Steely Nerves the X-Factor in Europe's Ryder Cup Reign, Now and Going Forward
GLENEAGLES, Scotland — All week, European captain Paul McGinley talked about Europe’s "template" for Ryder Cup victory. All week his assertions were met with a certain amount of skepticism by those who heard them.
Not any more.
On Sunday, the European team took some of the best punches a frantic United States squad could throw and duly brushed them off, finishing the stronger in the singles at Gleneagles to round off a 16.5-11.5 victory that only very fleetingly looked to be in any doubt.
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It was Europe’s third successive triumph and their eighth in the last 10 Ryder Cups. If there is a winning formula for this event, then it would very much appear that the boys in blue have found it.
"It’s been a huge team effort," McGinley said on the 15th green, moments after victory was confirmed. "It’s been a real honour to work with these 12 players."
Coming into the day with a 10-6 deficit, U.S. captain Tom Watson signaled his intent by throwing out Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed and Rickie Fowler, his three form players this week in Scotland, in the opening three matches of the day.
McGinley countered with Graeme McDowell, Henrik Stenson and Rory McIlroy, and the two Northern Irishmen delivered key victories to ensure there would be no repeat of the early momentum swing that sparked the "Miracle at Medinah" two years ago.
McDowell, in a dynamic that was replicated down the order and throughout the day, went behind early but came back strongly in the second half of the contest to frustrate Spieth and eventually secure his point. It set the tone for what was to come.
"I was proud of myself coming down that back nine," McDowell said. "The captain put a big role on me this morning, and I’m happy I could deliver."
McIlroy, playing 30 minutes behind, was a remarkable eight under par when he shook hands with a demoralized Fowler on the 14th.
"I was probably more up for this day than the Sunday at the two majors I won this year," McIlroy noted. "There was no option other than to win. I played my best golf of the week."
With those two points on the board, Europe only needed another two for victory. Martin Kaymer delivered one as he saw off Bubba Watson with a chip-in at the 16th. So, after Justin Rose’s sneaked half with Hunter Mahan, the stage was left clear for rookie Jamie Donaldson to seal the victory with a wedge into the 15th that he, and the many thousands of fans who lined that hole, will never forget.
Much of the credit has to go to McGinley. The Irishman’s playing career barely deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as his opposite Watson’s, but it is arguable that he has redefined the art and the importance of the captaincy with his work this week.
He has been loath to discuss exactly what is in his "template," but it is not hard to take some educated guesses. McGinley has been very careful not to overplay his stars (only McIlroy and Justin Rose played all five matches) or afraid to leave out-of-form players on the bench (Stephen Gallacher only played twice, Ian Poulter three times).
He has put a lot of thought into his pairings for the foursomes and fourballs, matching experienced heads with nervous newbies and passionate players "on the shoulders" of those who might need some "cajoling" to get going.
He has matched on personality types rather than playing styles, a crucial difference with the U.S. approach. He would go to his vice-captains, his players, their caddies and even their agents to work out the best individual approach to adopt.
That strategy resulted in the unlikely foursomes pairings of Graeme McDowell and Victor Dubuisson and Lee Westwood and Jamie Donaldson delivering four points from four, the crux of a 7-1 foursomes record that ultimately decided the cup.
"We had a plan," the captain said. "We had a real plan and a structure. We kept feeding into [them] and ultimately they proved to be right."
McGinley’s focus on planning—in contrast to Watson’s more on-the-fly approach—was noticeable by how little time he spent following the action, preferring instead to leave his vice-captains to monitor the games while he plotted his next move.
He claimed on Saturday night he knew he wanted McDowell to be his first player out in the singles nearly two years ago. But, more impressively, he focused on the key messages he wanted his team to focus on: avoiding complacency, embracing being favourites, staying strong in the heat of the moment.
Everything from getting Sir Alex Ferguson to deliver the pre-tournament speech to the slogans in the team room were designed with certain psychological points in mind. Creating the right mindset was as important as matching the right players together.
"I knew he was going to do a wonderful job," Europe’s winning captain in 2012, Jose Maria Olazabal, said. "He is a great man, he has the respect of the players, and he has everything down to the smallest detail. He thought of everything, and he was spot-on."
All of that is not to say that McGinley won the competition single-handedly; the Ryder Cup remains, like any tournament, a matter of individuals hitting the right shots at the right time. The 47-year-old would be the first to acknowledge that.
But it is to say that McGinley did everything in his power to give his 12 players the platform to express themselves to the best of their ability. As Phil Mickelson was laying into Watson on Sunday evening, it was noticeable how united the European players were in praise of their leader, even reciting some mental triggers McGinley had repeated all week as they left their final press conference to celebrate yet another triumph.
"Me and Thomas [Bjorn] were discussing yesterday, that Paul is the new wave of captains. A lot more modern, every detail, it was right there. He thought of everything this week," Sergio Garcia noted of McGinley.
Lee Westwood agreed: "I couldn't criticise his captaincy in any point. I thought from start to finish, he got it all right."
Watson tried to replicate the methods from his captaincy in 1993, but McGinley showed that the job has evolved a huge amount in 21 years. All future European captains will follow his lead; the next American to get the gig will be wise to learn as much as he can about McGinley’s style.
This week at the Ryder Cup, it is clear that the Americans have a lot of catching up to do—on the course, and off it.
Until they start making progress, Europe will probably find there are a few more victories to come in this event.
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