European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley would love to see Tiger Woods face his side in this year’s tournament at Gleneagles.
Speaking to Tipperary Times’ Dave O’Grady, McGinley believes the Ryder Cup is one of the worlds premier sports events and would benefit from the inclusion of Woods.
“He is the biggest name in Golf and you want to have the best players in the world there. The Ryder Cup would benefit from him being there. Although I am not too bothered about how the USA are playing. We are just focussed on getting our own house in order”, he said.
McGinley also revealed that many placed are still up for grabs on his European team and players like Irish Open winner Mikko Ilonen and Sweden’s Jonas Blixt are still in with a big chance. “Mikko’s a really strong player of the modern game. He hits the ball a long way and puts very well. Similar to Martin Kaymer’s win in the US Open, for him to lead from start to finish is never easy and he is certainly good enough to play in the Ryder Cup”.
“Jonas is currently just outside the points but I think that one big performance could probably get him in. He’s a guy you certainly wouldn’t discount and one for the big occasion”.
McGinley went to say that the Ryder Cup is a fantastic tournament and is one of the biggest events in the sporting calendar and that he and all the team are eagerly awaiting the tournament. With four spaces certain, McGinley seemed confident that he would be able to select the best possible team if players impress in tournaments over the coming months. McGinley also spoke briefly to Dave O’Grady about Rory McIlroys decision to represent Ireland in the upcoming Olympic Games.
Listen to Dave O’Grady’s full interview with Paul McGinley below.
Email Dave@TipperaryTimes.com