Ryder Cup: McGinley avoids tricks to allow nature to take its course

European captain Paul McGinley insists he has not “tricked up” the Ryder Cup course at Gleneagles, but admitted Mother Nature had played an unexpected role.
Europe captain Paul McGinley, left, and vice-captain Jose Maria Olazabal.Europe captain Paul McGinley, left, and vice-captain Jose Maria Olazabal.
Europe captain Paul McGinley, left, and vice-captain Jose Maria Olazabal.

As captain of the home side, McGinley has the right to set up the PGA Centenary Course as he sees fit, but promised that there would be no major surprises when play begins on Friday.

“I’d like to think I’m playing it very straight this week when it comes to the course set-up,” the 47-year-old added.

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“I’ve aligned it very much with the set-up that we play on the European Tour.

“In general we have narrower fairways in Europe than you do on the PGA Tour, in general we have a little bit more rough and in general your greens are quicker and faster than we have on the European Tour.

“I think to be honest the rough is a little thicker than ideal, but that wasn’t a calculated decision.

“We wanted to get the rough up, but I think the warm growing season of September, along with some heavy showers, has made it a little bit more thicker and longer than we wanted.”

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Former captain Sam Torrance narrowed the fairways at The Belfry in 2002 to make life difficult for the longer hitters on the American team, but McGinley added: “The dynamic has changed. Now we have as many big hitters as they do.

“There was a time when we were straighter and shorter and they were longer and a little bit wider, but that’s not the case any more. It’s one of the reasons why it wasn’t a case of me trying to outsmart myself.

“I wanted to make sure our players were going to be comfortable, and if the Americans are comfortable, too, so be it.”

American veteran Jim Furyk felt happy with the course after playing a practice round yesterday, although he admitted he had not expected it to be set up as it was.

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The 44-year-old, who is playing his ninth Ryder Cup, said: “I kind of like the golf course to be honest with you. I feel like it’s relatively straightforward, it’s in front of you.

“I’m a little surprised by the set-up. I didn’t expect to see eight-inch rough in spots out there, and it is overly thick and overly long in spots. Being a guy that hits the ball relatively accurately when I’m playing well, it doesn’t really drive me nuts or anything, but it has a different feel.

“Usually you see in a set-up for match play, they usually tend to let us get a little bit more aggressive and wild, and you see recoveries, and you’re not going to see a lot of recovery shots here when guys get in that hay.”

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