in overseeing what we were doing.â€
McGinley was involved when the trophy was reclaimed by Europe in Rome. Soon, his position was formalised to strategic adviser to Luke Donald. This was a smart appointment; McGinley has forgotten more about the Ryder Cup than most will ever know. At Bethpage, he will be on the sidelines but will provide an important sounding board as Donald and his players try to break the mould with a win on the road.
“We have nailed the home Ryder Cup templates but we have not nailed the away ones,†McGinley says. “If we go out and lose by five or six points again, that will be crushing for us. I donâ€t see that happening. If we donâ€t win, I think we will narrow the gap of away match defeats. We may well nick a win, we have a strong team.â€
Europe have also left nothing to chance. McGinley was lauded for his attention to detail as captain in 2014. More than a decade on, there was a scouting trip to Bethpage and virtual reality headsets were given to players so that they could sample how ferocious the opening tee may be. Is this the best prepared European team ever? “I think thatâ€s fair to say, including the one I captained,†McGinley says. “This is another level up now.
“One of the things that has grown exponentially behind the scenes is the cost to prepare the team for the Ryder Cup. The budget that we are spending runs into the millions in terms of preparing this team. Sports scientists, data, food, dietitians making trips out there to meet chefs and see the kitchen or share recipes. America has decided the players will be paid whereas we put our money back into the DP World Tour as well as into the preparation of the team. The money spent on preparing the team is a massive multiple of what it was in my day.â€
The influential figures behind Donald will be worthy of high praise if Europe prevail. Like McGinley, the performance coach Owen Eastwood is a crucial source of advice for the captain. Edoardo Molinari, one of Europeâ€s vice‑captains, is a statistical guru. It was therefore no coincidence that Europe retained not only Donald from Rome but 11 of his 12 players.
Europeâ€s golfers lift the Ryder Cup trophy in 2023 after prevailing over the USA at the Marco Simone golf club in Rome. Photograph: David Davies/PA
“We have relied heavily on analytics and history when making up what this strategy is,†McGinley says. “Edoardo plays a hugely important role, he is the guy who came up with the qualification system. I think one mistake we were making was hitting the ground with a new captain all the time, trying to learn the job and deal with an away match. Having someone with credibility who would do it again was important.
“Data led us in this direction; experienced players, from a European perspective, are the ones who deliver on the road. What we wanted data to do was point us in the right general direction, then we can bring in our golfing IQ and figure out what might work in a Ryder Cup context.â€
McGinley sat as an interested observer in 2010 as Corey Pavin, the then US captain, revealed advice from Bill Belichick. “Always remember to make the big thing the big thing,†the legendary NFL coach had told Pavin. McGinley says: “You can look for marginal gains, the extra 1-2%, and then lose sight of the big things.
“Communication with the players is so important. The biggest challenge here is the crowd, playing in a hostile environment and one players are not used to. They are ducks out of water. What were the lessons under Bernhard Langer [from Oakland Hills in 2004], what were the learnings from Medinah?
“I donâ€t think there has been a captain who has communicated as much to players as Luke has. That detailed, regular communication has been focused on mindset and preparing them for what is going to be a very difficult environment to play in.â€
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